Congratulations to Ichiro Suzuki, who slapped a single tonight for the 4,000th hit of his incredible career, split between Japan and the major leagues.
Suzuki got his historic hit off Toronto’s R.A. Dickey. Ironically, his milestone single was his 2,722nd hit in the major leagues which also moved him ahead of Yankee legend Lou Gehrig on the All Time list.
He tipped his cap and bowed as the fans at Yankee Stadium gave him a standing ovation and his teammates rushed out to the field to hug and congratulate him.
In a classy move, the Yankee Stadium scoreboard then displayed a message from his former teammate with the Seattle Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr..
Ichiro burst onto the scene in 2001, when at 27 he was selected as the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP after signing with the Mariners. He batted .350 that season with 242 hits and 56 stolen bases. It was the beginning of a record-breaking streak of 10 straight seasons of at least 206 hits including setting the single season record for hits in in 2004 with 262 base-knocks, topping George Sisler‘s long held mark of 257 set in 1920.
Congratulations to the 10-time All Star… One of the most remarkable hitters I’ve ever seen…
