Let’s take a moment to admire Ichiro. In case you didn’t notice, the Seattle Mariners right fielder is good at hitting.
He can hit it off his shoe tops. He can hit it from eye-level. He can jerk it down the line, slash it up the middle or lace it over the third baseman’s head. Occasionally, he can knock it out of the park. More often, he’ll tap it up the middle and fly up the line for an infield single, infuriating infielders and pitchers alike.
The man can hit. On a historic level, even.
On Sunday, he notched his 2,000th hit in the majors. He did it in his 1,402nd game, that’s faster than anyone in MLB history except for Al Simmons, who did it in 12 fewer games, and about six “eras” ago.
Add the 1,278 hits Ichiro notched in Japan, and that puts him at 3,278 in 17 combined seasons. No, the Japanese Pacific League isn’t as good as the American League. But it’s impressive nonetheless.
So take a moment to appreciate this fleet, unorthodox player. Guys like this don’t come around too often.
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If you Twitter, and can appreciate a throwing arm, too, feel free to follow me at @Bharks.