Pete Rose and others can debate Ichiro Suzuki’s “all-time” hits record all they want, but the legendary Japanese outfielder reminded everyone Sunday that his accomplishments in Major League Baseball are impressive in their own right.
Ichiro tallied his 3,000th MLB hit against the Colorado Rockies and did so in style, launching a triple to right field in the seventh inning of the Miami Marlins’ 10-7 win at Coors Field.
The 42-year-old is the 30th big league player to reach the 3,000-hit plateau and the second to do so in as many seasons, as Alex Rodriguez accomplished the feat in 2015 with the New York Yankees.
Ichiro didn’t exactly limp to 3,000 hits, either: He entered Sunday hitting .318 through 94 games this season for the upstart Marlins.
Ichiro, who is in his 16th MLB season, now has 4,278 lifetime hits after spending nearly a decade playing professional baseball in Japan. Rose is MLB’s all-time hits leader with with 4,256.
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images