NEW YORK -- Ichiro Suzuki slashed a single the opposite way with his unique swing for the 4,000th hit of a career split between Japan and the major leagues. The 39-year-old Suzuki hit a liner off Torontos R.A. Dickey that bounced just beyond diving third baseman Brett Lawrie in the first inning Wednesday night for the milestone hit. "Its unbelievable, 4,000 hits," Alfonso Soriano said after hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer that led New York to a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays. "To get 4,000 hits, you have to be a great hitter." How great? Pete Rose with 4,256 hits and Ty Cobb with 4,191 are the only two players that have reached the number solely in the major leagues. Suzuki broke a tie with Lou Gehrig when he got his 2,722nd major league hit in his 13th season. The speedy outfielder amassed 1,278 hits in nine seasons with Orix of Japans Pacific League. Suzukis teammates streamed out of the dugout and surrounded him at first base, Curtis Granderson giving him the first hug. A grinning Suzuki then faced the cheering fans and bowed, doffing his helmet. He bowed several more times, facing the Toronto dugout with the last one. "It was supposed to be a number that was special to me but what happened tonight I wasnt expecting," Suzuki said. "When my teammates came out to first base it was very special, and to see the fans. I wasnt expecting so much joy and happiness from them and thats what made it very special tonight." When he went to his position in right field for the second inning, Suzuki tipped his cap to the fans who greeted him with a standing ovation. "You never want to be the guy that gives up the milestone," Dickey said. "That being said, what an incredible achievement. The manner that hes done it is equally impressive. Just the longevity, the endurance, the durability. Having played with him in Seattle, it was a real treat to play with him and it couldnt have happened to a more professional hitter." Ken Griffey Jr., a former teammate with the Seattle Mariners, congratulated Suzuki with a message shown on the video board at Yankee Stadium. The Mariners tweeted a statement: "Ichiros historic milestone is testament to his position as one of the greatest hitters in the game of baseball." Suzukis postgame news conference with the Japanese media lasted a whopping 47 minutes. According to STATS, Suzuki has the most hits through the first 13 seasons of a big league career. Paul Waner is second. He had 2,648 for Pittsburgh from 1926-38. Even though the approach to the unprecedented milestone didnt generate a lot of buzz in the United States because it doesnt count in the record books, players have great respect for Suzukis accomplishment. "Thats a lot of hits, man," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said last week. "Its pretty impressive. I dont care if its 4,000 in Little League. It shows how consistent hes been throughout his career. It makes you look at how many hits hes got in a short amount of time. Thats difficult to do, so Ichi has been as consistent as anyone." To Suzuki, though, the rarefied number means one thing. "Not necessarily the 4,000, just the fact that youre getting a hit in the game," he said through an interpreter after getting three hits in the opener of a doubleheader Tuesday to leave him at 3,999. "If you dont produce youre not going to play in games. Me producing in games is whats good for me." He has been producing since he was an 18-year-old rookie with the Blue Wave. A career .353 hitter in Japan, Suzuki became the first Japanese-born non-pitcher to sign with a major league team. He smoothly made the move from Orix to the Mariners in 2001 when he was 27. He was selected AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first season when he batted .350, had 242 hits and stole 56 bases. The slender 10-time All-Star seemingly could place the ball wherever he wanted with a slashing swing that makes him look more like an epee-wielding fencer than a professional baseball player. Suzuki had at least 206 hits in each of his first 10 years in the majors, peaking in 2004 when he set the record for hits in a season with 262, topping George Sislers mark of 257 established in 1920. His hit Wednesday night was the 2,209th single of his career. "Its an amazing feat," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Its a testament to how hard hes worked, how long hes been in the game, how he stays healthy, how he goes about his business." Uniquely fashionable, Suzuki often wears skinny jeans cuffed at the bottom to show off a rainbow of shoes and socks. Sporting clothes by his favourite designer, Thom Browne, he looks more like a 20-something than a greying star. Despite his age, Suzuki should have a good shot at the revered major league mark of 3,000 hits, one that doesnt come with debates over the merits of the achievement. He is signed for one more year with New York at $6.5 million, and the 10-time Gold Glove winner is still is an outstanding outfielder. But hes not thinking about that mark. "I dont make goals that are so far away," Suzuki said. "What I do is what I can every day and really build off that and see where that takes me." After a down season in 2011 in which he hit a career-low .272 for a Seattle team that lost 95 games, Suzuki was traded to New York in July 2012. Accused of isolating himself in the young Mariners clubhouse, Suzuki easily fit into the star-studded Yankees room and hit .322 the rest of the season. He is batting .275 with New York this year, and hes really enjoying his time with the team. His treatment Wednesday reinforced that. "What I realized today is that the Yankees are so used to things like this happening that theyre so good at ceremonies like this," Suzuki said. Dries Mertens Belgium Jersey . Felton pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. He admitted he knowingly had a large-capacity ammunition magazine and a semi-automatic pistol without a license. Axel Witsel Belgium Jersey .com) - Lloyd Sam struck in stoppage time on Wednesday as Red Bull New York hung on for a crucial 1-0 win over Atlantic Cup rivals D. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Mousa-De...Belgium-Jersey/. Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto. Toby Alderweireld Belgium Jersey . "Im not doing enough to help them," Durant told The Oklahoman on Monday of his 28-9 team. "Im shooting too much. Im shooting too many threes. Im not helping them out at all. Simon Mignolet Jersey . Mike Vecchione tied it at 2 with 4:01 left in the first, Saskatoon native Eli Lichtenwald gave the Dutchman the lead 57 seconds later, and Daniel Ciampini capped the spree with 2:57 to go.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- While much of the nation is buried in snow, glazed by ice or just plain shivering in the cold, its time to play ball in the desert. Spring training officially began Thursday when Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers and catchers reported, with their first workout set for Friday. On the other side of suburban Phoenix, in Glendale, Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers and catchers report on Saturday. Full-squad workouts for both teams begin next week. The Diamondbacks and Dodgers get an early start because they will open the MLB season with a two-game series in Australia on March 22-23. The rest of the teams begin workouts next week at their spring training haunts in Arizona and Florida. Arizonas reporting date signals the beginning of preparation for a season that wont end until the World Series eight months from now. The Diamondbacks are coming off consecutive 81-81 seasons and face the prospect, like the rest of the NL West, of trying to compete with the cash- and pitching-rich Dodgers. Arizona wanted to add a veteran starter in the off-season and still may. A person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday that the Diamondbacks were talking with representatives of Bronson Arroyo with the possibility of landing the 36-year-old right-hander. The person asked not to be identified because the talks had not been made public. The Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles also reportedly have interest in Arroyo. If no changes are made, the Diamondbacks rotation is expected to include left-handers Patrick Corbin and Wade Miley and right-handers Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy. Young right-hander Randall Delgado and top minor league prospect Archie Bradley could vie for the other rotation spot. Diamondbacks players went through informal workouts in relatively chilly weather, at least by Arizona standards, on Thursday. Temperatures were in the low 60s but were expected to rise to the high 70s over the weekend. Kirk Gibson is entering his fourth season as manager and earlier this week got an extension of his contract, which had been set to expire this year. He said the early start to spring training will mean a larger gap between the start of full-squad workouts and the beginning of spring gammes.dddddddddddd "Well come in on the 11th and our first games on the 26th," he said. "It gives us a challenge. We need to get our pitchers ready to be ready to go on March 22." After the long trip to Australia, the Diamondbacks and Dodgers will come back to Arizona to complete spring training before their stateside regular-season openers. "The seasons going to be a little longer, " Gibson said, "but if you look at the other people that have played abroad early, I think theres 10 teams that went and five of them have went to post-season play." Even though its an early start to spring training, McCarthy said players are more than ready to get back at it. "In the last month is when you start to hit that boredom point," he said. "Youre done with the off-season, youre sick of your loved ones, you want to get out of your house. Now it turns real and you kind of get back to work." The other significant addition to the Diamondbacks pitching staff is Addison Reed, The 25-year-old right-hander had 69 saves the last two seasons with the Chicago White Sox, 40 last year. Arizona acquired him from the White Sox for third baseman Matt Davidson. Reed hasnt been anointed the Arizona closer yet, though, facing competition from the likes of J.J. Putz, David Hernandez and Brad Zeigler. "Obviously everybody knows that I want to close. Its the only thing Ive ever wanted to do," Reed said, "but Im here and whatever they have me do is what Ill do and Ill be happy to. As long as Im out there throwing, Ill be a happy guy." McCarthy said that a core group of Arizona players plans to take a bigger leadership role in the coming year. "I think theres a group of guys here that know exactly what they want," he said. "Last year I think we were kind of getting there but we didnt have that true leadership that really came through. Its the one thing Ive seen just in talking to guys so far, that heres an idea of exactly what we want and I think we know how to implement that now. "Youre going to see a clubhouse of guys that go out of their way to get things the way they want it, to set an attitude the way they want it." 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