With his leadoff single -- and somewhat fittingly, an infield hit -- today in San Diego, Ichiro's combined total of hits in Japan's major leagues (1,278) and Major League Baseball (2,978) now matches Pete Rose's career total in MLB (4,256).
So if Rose is known as the Hit King, what should Ichiro be called? Edgar Martinez said "The International Hit King," while Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma said he should be known as "King Ichiro."
"It's an incredible feat," Mariners outfielder and Japan native Nori Aoki said through an interpreter. "Even if you're adding MLB and Japan, it's still an unthinkable number.