No matter what anyone says, Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader.
Recently, the great Ichiro Suzuki "passed" Rose on the all-time "world" hit list (if something like that actually exists). Ichiro got 1,278 hits in his nine seasons playing in Japan, and drove a single in San Diego last week that gave him a total of 4,257 hits, which would be one more than Rose got in his 24 seasons playing in MLB.
Rose was clearly not happy with the attention Ichiro was getting for it. But Pete should just calm down. I haven't been a Rose fan for a while now, as I find him a loathesome character who will do anything for money or attention.
But Rose is right here. As I write this, Ichiro has 2,980 hits in his MLB career, and that is all that really counts HERE. The leagues in Japan in terms of quality are really between AAA and MLB. They have sent many good players to the US, and Ichiro has been the best of the best by far.
So adding on Ichiro's hits in Japan makes no sense here. What fans should be talking about are his numbers he's piled up since his US arrival in 2001. He was 27 when he first came over, and is about to get his 3,000th hit. He will become the first Japanese player to reach that plateau, and he will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer six years after he retires (which I would bet will be after this season). The fact he got his first hit at the age of 27 and will get 3,000 is an incredible accomplishment, and he deserves all the accolades that come his way for it.
So Pete Rose should take it easy. Ichiro's all-time hit total doesn't make him "the Hit Queen" as he quizzically asked a while back. He is still MLB's all-time leader in hits, and will be for the foreseeable future.
