Munenori Kawasaki is no longer a Blue Jay, he's now with the Cubs. But he's still the same as ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrYdiOHT0GQ

^ Looks like Kawasaki didn't make the final cut, will be starting the season in the minors:

Cubs agreed to terms with 2B Munenori Kawasaki, OF Shane Victorino and LHP Manny Parra on minor league contracts.

But, it's a long season, maybe he'll get called up later.

Dodgers start the season on a very high note: The crush the Padres 15-0.

Kershaw strikes out nine and gives up only one hit in seven innings.

In his major league debut, Kenta Maeda goes 6 innings, gives up no runs, strikes out four AND hits a home run!

Dodgers sweep the Padres with another shutout 7-0.

Dodgers get walloped by the Giants in San Fran, 12-6.

Dodgers beat the Padres 9-5 in 17 innings. What really sticks out is the day Matt Kemp had, 0-7 and struck out three times.

Just in case you thought YOU were having a bad day.

Between Dee Gordon's suspension and injuries, Mattingly has started playing Ichiro every day and over the last three games he has gone 10 for 15 raising his batting average to .417

Only 40 more hits for 3,000.

Is it too early to start a write-in campaign for Ichiro in the All-Star game?

gaijinmark wrote:

Between Dee Gordon's suspension and injuries, Mattingly has started playing Ichiro every day and over the last three games he has gone 10 for 15 raising his batting average to .417 Only 40 more hits for 3,000. Is it too early to start a write-in campaign for Ichiro in the All-Star game?

Awesome... 42 years young and still going strong.

Seattle beats the A's 13-3. Hisashi Iwakuma gets his 50th win the majors.

Miami loses to the Twins 7-5, but Ichiro goes 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Now hitting .330, only 29 more hits to 3,000.

Update: Thursday night game, Ichiro goes 2-for-5, scores two runs and has an RBI. Ups his average to .333 and the Ichi-meter (as they're calling it in Japan) now at 27.

The hits just keep on coming!!

Ichiro goes 3-for-4, scores 3 runs and has an rbi. Miami crushes the Padres 13-4. Ichiro now hitting .350.

Ichi-meter at 23.

gaijinmark wrote:

The hits just keep on coming!! Ichiro goes 3-for-4, scores 3 runs and has an rbi. Miami crushes the Padres 13-4. Ichiro now hitting .350. Ichi-meter at 23.

Ichiro Is The True Hit King And Pete Rose Can Eat Shit

http://deadspin.com/ichiro-is-the-true-hit-king-and-pete-rose-can-eat-shit-1782063120

^ I saw Pete's reaction and I thought, "Well Pete, you had a chance to do something classy and professional or you had a chance to be a dick."

At least he's consistent.

Pete Rose will sign a baseball as "The Hit Queen" for the right price...
_________________

gaijinmark wrote:

^ I saw Pete's reaction and I thought, "Well Pete, you had a chance to do something classy and professional or you had a chance to be a dick." At least he's consistent.

Totally.

bmwracer wrote:

Ichiro Is The True Hit King And Pete Rose Can Eat Shit http://deadspin.com/ichiro-is-the-true-hit-king-and-pete-rose-can-eat-shit-1782063120

The article is fatuous and disingenuous. It throws out specious speculation and extrapolates from Ichiro having the most hits to Ichiro being the greatest hitter of all time.

Comparing Ichiro's career hit total to Rose's career hit total is like comparing apples to oranges. It is not a legitimate match.

Look, I believe that Pete Rose, as a person, is a POS. I also believe Ichiro Suzuki was a better all around player than Pete Rose, and that includes being a better hitter than Rose.

But Ichiro did not break Rose's hit record. Just like Sadaharu Oh did not break Babe Ruth's and Henry Aaron's home run records. Like I said, apples and oranges.

And as far as Ichiro being the greatest hitter of all time. Really? Better than Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio . . . .

That's what I meant by my comment about Pete being a dick. I remember when Sadaharu Oh went past 800 home runs and Henry Aaron said that 800 home runs is a lot of home runs in any league. He didn't say he thought Oh was the best ever but he didn't say he was a complete stiff either.

Pete could have taken the high road and said Ichiro is a fine player, great hitter, etc. But then again, being Pete, maybe he couldn't.

As far as the greatest hitter of all time, I'll always go with Theodore Samuel Williams from San Diego, California via Fenway Park.

gaijinmark wrote:

That's what I meant by my comment about Pete being a dick. I remember when Sadaharu Oh went past 800 home runs and Henry Aaron said that 800 home runs is a lot of home runs in any league. He didn't say he thought Oh was the best ever but he didn't say he was a complete stiff either. Pete could have taken the high road and said Ichiro is a fine player, great hitter, etc. But then again, being Pete, maybe he couldn't. As far as the greatest hitter of all time, I'll always go with Theodore Samuel Williams from San Diego, California via Fenway Park.

Pete Rose is incapable of being gracious. He did though, acknowledge that Ichiro has had a Hall of Fame career.

Ichiro's career hit total combining his MLB and NPB numbers is basically a contrived stat. A similar thing happened with Warren Moon when some sought to elevate his status by adding his CFL numbers to his NFL numbers. Moon didn't need to have contrived stats to legitimize his greatness; the same holds true for Ichiro.

Re: Ted Williams. He is certainly on the short list for greatest hitter of of all time. I have always been impressed by the numbers Babe Ruth put up; what he did during the era he played was mind boggling.

San Diego produced another great hitter in more recent times--Tony Gwynn. Eight batting titles. Impressive in any era.

Miami beats the Cardinals 6-3. Ichiro goes 3-for-4 with a double. Ichi-meter now at 6!!

Hiroki Kuroda wins his 200th game

Hiroki Kuroda recorded his 200th career NPB(121) + MLB(79) victory on July 23. It was his third start since he rang up his 199th victory on June 29.

Kuroda is the twenty-sixth player in NPB history to reach 200 victories. He joined Hideo Nomo as the only two pitchers to hit the milestone with wins from the MLB and NPB.

At forty-one years and five months, he is the second oldest player to reach the milestone. The oldest: Masahiro Yamamoto at forty-two years and eleven months in 2008.

Road the 200 Victories

1 04/25/1997 Yomiuri Giants Tokyo Dome

50 08/17/2003 Yokohama Bay Stars Hiroshima Stadium

100 07/14/2007 Yomiuri Giants Tokyo Dome

150 06/13/2012 Atlanta Braves Turner Field

200 07/23/2016 Hanshin Tigers Mazda Stadium



Speaking of Japanese pitchers, remember Hisashi Iwakuma, the guy the Dodgers rejected last spring. He ran his record to 11-6 today with a win over Toronto. With Kershaw on the shelf for who knows how long, he sure would have helped out.