04/25/24
October 01, 2004
258!: Ichiro breaks Sisler's record of hits in a season.
*
posted by rocketman at 11:04 PM on October 01, 2004
Thank you!
posted by billsaysthis at 11:46 PM on October 01, 2004
Yeah, but did this Sisler dude eat a sour plum riceball before every game? No, he didn't, so I say 86 the asterisk. Damn straight!
posted by NoMich at 12:05 AM on October 02, 2004
It's a fantastic piece of hitting to keep up this sort of batting average and draw so few walks. I don't think anything should be taken away from Ichiro for breaking the record. As for the whole * thing, Bill James did a study that examined what effect the extra 8 games (162 vs 154) would have. Granted he broke the record in 160 games and not 162, but I'm pretty sure the math won't be that much off.
posted by grum@work at 12:29 AM on October 02, 2004
Sure, we can asterisk this. Sure. But before we do, let us start with an asterisk for every record that came in a 154-game season... prior to 1947. Then we'll talk.
posted by hincandenza at 12:32 AM on October 02, 2004
This is a far better achievement than the steroid, er I mean, home run record.
posted by molafson at 12:42 AM on October 02, 2004
I was joking. I think it's an incredible mark to set, a record as difficult to break as 755 or 56 or 511. The fact that these records have stood for decades, in spite of the 162-game season, demonstrates how high the bar's been set. We're lucky that we get to see some of these broken in our lifetimes. Amazing stuff.
posted by rocketman at 07:04 AM on October 02, 2004
Finally, a Hit King we can be proud to root for. Way to go Ichiro.
posted by 86 at 09:48 AM on October 02, 2004
Geez, I was kidding!!!
posted by billsaysthis at 10:31 AM on October 02, 2004
Anyway, too bad Suzuki came to the US at the age he did since he probably could have challenged Rose's career record with a few extra years of play.
posted by billsaysthis at 10:32 AM on October 02, 2004
No asterisk needed. Sisler's record was set in 1920, the year the A.L. said, hey, maybe this Ruth guy will put a few extra fannies in the seats if we use a juicier ball. In fact, the top ten hit seasons of all time occurred between 1920 and 1930 with the exceptions of Ichiro and the incomparable Ty Cobb.
posted by cg1001a at 11:44 AM on October 02, 2004
Not to mention the fact that Sisler would see the same pitcher all 5 times he went up, where Ichiro will see 2 or 3 (or more) in the same game. So up your asterisk. No dis on Sisler - anyone who can hang on to a record for eight and a half decades has clearly done something special - but what Ichiro's done this year is huge, and good on him.
posted by chicobangs at 11:58 AM on October 02, 2004
Ichiro is such a pleasure to watch. He's such a modern hitting machine but all his stats seem so throwback - just get hits. Whadda playa.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:31 PM on October 02, 2004
his stats seem so throwback Yeah, I remember when teams actually sought out speedy, singles hitters to leadoff. Now, of course, such players are devlaued. Maybe they should be, but I still miss that type of player.
posted by dzot at 03:16 PM on October 02, 2004
Well, Ichiro's a bit of an outlier, isn't he? There are plenty of fast guys who hit down on the ball. Some are even left-handed. But there aren't too many that are close to Ichiro's speed. I think he's the fastest player I've ever seen in the big leagues. At least since Willie Wilson.
posted by yerfatma at 03:44 PM on October 02, 2004
I haven't seen too much of Ichiro outside of highlights related to him recently closing in on the record but one thing I noticed is how fast he gets out of the batter's box when he hits it. Sometimes it seems like he is one step towards first base as he makes contact with the ball. congrats to him.
posted by gspm at 06:00 PM on October 02, 2004
cq.....the so-called 'rabbit ball' of 1920 is nothing but a MYTH....what REALLY happened in 1920 was baseball banning the spitball/emeryball/greaseball,etc etc...plus after Ray Chapman got killed by a dirty ball,the umps were directed to keep a CLEAN, fresh ball in the game at all times..for a great dissertation on what REALLY happpened during the great hitting explosion of the 20s,seek out a great book by a gentleman named William Curran called Big Sticks from your local library...in it he he gives clear,concise, LOGICAL reasons for why hitting exploded after 1919...not some hoary myth that everyone perpetuates for some reason...
posted by NYSSoftballBlue at 06:13 AM on October 03, 2004
I demand an asterisk! /channels Ford Frick