Mariners: The Five Greatest Ichiro Moments of All Time
By Ben Renner
1. Ichiro Breaks George Sisler‘s Hit Record
No one but the nerdiest or oldest of baseball fans (bless them, they make this game great) knew who “Gentlemen” George Sisler was until Ichiro started creeping up on his 1920 single-season hit record in 2004.
Sisler was one of the best baseball players ever. In 1920, he hit .407 while playing every single inning. They played a bit differently in 1920. He weirdly didn’t win the MVP that year.
And Ichiro, the right fielder for the terrible 2008 Mariners, didn’t win the MVP, either. But one night in September, he broke a record that stood for 84 years and brought a shaft of light through the cloud-cover that was the 2008 season.
With Sisler’s daughter in attendance, Ichiro brought his revolutionary batting approach to the plate and broke the single-season hit record. Ichiro finished with 264 hits and a batting championship (he hit a ridiculous .372). His 264 hits will probably stand for several decades–one down, can you believe it?
It was a classic time for the Ichiro Hit Meter at Safeco Field, when people would anticipate a collection of hits every single game and faithfully keep adding to the total all season. Another opposite field knock through the infield broke a record that withstood thousands of players, some of them the best-ever, going through the big leagues. Ichiro will remain in the record books a long time.