Saturday wasn't advertised as turn-back-the-clock night at Marlins Park, but Ichiro Suzuki sure did his part to make it seem like 2001.
The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer put on a vintage four-hit performance to move 46 hits away from reaching 3,000 in MLB, and helped lead his Miami Marlins to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. He's the first player age 42 or older to go 4-for-4 or better in a game since Pete Rose went 5-for-5 on Aug. 11, 1986, according to ESPN Stats.
Suzuki started his show by singling to lead off the first inning, then added another two base hits off Nationals starter Joe Ross - who's 19 years his junior. After walking in his fourth trip to the plate, he doubled in the eighth inning off Yusmeiro Petit to complete his evening in style. He left everybody at the ballpark in awe, even the opposing manager.
''I've seen that for years, and you know it's still in there,'' Nationals manager Dusty Baker told reporters. ''Ichiro is one of the best players that has ever played this game. He has that magic wand, and he has had it for a long time.''
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
His remarkable evening continues what's been a renaissance year for Suzuki. After seeing his numbers dip to career lows last season, the Japanese legend is now slashing .373/.448/.431 through 32 games, has 19 hits, two stolen bases, and eight runs scored, while playing in all but 10 of Miami's 42 games this year.
Suzuki's night also moved him up a unique baseball leaderboard. His trio of singles were the 2,404th, 2,405th, and 2,406th of his career, moving him past Rod Carew for eighth place on baseball's all-time singles list.
He also upped his career hit total - counting his years in Japan - to 4,230, leaving him just 26 hits shy of Rose for the most hits in professional baseball history.
