IIIcccccccHHHHHiiiiiiiiiRRROOOO!!!

[Djaughe]

I have to say simply amazing that ichiro is on the verge of breaking the hits record!

 

[AZZenny]

I was in Japan the past 10 days - what a great place - and it was interesting watching the Ichiro thing over there. He is revered - nearly worshipped - as the very best Japan has to offer the world - talk about pressure! When he got the record, he was front page and back page of the papers, color photos, PLUS a whole page in the sports section.
I'd never heard this before, but apparently before he left Japan, he told someone that he wasn't raised to play Japanese baseball - he was raised to play Major League baseball.

 

[jf-08]

did he do it?

 

[Djaughe]

did he do it?

Yeah he finished with like 262 hits. However folks should know that Sisler set the record when big-league teams played 154 games.

Ichiro needed 160 games to surpass Sisler’s mark of 257 hits.

But according to the Elias Sports Bureau, keeper of baseball’s official records, “One-hundred-fifty-four games doesn’t have any impact here.” Some purists might not agree with that.

Besides the record - Ichiro became the 1st mlb player to start off his career with at least 200 hits in 4 seasons. He also set records not only for hits in a season, but for singles in a season (225) and the most hits in a four-year period (924).

In addition, he set an American League record for plate appearances in a season (762). He had 80 multiple-hit games as compared to 81 games when he had one or zero hits. The 80 multiple-hit games are the most since at least 1969.
Ichiro also had 46 more hits than AL runner-up Michael Young of the Rangers (216). That's the greatest discrepancy ever between the top two, beating the 44 hit total separating Stan Musial (228) and Dixie Walker (184) in 1946.

 

[jf-08]

no astericks please

 

[Dback Jon]

no astericks please

Agreed.


Amazing accomplishment - he averaged basically a hit and a half a game!

 

[AZZenny]

If he were a fluke, maybe you'd say asterisk - but obviously, he is - as Bob Melvin said - the greatest leadoff guy in recent baseball history.

I love to watch him play - what more can you ask of any baseball player?