The 3,000 hit club is pretty bunched up at the bottom. In the short time since Ichiro Suzuki got his 3,000th MLB hit to tie Roberto Clemente on August 7th (about as long as the Olympics), he's passed Al Kaline, with Wade Boggs and Cap Anson just a few hits ahead.
2016 Topps Now #327-A Ichiro Suzuki /11,550
That's also about how long it takes to get a Topps Now card delivered, but at least the shipping was free.
Card 327-A has become my second card from 2016 Topps Now (I assume they'll start the numbers over next year), and I definitely wanted a copy of the card to go along with the historic moment. This is more of an unusual Topps Now card, as the back doesn't have a write-up. Rather, it has two more photos, one of the scoreboard graphic they put up at Coors Field after the hit, and the other is a shot of his fellow Marlins coming out to congratulate #51.
See for yourself:
2016 Topps Now #327-A Ichiro Suzuki /11,550 (Reverse)
Most Topps Now cards don't have variations associated with them, but the -A on this card number signifies there were a few on offer. Topps printed up five serial-numbered colored relic parallels, all of which went for a pretty penny. The /1 card sold for a thousand bucks. Needless to say, I didn't order that, nor did most fans, instead being happy with the base card. This one had a whopping 11,550 copies printed, by far the most I've seen for a Topps Now card. It's definitely not as exclusive as most Topps Now cards, but it's not a bad way to bring in $160k.
It remains to be seen whether I'll feel the need to order any more Topps Now cards, but the season still has over a month left until the Postseason begins. And an unassisted triple play can happen in the blink of an eye.
If we lump in Ichiro Suzuki's hits in the Japan Pacific League, he eclipsed Pete Rose some time ago and now stands at 4,278 hits across his professional career.
And in a pretty incredible turn of events, I was there to witness it. I glanced at the schedule a couple weeks ago as Ichiro was sitting at 2,996, and realized that the Marlins would be in town right about now, with a chance to get #3,000 in Denver. The Marlins, of course, are in a different division, so this was the only time Miami would be visiting this season.
Ichiro hasn't been starting much this season, instead coming in as a pinch hitter more often than not. He's been slowly inching his way to the record all season long. He only has 65 on the year, a light season for him. But it doesn't really matter how long it takes to get there, as I mentioned toward the end of my previous post. What matters is that he got there, and earned quite a standing ovation in the process. Unlike Tulowitzki's return to Denver, when the fans took the lead on honoring Troy, the scoreboard and PA system were lit up with congratulations for Ichiro's historic achievement.
2016 Topps #700A Ichiro Suzuki
He got one of the many great horizontal cards in 2016 Topps, part of the factory set I recently purchased at Target and organized yesterday as I was watching lots of Olympics coverage. It really captures his essence, and his stance in the batter's box. I don't know what stadium this is (Fenway?), but this might even be good enough to include in Stadium Club. Topps respects him enough to give him one of the prized cards numbered to a multiple of 100 (the penultimate card in the set, no less).
In over 65 ballgames that I've attended, I've seen quite a few great moments. The atmosphere of Opening Day and even a World Series game. Charlie Blackmon going 6-for-6. All sorts of offense by Rockies from Eric Young to Trevor Story. Lots of home runs and extra-base hits. Nolan Arenado flashing the leather. Todd Helton spearing some rocketing line drives. Opposing runners thrown out at the plate by Jeromy Burnitz. Inside-the-park home runs. Walkoff wins. And more often than not, a Rockies win.
The opposing teams are certainly included in those moments, such as home runs by some of the legends like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and even Madison Bumgarner. Some pretty stellar pitching performances from everyone from Kevin Millwood to John Smoltz. A 20-run slugfest by the Yankees. Yoenis Cespedes flirting with a four-homer game. And more.
But seeing a legend like Ichiro Suzuki get hit #3,000 just might top that whole list. No doubt that ball will be in the Hall of Fame, and likely Ichiro with it. He's just the thirtieth player to reach that mark, and the timing couldn't have been better.
After Paul Molitor, he's just the second one to hit that milestone with a triple. A historic moment indeed. It was a privilege to witness it.
