Ichiro: 'I want to keep playing until I'm at least 50'

Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is only two hits away from reaching the 3,000-hit club, but that doesn't mean he's ready to hang up his spikes any time soon.

"I want to keep playing until I am at least 50," Suzuki, 42, told ESPN's Marly Rivera.

New York Mets manager Terry Collins, a friend and former manager of Suzuki's from his playing days in Japan, also believes Suzuki is capable of playing another eight years.

"I'll tell you one thing about the Japanese - they don't kid," Collins told The Associated Press. "And if anybody could do it, he's probably one guy who could."

Suzuki, who's played a combined 25 seasons of professional baseball between Japan and the majors, says he physically feels the same today as he did in 2004 when he won the batting title and collected a single-season MLB-record 262 hits.

The second-oldest player in the majors, Suzuki is proving his worth as Miami's fourth outfielder, hitting .335/.408/.394 and ranking second on the team with nine steals.