Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki becomes third player to reach 4,000 hits
New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki became only the third player in professional baseball history to reach the 4,000-hit plateau, joining Pete Rose and Baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.
Ichiro's achievement includes both the number of hits he's earned in the U.S. major leagues, as well as his lengthy tenure in Japan's major leagues.
The notable hit occurred in the bottom of the first inning of the Yankees' home game against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Ichiro hit a 1-1 pitch that just barely got past Toronto third baseman Brett Lawrie.
The left-handed hitting Ichiro's opposite field groundball to left field drew a standing ovation from fans.
In addition, the entire Yankees team came out to first base to congratulate him, while in a sign of great sportsmanship, Blue Jays players on the field and in the dugout also applauded Ichiro's achievement.
Ichiro then bowed to the fans in the stands, thanking them for their applause.
In an interesting twist, the same hit was Ichiro's 2,722nd of his U.S. MLB career, putting him past former Yankee great Lou Gehrig and into 59th place on the all-time hits list.
