In a dog days of summer game featuring moderate sentiments and influence towards the postseason, the vast shadow cast by the Rocky Mountains failed to halt a burgeoning smile on the diminutive warrior of crafted base hit discipline matched by blazing speed.
Ichiro became the 30th player to reach the 3,000 plateau against the Colorado Rockies Sunday with a dramatic triple and the 42-year-old coasted into third base standing up with the eloquence and grace of a true master. The Miami Marlin’s outfielder rang up the 4,278 hit of a first ballot hall of fame professional career, as he spent 9 seasons in the Japanese professional ranks before signing a deal with the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Ichiro is the second-oldest mlb player to accomplish the feat, yielding only to the legendary Cap Anson.
As the threshold reached a tangible proximity, fans became enthralled with the plausible milestone and the slugger received healthy cheers from the Rocky faithful in three fruitless at bats, before blasting a laser beam to the right field wall off of Chris Rusin. The 10 time all-star increased his average to .318 for a Marlins team in contention for a wild card slot.
With Ichiro’s celebrity status and the marketing prowess of the MLB in Japan, a group of reporters from the Japanese media is designated to travel with the Marlins team.
