ichiro gets his 2,000th career hit

Is Ichiro Suzuki the best player in baseball? Arguable, but the Seattle Mariners outfielder made yet another case for the distinction over the weekend with his 2,000th career hit, nailing a lead off double in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics.

Ichiro is 259th player in Major League history reach the mark. But more impressively, having played in 1,402 games, he became the second-fastest player ever to accomplish such a feat: Ichiro becomes second-fastest to 2,000 hits.

Al Simmons did it in 1,390 games while George Sisler (1,414) was bumped to third on the list. Of Ichiro's 2,000 hits, 215 have led off a game while 440 have come in the first inning. He had 1,278 hits in Japan before making his debut with Seattle in 2001.

Although no formal announcement was made about hit No. 2000, Ichiro received a well-deserved standing ovation from Oakland fans. At age 36, Ichiro plays like a 25-year-old -- the guy is a machine. By any measure, to reach 2,000 hits in less than nine seasons is an amazing feat. At this pace, he'll get to 3,000 in no time.