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Ichiro’s 3K quest among best ’16 moments
- Updated: December 27, 2016
MIAMI — History was on hold for about a week in late July and early August before Ichiro Suzuki achieved what many believed was an unreachable milestone.
No one ever disputed Ichiro’s ability to hit a baseball — and amass gaudy hit totals. It was just considered unfathomable that someone who played his first MLB game at age 27 could become a member of the 3,000-hit club.
If history has taught us anything about the iconic outfielder from Japan, it’s to never doubt.
For Ichiro, as significant as it was to attain No. 3,000, he also wanted to leave no doubt about the legitimacy of the hit. In the age of technology, Ichiro didn’t want the memorable moment decided by the interpretation of replay officials.
It never came to that.
On Aug. 7 at Coors Field, Ichiro uncorked a drive that clanked off the wall in right field for a standup triple.
“I think it was appropriate that it was a triple,” said Rich Waltz, the Marlins’ TV play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports Florida. “His career is all about speed.”
Waltz has a long history working with Ichiro. He was part of the broadcast team in Seattle in 2001 when the outfielder took the big leagues by storm.
“Personally, to see him get to 3,000 hits was incredible,” Waltz said. “I was in Seattle when he arrived at Spring Training. There were a lot of questions as to whether his swing and his game would translate to success at the Major League level.”
A 10-time All-Star, Ichiro had a resurgence at age 42 with the Marlins in 2016, posting a slash line of .291/.354/.376. He entered the season 65 hits shy of 3,000, and based on his disappointing 2015, batting .229, many wondered if his career was staggering to an end.
When playing time presented itself in 2016, he quickly pushed toward that milestone.
“For Ichiro, it was always a number he talked about privately and he held very, …
