Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani ties impressive Ichiro Suzuki record in MLB history
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani ties impressive Ichiro Suzuki record in MLB history originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Before Shohei Ohtani arrived, Ichiro Suzuki was the best Japanese player to ever suit up in Major League Baseball.
Ichiro was quite the pitcher growing up, too, although he wasn't a two-way player in MLB the way Ohtani is for the Los Angeles Dodgers . Those two names will always be linked in their heritage, and in many ways for their impact on MLB. They're also together on a really cool leaderboard.
Ichiro set the record for a Japanese player for consecutive games reaching base, at 43 in 2009. Suzuki also had a 40-game on-base streak in 2004, which ranks second all-time for Japanese players. On Sunday, Ohtani reached base for the 40th consecutive game to tie Ichiro for second place on that list -- and he's still alive to try to catch that first-place mark.
Ohtani wasn't "on base" for very long on the hit that extended his streak. It was a home run to dead centerfield in the nation's capital against the Nationals: Shohei Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 40 consecutive games. Japanese-born players with the longest on-base streaks in MLB history: Ichiro Suzuki: 43 (2009) Ichiro Suzuki: 40 (2004) Shohei Ohtani: 40 (2025-2026) pic.