Pete Rose may be the all time hit leader, but Miami Marlins fourth outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is rapidly closing in on his total.

Last night, Ichiro Suzuki had four more hits for the Miami Marlins, raising his major league total to 2960 hits in his career. He is rapidly closing in on the 3000 hit threshold, and is almost assured to be the first Japanese player enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

However, ichiro is closing in on another milestone, and record. He had 1278 hits in his time in Japan, and with his hits here in the Majors, currently has 4238 professional base hits. Meanwhile, Pete Rose, the all time hit king, ended his career with 4256 hits, only 18 more than Ichiro currently has.

This leads into an interesting discussion as to how much one can count on the performance in the Japanese Leagues when looking at career totals. While those leagues may not be at the same level as the Majors, Ichiro was playing at the highest level available to him at the time. It is not as though he picked up those hits playing in his backyard against high school kids.

Ichiro also proved his mettle and hitting ability from the moment that he came to the Seattle Mariners. He hit the gruond running, literally, and just never stopped. Along the way, he passed George Sisler‘s single season hit total, collecting 262 hits in 2004.

In a way, this is a repeat of the argument on who the all time home run king is. In the States, Barry Bonds and his 762 home runs are recognized as the home run king (or Hank Aaron‘s 755, depending on who you ask). However, Sadaharu Oh hit 868 home runs in Japan. Where does that line get drawn?

Regardless of how one regards the talent of these various foreign leagues, they are still professional organizations. Those 1278 hits that Ichiro accumulated in Japan still count. Major Leagues or not, those are hits that Ichiro had in a professional league.

Pete Rose himself has stated that he will not recognize Ichiro as the hit king should he pass his career marks, dismissing his Japanese League accomplishments. Yet, just because Rose does not think that Ichiro should be given his crown does not mean that it will not happen. With 19 more hits, Ichiro will pass Rose for the career mark, making him the hit king of professional baseball, whether the former Reds legend likes it or not.

Ichiro is on the cusp of making history, not just for being the first Japanese player to get 3000 hits in the Majors, but because he is rapidly closing in on Pete Rose’s career hits mark. In a few weeks, baseball may well have a new hit king.