New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki drew even with another all-time great Tuesday night as he inched one step closer to 3,000 career hits. With his third-inning RBI single off of Indians left-hander Scott Kazmir, Ichiro tied Ted Williams for 72nd on MLB's all-time hits list with 2,654.
Ichiro Suzuki matches Ted Williams on all-time hits list
With a third-inning single Tuesday night, Ichiro brought his MLB hit total even with the Splendid Splinter at 2,654.
Al Bello
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The third-inning knock was Ichiro’s only hit of the day, meaning he’ll have to wait at least another day before he can boast of surpassing Teddy Ballgame on the all-time list.
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MLB is looking to punish players with Biogenesis ties, but won't look very good doing so. Once thought to be a lock to reach 3,000 hits -- an incredible feat considering he joined the league at 27 -- Ichiro is now a longshot to reach the milestone. He averaged a record-shattering 224 hits per year in his first decade of MLB ball, but his numbers have declined swiftly over the past two-plus seasons.
Ichiro needs to average 197 hits in both seasons of his two-year deal with the Yankees to reach 3,000, but has just 48 knocks through his first 52 games, which won’t quite get it done. There’s always a chance Ichiro will hang around an extra year to reach the milestone, but he may have trouble finding a team to give him playing time at age 41.
With six more hits, Ichiro will move to 70th all-time, bringing him even with George Davis and Harry Heilman at 2,660.
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