Ichiro out longer than Mariners hoped

Well, they won on Monday without him and are currently down 2-1 in the top to the 8th. While he is a great player for individual stats, it is unclear whether he makes a difference.

Ichiro’s quest to make Major League Baseball history has been being stalled longer than expected because of his sore calf.

It's a history - Japan media may call it a grand victory. Fact of the matter is that nobody was/will ever be interested in this record...pilling up 100-200-300...thousands of hits?

While he is a great player for individual stats, it is unclear whether he makes a difference.

200+ hits a season always makes a difference.

some14some - Obviously you are not a baseball fan! That is a huge record! He is about to break a 108ish year old record.

does this mean he will keep his mouth shut for longer? what blissful silence

resting Ichiro for the playoffs? It is a good strategy. I hope that he does get hit number 200 though. Having a streak of 200 hit seasons is very impressive.

Heh, the Mariners certainly aren't resting Ichiro for the playoffs. Their playoff chances are slim. They actually need him to play every game just to get a chance.

pawatan: "200+ hits a season always makes a difference."

To the personal stats, yes. However, when you read the daily Ichiro-report on this site or hear it in regular J-media it's usually accompanied with 'despite Mariner's loss'. Of course his hitting is amazing, and helps the team during said inning, and of course he does literally win the game for them on some occasions, but he's only one man on the team.