Ichiro Suzuki was 27 years old by the time he made his Major League Baseball debut in 2001, winning American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season. But the impact he made in 16 years is more than most players do in careers much longer: He led the league in hits in seven different seasons. He is a 10-time Gold Glove winner and 10-time All-Star. He played in every game of the season four times, and all but one in four others.
Now, thanks to a triple against the Rockies on Sunday, he's a member of one of baseball's most esteemed clubs and an almost-assured first-ballot Hall of Famer -- here are a few reasons why.
Not one, not two, not three...
When Ichiro gets hits in games, they often come in bunches. Since he came over from Japan in 2001, no player has more multihit games than Suzuki's 892 -- in fact, 36 percent of his games have resulted in multiple hits. The other players on the list are no slouches, but Suzuki's total tops second-best Albert Pujols' number by nearly 100 games.
Make his a single
With a career .405 slugging percentage, Suzuki will never be considered a power hitter. But he is a base hit machine -- more than 80 percent of his hits are one-baggers.
An oldie but a goodie
Suzuki's batting average this year -- .318 at the start of this weekend's series -- is among the best ever recorded in the modern era by a player 42 years old or older. It's also his best season-average since 2009.
*Minimum 200 at-bats.
Better with age
When it comes to hits after the age of 27, Suzuki is second only to Pete Rose. And if Suzuki plays another three seasons, as Rose did, he has a chance to surpass that number, too. (Rose recorded 387 hits in his age-42 through 45 seasons.)
Away field advantages
Suzuki has played in 41 stadiums and faced 1,262 pitchers in his 16-year career, but there are a few places -- and people -- he particularly enjoyed revisiting. No surprise, his 1,238 hits at Safeco Field lead the category, but when it comes to hitting on the road, Suzuki had a few favorite spots...
Favorite foes
When it comes to pitchers, some of Suzuki's favorites are familiar foes, and others are spread out over his 16 years -- but for all five of them, in at least 30 at-bats against each, Suzuki is hitting .400 or better.
*Minimum 30 at-bats.