200 and Counting
It's often said in the world of athletics (usually by baseball folk) that the hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball.
Pole vaulting doesn't exactly fall into the "easy" category, nor does guarding Kobe Bryant, but for the sake of this piece let's just say hitting a baseball is the toughest thing in sports.
That makes Ichiro Suzuki one of the more remarkable athletes of our time.
Last Thursday, Ichiro became the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to collect at least 200 hits in 10 consecutive seasons. Think about that for a moment.
At least 200 hits in 10 straight seasons.
Outside of Joe DiMaggio's 1941 streak of hits in 56 consecutive games, Ichiro's achievement may be the most impressive hitting feat in the history of the game. One could argue it will never be done again, unless the schedule at some point in the future stretches beyond the current 162-game slate.
All-time hits leader Pete Rose is the only other player who has produced ten 200-hit seasons, just not consecutively. Ty Cobb, the "Georgia Peach," had nine seasons with 200 or more hits, and Paul Waner racked up eight 200-hit campaigns.
Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox had the most comparable streak to that of Ichiro, stringing together seven straight 200-hit seasons from 1983 through 1989.
But now that the Hooks season is behind us and we have time to ruminate over stuff like this, let's compare apples to apples to lend some perspective to the jaw-dropping nature of Ichiro's accomplishment.
In the history of the game, there have been 27 men who have produced 3,000 or more career hits. Of that group, eight finished their careers with a batting average of .331 or better.
Why .331? That was Ichiro's career batting average in 10 seasons in the big leagues through last Thursday.
We'll get to those eight great hitters in just a bit. But remember - apples to apples.
Ichiro's first year in the Major Leagues with the Mariners was 2001. He was 27 years old that season. So, Ichiro's streak of 200 or more hits in 10 straight seasons has been accomplished between the ages of 27 and 36.
Here now is a list of some of the greatest hitters of all time, showing the number of 200-hit seasons for each between the ages of 27 and 36. The chart also details the age when each player registered his final 200-hit campaign.
Player -- # 200-hit seasons age 27-36 / Age in final 200-hit year
Ty Cobb -- 4 / 37
Stan Musial -- 4 / 32
Tris Speaker -- 3 / 35
Cap Anson -- 0 / na
Eddie Collins --1 / 33
Nap Lajoie -- 3 / 35
Paul Waner -- 5 / 34
Tony Gwynn -- 2 / 37
Ichiro Suzuki -- 10 / ???
Note that Cobb, who had nine 200-hit seasons, and Gwynn, who had five, posted their final 200s at the age of 37.
Most of the players on this list did not play in the modern era. They played during a time when the Major League season consisted of 154 games. So it's safe to assume that some of the numbers in the first column would have been higher had those men had a chance to play a 162-game schedule.
Still, it's a staggering comparison.
And Ichiro hasn't just eeked out these 200-hit campaigns. In seven of the 10 seasons he's pounded out 212 or more hits, including the Major League record of 262 hits in 2004. Ichiro, in fact, not only holds the Major League mark for hits in one season, but he also holds the Japanese record, with 210 hits in 1994 (in a 130-game schedule!).
How about this? Carl Yastrzemski, Cap Anson, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson all finished their careers with over 3,000 hits. None of them posted a 200-hit season.
Want more? Many consider the "Splendid Splinter," Ted Williams, to be one of the greatest hitters of all time - and there's no doubt that he is. His career numbers, of course, were severely impacted by losing three years in his prime to World War II and most of two more seasons during service in the Korean War. But he played 19 seasons for the Boston Red Sox and ranks 70th on the all-time hits list with 2,654. He finished with a career batting average of .344. Ted Williams never reached 200 hits in a single season.
In order to achieve as he has, Ichiro has been blessed with terrific health and has not missed significant playing time due to injury. It stands to reason that he has focused time and energy on taking care of himself throughout the years.
Remember, he played nine years in Japan before joining the Mariners in 2001. Ichiro collected 1,278 hits for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League, giving him over 3,500 hits in 19 professional seasons.
There are only five men in the history of the game with over 3,500 career hits (Rose, Cobb, Aaron, Musial, Speaker). Ichiro's overall total puts him in elite company.
In baseball there are very few absolutes, and it's my belief you can't stamp one man as the best hitter of all time. But when you and your buds are at the game and the topic arises, Ichiro's name has got to be in the mix.
++++++
Did anyone notice? Congratulations to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, 2010 Texas League Champions, after their three-games-to-one triumph over Midland in the championship series, which ended a little over a week ago. The result represented a "flip" from the 2009 TL Championship Series, won by the RockHounds 3 to 1.
Pitching highlighted the series, as the Naturals won the final two games in Midland by scores of 2-1 and 2-0.
The title is the first for Northwest Arkansas, which moved to Springdale from Wichita following the 2007 season. It's the first crown for the Royals' affiliate in the Texas League since Wichita swept Tulsa in a four-game series in 1999.
++++++
Any college football fans out there? We've got some here in our office. Hooks' staffers could be found this past weekend at games in Austin, Fayetteville, Cincinnati, Boise and Fort Collins, Colorado.
Collegiate allegiances in the Hooks' front office include but are not limited to: Sam Houston State, the University of Houston, TCU, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Boston College, Oklahoma, Kansas, Idaho, Southern Illinois, Texas State, Maryland, Texas, Texas Tech, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama.
When the topic of college football is broached here in our office, there is no shortage of opinion. We enjoy the game. Back in my junior high days, I sold programs at the University of Maryland - enough to earn a ticket to the game and a few dollars to get a hot dog and a soda. That was back when Randy White was a major cog in Jerry Claiborne's "Wide Tackle Six" defense. Good times.
Even before that, I grew up a fan of the Crimson Tide and Paul "Bear" Bryant thanks to my mom, a native of Birmingham. Her only rooting interest in the world of sports was Alabama football.
The only sporting event I can ever remember my mom attending with us was the Alabama-Maryland game to open the season in College Park back in 1974. I outwardly rooted for the Terps but inwardly cheered every play. I remember a long (70 yards or so) touchdown run up the middle by 'Bama tailback Calvin Culliver and a late touchdown plunge by Maryland's Louis Carter to make the final a respectable 21-16.
So over here in the northern section of our office, don't come spouting any Penn State or Auburn smack - verbal abuse is sure to follow.
One final note on college football...it looks like our radio color analyst Gene Kasprzyk and I will be at odds in 2017 and 2018 when our alma maters square off to open those two seasons. It was announced just a few days ago that Maryland and Texas will open the 2017 season in Austin and 2018 in College Park...
++++++
High school football is obviously in full swing as well. Locally, the Texas Sports Radio Network airs the CCISD Game of the Week on AM 1150, KCCT.
This Friday, my colleagues here at Whataburger Field, Mike Coffin, Matt Woodard and Gil Perez call the action from Buc Stadium as Moody hosts Calallen. Coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Nine games are scheduled for air in October with two more in November. Steven King, Henry Hall and yours truly round out the roster of broadcasters. We hope you enjoy the games.