Ichiro breaks century-old baseball hitting record - 9 straight years w/ 200 hits

Danny Tse
Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
edited September 2009 in The Clubhouse
On a weekend where we saw a meltdown on the tennis court and a petty speech at an induction ceremony, we overlook another baseball record broken by Ichiro.

From here....
Ichiro Suzuki doesn't really have a nickname — "Ichiro" apparently will do, thank you — but if he's looking for one, how about "Mr. 200"?

No player in major league history has racked up more consecutive 200-hit seasons than Ichiro, whose infield single against the Texas Rangers in the second inning Sunday night made it a clean nine for nine.

He's once ... twice ... nine times a two-hundred since coming from Japan in 2001.

With another 200 in the hit bank, Ichiro surpasses a Hall of Famer who has one of the more famous nicknames in baseball history, "Wee" Willie Keeler, who did it from 1894-1901 for the Brooklyn Dodgers franchise.

If not "Mr. 200" for Suzuki, then how about "Wee Chiro"?

After the M's 5-0 victory, teammates soaked Ichiro in beer (hope it was Sapporo) after Ken Griffey slung him over his shoulder and carried him to the shower.

"To get to enjoy this with these teammates I have, and especially that guy over there makes me very joyful," Ichiro said.

Nine 200-hit seasons also tie for the second-most for an individual career with Ty Cobb. It's the 470th time since 1900 a player has reached 200 hits.

Suzuki, who turns 36 next month, would tie Pete Rose's record with 10 career 200-hit seasons if he does it again in 2010.

Ichiro's record hit wasn't exactly a frozen rope, but his dribbler against Derek Holland(notes) scored a run to extend Seattle's lead; it's also appropriate because he had to leg it out, as he has many times. The fans in Arlington gave him a nice round of applause and he tipped his helmet in gratitude.

Ichiro has expressed an interest to play well into his 40s, so 3,000 hits are reasonable. The guy's just awesome; he grabs your attention like no other contemporary non-power hitter I can think of.
Post edited by Danny Tse on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Monster Jam
    Monster Jam Posts: 919
    edited September 2009
    I stopped following baseball in earnst when they struck in 1990 (and since then I come to find out that they were all cheating anyways), but I am a casual sports fan and I recognize Ichiro's undeniable talent and skill.
    Do you hear that buzzing noise? :confused:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Toxis
    Toxis Posts: 5,116
    edited September 2009
    Is baseball still a sport? The older I get, the less I respect it...
    Never kick a fresh **** on a hot day.

    Home Setup: Sony VPL-VW85 Projo, 92" Stewart Firehawk, Pioneer Elite SC-65, PS3, RTi12 fronts, CSi5, FXi6 rears, RTi6 surround backs, RTi4 height, MFW-15 Subwoofer.

    Car Setup: OEM Radio, RF 360.2v2, Polk SR6500 quad amped off 4 Xtant 1.1 100w mono amps, Xtant 6.1 to run an eD 13av.2, all Stinger wiring and Raammat deadener.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter