Fansided

Pete Rose has no love for Ichiro getting close to breaking his hits record

By Jason Parker

Jun 17, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) hits a single during the eight inning of the game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 17, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) hits a single during the eight inning of the game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pete Rose, who put together 4,156 hits in the major leagues, doesn’t think Ichiro’s hits from Japan should count toward his all time record. 

With three more hits on Monday night in a blowout win for the Miami Marlins (over the lowly San Diego Padres), outfielder Ichiro Suzuki pulled closer to tying Pete Rose for the all-time hits record in professional baseball and now sits just one hit away entering Tuesday.

While Rose accomplished all of his at the major league level in America, Ichiro got 1,278 hits while playing in Japan before joining the majors when he first signed with the Seattle Mariners all the way back in 2001.

There are plenty current and former major leaguers who are more than willing to give Ichiro all the credit in the world, saying a hit is a hit no matter what. Rose is not one of those people, according to an interview with USA Today:

"“It sounds like in Japan, they’re trying to make me the Hit Queen. I’m not trying to take anything away from Ichiro, he’s had a Hall of Fame career, but the next thing you know, they’ll be counting his high-school hits.“I don’t think you’re going to find anybody with credibility say that Japanese baseball is equivalent to major-league baseball. There are too many guys that fail here, and then become household names there.”"

Pete Rose just sounds like he has a case of the “You mads” at the fact that the one thing he has left in baseball is about to go bye bye in just a couple games barring a major injury to Ichiro. The truth is that a hit is truly a hit at any professional level, so Ichiro deserves all the praise in the world even if he does play for the Marlins…and his hit record will likely be made against a bad team like the Padres this year.

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