Last week, Ichiro Suzuki made history when he tied (and ultimately surpassed) Ty Cobb on the all-time hits list. Well, actually, no: Ichiro is still 1,270 hits behind Cobb. But because he had 1,278 career hits in the Japanese League, people decided to combine the two and come up with that Cobb-beating number.
Depending on how you feel, that’s either admirable or ridiculous. To combine the two you’d have to believe that MLB and the Japanese leagues are on equal footing, which is a big stretch. That’s not to take anything away from Ichiro: he’s one of the greatest hitters of all time, and the fact that he’ll very likely reach 3,000 hits for his MLB career after starting it at age 27 is beyond impressive. He’s the best pure hitter the game has seen since Tony Gwynn’s heyday and deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Cobb, Williams, and Rose. But combining Ichiro’s Japanese and American hit totals simply doesn’t work.
Still, some will insist that Ichiro deserves his spot ahead of Cobb on the all-time list, and that’s their perogative. But if you’re going to insist that Japanese League and Major League stats are equal, there are a few other players who deserve to be mentioned with Ichiro. His hit total isn’t the only milestone a player has reached when combining the stats of the two leagues. Let’s take a look at some of the more notable ones:
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MARCH 18: Andruw Jones #25 of the Netherlands warms up prior to playing against the Dominican Republic during the semifinal of the World Baseball Classic at AT&T Park on March 18, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Andruw Jones
484 HR (434 MLB, 50 JL)
Jones, who has a strong Hall of Fame case as is, needs just 16 home runs to reach 500 in his professional career. While that’s not an automatic ticket into the Hall anymore, it’s a big number for a guy who’s one of the best defensive outfielders of all time. One more season in Japan should do it if Jones decides to come back.
17 May 1994: Batter Tuffy Rhodes of the Chicago Cubs swings to hit the ball while batting against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field in Chicago Illinios. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Allsport
Tuffy Rhodes
477 HR (13 MLB, 464 JL)
1,924 Hits (132 MLB, 1792 JL)
If American and Japanese stats can really be combined, than Tuffy is a first ballot Hall of Very Good’er. One of the best foreign born players in Japanese League history, Rhodes is more well known here for hitting three home runs on opening day. He never made an impact after that, but his Japanese stats are up there with the best in any league.
TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 08: Wladimir Balentien # 4 of Netherlands reacts after hit in the first inning during the World Baseball Classic Second Round Pool 1 game between the Netherland and Cuba at Tokyo Dome on March 8, 2013 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Wladimir Balentien
60 HR, 2013
Balentien is Japan’s single-season home run champ, and he only needed 130 games to do it. That’s an impressive number of home runs for any league and puts him in rare company. He didn’t have an impressive career in the States, but he’s become one of the most feared power hitters in Japan when healthy.
TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 21: Former New York Yankee players Hideki Matsui Charity Baseball Game hits a homer celerates after scoring during the Tomodachi Charity Baseball Game on March 21, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
Hideki Matsui
507 HR (175 MLB, 332 JL)
1,649 RBI (760 MLB, 889 JL)
The best hitter besides Ichiro to make the jump from Japan to the majors, “Godzilla” boasts career numbers that put him amongst baseball’s elite power hitters. If Ichiro’s career numbers are going to be combined, it’s only fair to do the same with Matsui’s. He was a dangerous middle of the order threat on two continents.
Maracay, VENEZUELA: Venezuela’s Alex Cabrera of the Lions of Caracas (Venezuela) bats during his game against the Venados of Mazatlan (Mexico) during their Caribbean Series baseball game at Jose Perez Colmerarez Stadium in the city of Maracay, 80kms away from Caracas, 05 February 2006. AFP PHOTO/Juan BARRETO (Photo credit should read JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images)
Alex Cabrera
2002 Japanese Pacific League MVP
The one time prospect who never panned out, Cabrera went to Japan in 2001 and became one of the league’s most feared hitters. He posted years with 49, 50, and 55 home runs and finished his career there with 357 homers total. His time in MLB was best known for being named in the Mitchell Report, while in Japan he finished with a .303 career batting average and a .990 OPS.
Alex Ramirez #61 of the Cleveland Indians drops the bat to run during the game against the Chicago White Sox at the Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The White Sox defeated the Indians 3-6.
Alex Ramirez
2008-2009 Japanese Central League MVP
Ramirez was one of the top prospects in the Indians organization but never caught on in the majors. When he went to Japan, he instantly became one of the country’s top sluggers and an eight-time all star. He recorded over 2,000 hits in Japan and was inducted into their version of the Hall of Fame. Not bad for a guy with 86 career MLB hits.
TOKYO – MARCH 05: Starting Pitcher Yu Darvish #11 of Japan throws the first pitch to open the World Baseball Classic Tokyo Round match between Japan and China at Tokyo Dome on March 5, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)
Yu Darvish
1.99 career ERA (JL)
Darvish was brilliant over his seven year Japanese career, notching a 93-38 career record with an absurd 1.99 ERA and a 0.985 WHIP. He’s shown flashes of that same brilliance in the United States, but injuries derailed him this year. While his ERA has risen, his strikeout totals have gone through the roof: he has 680 in the US, giving him 1,930 combined.
SAN FRANCISCO – JUNE 24: Hideo Nomo #10 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the game against the San Francisco Giants on June 24, 2004 at SBC Park in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Dodgers 9-3. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Hideo Nomo
3,122 Ks (1,918 MLB, 1,204 JL)
Add his totals together and Nomo becomes just the 17th pitcher to record over 3,000 strikeouts, something that would look good on a Hall of Fame resume. He’s up there with Ichiro and Matsui on the Mount Rushmore of Japanese players in the US: one has over 4,000 hits, one has over 500 home runs, and one has over 3,000 strikeouts. That’s an impressive trio.
