Adrián Beltré Makes History...Again April 6, 2018

Texas Rangers 3B Adrián Beltré made history once again during yesterday's game against the Oakland A's. With his 2 for 3 performance, Beltré passed Hall of Famer Rod Carew with his career hit number 3,054. In doing so, Beltré became the player born in Latin America with most career hits. Beltré was born in the Dominican Republic while Carew was born in Panama. But Beltré's history making didn't end there. 

With his second hit of the game, Beltré tied another Hall of Famer on the All-Time Hits list. This time, he stood side by side with Rickey Henderson. Both players are on the list with 3,055 hits. Hall of Famer Craig Biggio sits just ahead with 3,060 hits. Now here is where the fun really begins.

In front of Biggio is Seattle Mariners outfielder (and future Hall of Famer) Ichiro Suziki. Ichiro currently has 3, 082 hits and is the player who has most career hits that was born in a foreign country. Plus add to the 3,000 hit mix is Los Angeles Angeles (I almost typed California and Anaheim before finally typing Los Angeles, LOL) 1B/DH Albert Pujols. Pujols, who like Ichiro and Beltré is a future Hall of Famer, currently sits at 2,975 career hits. 

It is also conceivable that a 200 hit season puts Beltré at 14th on the list just past Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, who sits at 3,184 hits. The 2018 season is shaping up nicely as a race within the 3,000 hit club.

After Pujols, where do we sit in terms of current players on the cusp of the 3,000 club. You have Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera with 2,643 hits and Seattle Mariners 2B Robinson Cano with 2,386 hits. After that, it'll be a while before we have a discussion about who might be next to reach the 3,000 hit club.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#BaseballSisco
#BaseballSiscoKidStyle

For Further Reading:

• Career Hits List from Baseball Reference.com
• Active Hits List from Baseball Reference.com

Stan Musial Passes Tris Speaker on the All-Time Hit List September 2, 1962

On this day in Baseball History September 2, 1962: Stan "The Man" Musial pinch hits for pitcher Bobby Shantz in the 9th inning against the Mets and singles off of starter Al Jackson at Sportsman Park aka Busch Stadium I. Musial's single was his 3,516th hit which placed him above Tris Speaker on the All-Time Hits list. The New York Times made a small mention of the achievement at the bottom of the article Bases-Filled Hit Tops St. Louis 4-3 from September 3, 1962. Here is the boxscore for the game:

Sitting at second on the list behind Ty Cobb (4,191 hits), Musial was the National League Leader in hits having passed Honus Wagner's 3,431 hits on May 19, 1962. Musial would remain the leader in National League hits until Pete Rose passed him on the list on August 10, 1981.

Stan Musial currently sits at number four on the All-Time hit list:

1. 4256 Pete Rose  
2. 4191 Ty Cobb
3. 3771 Hank Aaron
4. 3630 Stan Musial
5. 3515 Tris Speaker
6. 3445 Derek Jeter
7. 3430 Honus Wagner
8. 3410 Carl Yastrzemski
9. 3319 Paul Molitor
10. 3314 Eddie Collins

Stan Musial would retire after the 1963 season and would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 with 93.2% of the vote (317/340 ballots).

Not bad for the kid from Donora, Pennsylvania who tried out for his favorite team and was thought to be too skinny to be a major leaguer. Imagine what that outfield would have looked like with Stan Musial and Roberto Clemente playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. On a side note, Donora, Pennsylvania is the hometown of the Griffeys: Ken Griffey Sr and Jr. There was some amazing ball being played on the sandlots of Donora throughout the years.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Stan Musial's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
- Click Here to access the article Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who spent 22-year career with St. Louis Cardinals, dies at 92 by Bill Madden from the New York Daily News dated January 19, 2013
- Click Here to access the article Stan Musial from the SABR Baseball Biography Project by Jan Finkel

Jeter and Ichiro Move Up the All-Time Hits List

Yesterday marked a double achievement for two members of the New York Yankees. Derek Jeter tied the legendary Honus Wagner for sixth on the All-Time hit list with 3,430 hits. Barring any monumental injury from today on, Jeter will have sole possession of sixth place on the list. Here are the top five players on the All-Time Hits list:

1. Pete Rose 4,256
2. Ty Cobb 4,191
3. Hank Aaron 3,771
4. Stan Musial 3,630
5. Tris Speaker 3,514

Can Jeter belt out 70 more hits to get to 3,500? I'm not sure if he can, but it will be fun to watch to see if he comes close.

Ichiro Suzuki also tied a legendary player who he is already linked to on the All-Time hit list. Ichiro tied George Sisler for forty-eighth on the All-Time hits list with 2,810 hits. When Ichiro set the single season hits record in 2004, he did so by breaking George Sisler's record of 257 hits which was set in 1920. Here is the list for the top ten players on the Single Season hits list:

1. Ichiro Suzuki (30)   262 in 2004

2. George Sisler (27)   257 in 1920

3. Lefty O'Doul (32)   254 in 1929

  Bill Terry (31)             254 in 1930

5. Al Simmons (23)   253 in 1925

6. Rogers Hornsby (26)   250 in 1922

  Chuck Klein (25)   250 in 1930

8. Ty Cobb (24)           248 in 1911

9. George Sisler (29)      246 in 1922

10. Ichiro Suzuki (27)  242 in 2001

I would think that Ichiro would like to continue playing so that he can reach the 3,000 hit plateau of which he is 190 hits away from. I don't think that if he doesn't reach 3,000 he will be kept out of Cooperstown. I think his place in the Hall of Fame is already secure. But 3,000 hits is always a nice thing to have, especially since only 28 players have ever hit the 3,000 mark. We'll have to watch and see if he can do it.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle