Ichiro Suzuki Collects 3,000th Major League Hit

Ichiro Suzuki notched his 3,000th Major League hit on Sunday afternoon with a seventh-inning triple against Colorado. He is the 30th player to accomplish the feat. None of the previous 29 amassed 1,278 hits in Japan before coming over to the United States. The fact that Suzuki was able to reach the milestone after being a 27-year-old rookie is astounding.

While most baseball people are in agreement that Pete Rose is the unofficial “hit king,” there’s no reason for Suzuki’s accomplishments to be diminished. Few players have ever been as electric to watch as Ichiro in his prime. The way he was able to make solid contact on the run was — and still is — a thing of beauty.