Collins: Ichiro could probably play until 50
MIAMI - Closing in on 3,000 hits, Ichiro Suzuki isn't inclined to stop there. He's 42, and for some time has said - in Japanese and English - he wants to play until at least 50.
He's joking, right?
''Probably not,'' says New York Mets manager Terry Collins, who managed in Japan and is a friend of Suzuki's. ''I'll tell you one thing about the Japanese - they don't kid. And if anybody could do it, he's probably one guy who could.''
It's hard to argue against Suzuki's chances, given this year's upswing in his career as a fourth outfielder for the Miami Marlins. Despite flecks of gray in his short black hair, he's playing with youthful zeal.
Through Friday, Suzuki was four hits shy of 3,000. His batting average was .341 in 179 at-bats, putting him on course to finish above .300 for the first time since 2010, and he had an OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) of .814, better than his career average. He was 8-for-10 in stolen bases and hadn't committed an error in the outfield.
''What Ichiro has been able to do right now is phenomenal,'' Marlins manager Don Mattingly says. ''We talk about his age but we really shouldn't, because you just watch him play, and if he used that hair dye Keith Hernandez uses, we wouldn't know he wasn't 30.''
A year ago, it looked as if Suzuki might not ever reach 3,000. Pressed into everyday duty because of injuries to other Marlins, he batted a career-low .229, and his .279 slugging percentage ranked 230th and last in among hitters with at least 325 plate appearances. This year he's playing less and playing better, the part-time role his only concession to age.
''I tell him every day he's the best player in the world,'' says Jose Fernandez, the Marlins' 23-year-old ace. ''It's just an honor to watch him play and be a part of it.''
Suzuki is the second-oldest player in the majors, trailing only 43-year-old Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. The last major leaguer to play past his 50th birthday was Minnie Minoso, who took the field in two games for the White Sox at age 54 in 1980. Suzuki joined the Marlins last season, and was talking even then of playing until at least 50.
One day he and Fernandez discussed the idea.
''I looked at him like ...'' Fernandez says, scrunching his face in an expression of disbelief. ''But now I don't doubt it at all. Look at him. He's playing perfect. He's doing everything he has been doing for the last 20-something years. So why not? Keep doing it.''