Ichiro Suzuki has reached a career milestone.
The Yankees outfielder and former Seattle Mariners icon slashed a single off Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey past third baseman Brett Lawrie for his 4,000 career hit, split between his time in the Pacific League in Japan and the major leagues.
Suzuki recorded 2,533 of those hits while in a Mariners uniform, and his former team tweeted a statement about the milestone saying, “Ichiro’s historic milestone is testament to his position as one of the greatest hitters in the game of baseball.”
Pete Rose (4,256) and Ty Cobb (4,191) are the only two players that have reached the 4000-hit plateau solely in the major leagues.
After the hit, Suzuki’s teammates hopped over the dugout fence and ran to first base to congratulate him, with Curtis Granderson giving him the first hug. Suzuki then faced the cheering crowd and bowed.
When he returned to right field during the second inning, Suzuki tipped his cap to the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation.
For Suzuki, it’s all about taking it one hit at a time.
“Not necessarily the 4,000, just the fact that you’re getting a hit in the game,” he said through an interpreter after getting three hits in the opener of a doubleheader Tuesday to come within one of 4,000. “If you don’t produce you’re not going to play in games. Me producing in games is what’s good for me.”
Check out Ichiro’s milestone hit in the video below.
