玉虫左太夫の徒然草

hoy

Time to dig the short ball. An 84-year record is about to fall.

Suzuki, the Mariners' right fielder, needs 11 hits in his final 10 games to break George Sisler's mark of 257 in a season. Don't bet against him: Suzuki has 11 hits in his last 13 at-bats, including nine in his last two games.

Ichiro's pursuit of Sisler

Ichiro
AB R H
Wed. 6 3 4
G AB R H AVG OBP
Season 151 660 96 247 .374 .416
George Sisler
G AB R H AVG OBP
1920 154 631 137 257 .407 .449
"It's like he's playing in a backyard stickball game," Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi says.

Joe DiMaggio batted .408 during his 56-game hitting streak. In his last 56 games, Suzuki has batted .443.

Suzuki, completing his fourth season after playing nine in his native Japan, not only is on pace to break the single-season hit record, but also the record for most hits over any four-year span. He needs nine hits to surpass 918, the record set by Bill Terry from 1929 to '32. True, Suzuki plays 162-game seasons, compared to the 154-game schedules of Sisler's and Terry's era. Then again, he also faces specialized bullpens, endures cross-country travel and competes against players of all races. Before 1947, Major League Baseball was an all-white men's club.

In a game obsessed with power, Suzuki's achievements won't command as much attention as Barry Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's all-time home-run record. But while the approaches of the two projected batting champions are completely different - Bonds has drawn a record 215 walks and rarely gets a pitch to hit, while the more aggressive Suzuki sees fewer than four pitches per plate appearance - the skills of both are immense.

Suzuki would attract greater recognition if he were on the verge of batting .400, a more celebrated number in baseball history; most fans weren't even aware of Sisler's mark until Suzuki's countdown began. The last player to hit .400 was Williams, who batted .406 in 1941. Suzuki, batting .374, is 17 hits short. If not for a sub-par April, he would be right on target.

PHOTOS ...

Ichiro in action

No one should be surprised if Suzuki one day hits .400, or puts together eight to 10 comparable seasons and becomes the first Japanese player elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Sisler record, though, is no small accomplishment. As a measure of skill and not strength, it carries special legitimacy in an era when many players are suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs to boost their power numbers.

Oddly enough, the rap on Suzuki is that he doesn't hit for enough power, wounding opponents with paper cuts rather than knockout punches, preferring singles to home runs. Suzuki, a lefthanded hitter, has hit only eight home runs in 660 at-bats, and his slugging percentage ranks 40th in the American League. Of his 247 hits, 211 have been singles, and 54 have not left the infield. Even though Suzuki leads the AL with a .365 batting average with runners in scoring position, he has only 56 RBIs.

Statistical analysts assign greater value to plodding lumberjacks who do little more than draw walks and bash homers. Suzuki, however, is also a brilliant defender and one of the game's fastest runners. As a leadoff man, his primary responsibility is to get on base. He ranks first among major-league leadoff hitters with a .420 on-base percentage. While we're at it, let's nitpick Michelangelo, too.

Ask any fan: Few players are as interesting or exciting as Suzuki. Ask any scout: Suzuki could hit for power on a whim, much like former major leaguer Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs. Perhaps in future seasons the Mariners will need him to hit more home runs, and he will pop 30 with little difficulty. His career-high in Japan was 25, and he often puts on stunning power displays in batting practice. A's infielder Mark McLemore, Suzuki's former Mariners teammate, corrected some A's pitchers earlier this season when they referred to Suzuki as a slap hitter.

"Try catching what he hits," McLemore said.

Suzuki boasts superior hand-eye coordination and wand-like bat control. He can make solid contact on any pitch inside — or outside — the strike zone. And he is so fast, running from home to first in 3.7 to 3.9 seconds, a groundball that forces an infielder to move one step in either direction gives him enough time to beat out an infield hit.

The dynamic talents of Ichiro make him one of the game's most appealing stars to watch.
(Jed Jacobsohn / GettyImages)

Scouts rate players on a scale of 20 to 80.

"What makes Ichiro truly unique is that he is a rare right-field combination of 80 speed, 80 contact, 75 range and 80 arm," one scout says. "You don't see that combination of tools in our game. Arms usually come with power hitters, not table setters. It's tough to name another right fielder through the years who has his combination of tools — maybe the great (Roberto) Clemente in his prime."

Suzuki is not like anyone from the past. He resembles no one else in the present. He likely will be unmatched in the future.

How do you say vive le difference in Japanese?

Senior writer Ken Rosenthal covers baseball for Sporting News. Email him at kenrosenthal@sportingnews.com.

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