…the great one. But what a feat.
Move over Willie Keeler. Here stands Ichiro Suzuki.Ichiro had three hits on Wednesday against the Royals to reach the 200-hit plateau for the eighth consecutive year. That feat ties the Major League record set by Keeler from 1894 through 1901.Ichiro also set an American League record, surpassing the seven consecutive seasons in which Wade Boggs had 200 or more hits.
Those eight years account for Ichiro’s entire career in America. He turns 35 in late October. I wonder how long he can keep it going. Ichiro is one of those guys I can see playing at a high level well into his 40s. My guess is he’ll keep this going another five years.
He only had 206 in 2005. That year his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .319. This year it’s .334 and his career average is .356. I suppose if he has a season like 2005 where he gets a little unlucky he won’t manage 200.
Keep in mind he’s going to likely finish 2008 with his second highest SB total. He’s got 42. His career high is 56. He’s only been caught four times. Phenomenal.
It’s too bad he’s not playing on a contending team.
2 responses so far ↓
1 simon // Sep 18, 2008 at 11:28 pm
He is in such excellent shape all the time that he’s never been on the DL, that’s actually a very valuable and underestimated (undervalued?) quality/skill that he possesses.
2 Shinsano // Sep 18, 2008 at 11:41 pm
It really is. That’s another thing I like about the Total Value statistic. That’s part of the figure both offensively and defensively.
I think at this point Ichiro is a little taken for granted. He’s not really viewed as one of the game’s best players. Maybe Top 20-30. But over the last decade? Must be Top 5 or 10.
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