DENVER _ Ichiro Suzuki became the newest member of the 3,000 hit club.
With his triple in Sunday's seventh inning at Coors Field off Rockies pitcher Chris Rusin, Suzuki became the 30th player in Major League history _ and the first from Japan _ to record 3,000 career hits.
Suzuki also become only the sixth player in big-league history to collect at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases. Each of the others _ Ty Cobb, Paul Molitor, Eddie Collins, Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock _ are in the Hall of Fame.
Suzuki, at 42 the oldest position player in the majors, began his major league career at age 27 when he joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001.
He recorded his first hit on April 2, 2001 _ a single off Oakland's T.J. Mathews. That same season, he won both the American League's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards.
In 2004, he broke the major league record for most hits in a season with 262. He finished with at least 200 hits in each of his first 10 big-league seasons.
Ironically, Suzuki reached 3,000 hits on the same day that the last player to do it, Alex Rodriguez, announced that Friday would be his last game with the New York Yankees.
Earlier this season, Suzuki set an unofficial record for career hits when, combining his numbers from Japan, he surpassed Pete Rose's major league record of 4,256 hits. Suzuki has 1,278 hits in Japan.
Suzuki had 2,533 hits with the Mariners, 311 with the Yankees, and 156 so far with the Marlins.
