The "Countdown to 200" will resume Monday night in Seattle when the Red Sox head to Safeco for a three-game series with the Mariners. With 19 games left, Ichiro is well on his way of matching Pete Rose's record of 10 seasons with 200 hits or more.
What's more impressive about Ichiro's record is that he's compiled nine consecutive seasons of 200 hits, and is just 14 hits away from his tenth. Rose compiled 10 200-hit seasons throughout his 24 years in the league, but they were not all in a row.
Ichiro has been in the league for 10 years, and has been a consistent leadoff hitter — if not the best in the game — throughout his career with Seattle. He already broke the Hall of Fame's Wee Willie Keeler's MLB record last season by posting nine consecutive seasons of 200 hits or more, a record set in 1901. Ichiro also holds the MLB record for most hits in a season with 262, a milestone reached back in 2004.
Also heralded for his defensive contributions, Ichiro has earned a Gold Glove in all nine seasons and has been a 10-time American League All-Star. His speedy on-base presence also makes him a formidable leadoff hitter, stealing 378 bases so far in his career.
While he is well on his way of matching Rose's record of 200-hit seasons, Ichiro is still over 2,000 hits away from matching Rose's career hits record of 4,256 because he didn't come to the U.S. until he was 27 years old. And now at the age of 37, Ichiro may never come close to surpassing that mark. Does the Mariners' outfielder have enough credentials for a bid to Cooperstown?
Do you believe Ichiro Suzuki is a future Hall of Famer?
Text 'SOX1' to 542542 for yes or 'SOX2' to 542542 for no.
