Ichiro Suzuki Earns 4,000 Career Hit

Ichiro Suzuki made history on Wednesday night when he got his 4,000th career hit during the New York Yankees' win against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankees Stadium.

Suzuki, a slight of frame small-ball hitter for the New York baseball franchise, struck the milestone hit in the first inning of the game. Stepping up to bat, he hit a line drive past Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie. While Suzuki knew what the moment would mean to him, he was caught off guard by the stadium-wide celebration that took place upon the hit.

"It was supposed to be a number that was special to me, but what happened tonight, I wasn't expecting," Ichiro admitted, according to USA Today. "At first I was trying to stop (the players) from coming. But it was just because I was so happy and overjoyed with the way they supported me. … When I look back on this, that's what's going to make this very special."

The 4,000 hits are a combination of those Suzuki struck in the Pacific League in Japan and in the MLB. He’s only the third baseball player in the history of the game to reach the milestone during professional play. Pete Rose and Ty Cobb are the only other two to hit No. 4,000.

After Ichiro’s momentous hit, the game was delayed as his teammates rushed onto the field. During the celebration, a video message from Ichiro’s former teammate Ken Griffey Jr. played on the scoreboard.

"I realized today is that the Yankees are so used to things like this happening that they're so good at ceremonies like this," Ichiro mused.

– Chelsea Regan

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