200 for Suzuki?

Ichiro Suzuki got 262 hits last summer, crumbling George Sisler's record from way back in 1920. It was unthinkable. Following baseball in the 80's I watched Boggs take a shot at Sisler's record in 85. In case you forgot, that was the year the Jays fell to the Royals in the ALCS after earning a 3-1 game lead ... not that I'm still bitter about that. Anyway, Boggs got 240 hits that year. He collected 200 hits four more times in his career but never again came close to Sisler. If Boggs couldn't do it, I thought no one could. That all changed in 2001 when Suzuki got 242 hits. Then, last year, he made the unreal become real. Following Suzuki's season was like tracking the McGwire-Sosa dinger derby in 98 and watching Bonds extend the homerun stratosphere in 2001. Exciting stuff. But what about this year? Is there anything to track as the 2005 season hits the home stretch? As of today (August 19th), Suzuki has 154 hits in 120 games. He's batting .307. Some say he's having an off year. Sounds like a pretty good year to me. He needs 46 hits in 42 games to reach 200. Although Suzuki isn't chasing Sisler (or himself for that matter) this year, I'll be watching what he does as the season winds down. Why not? Who else has ever collected 200 hits in his first four years in the majors?

Ciao