Mr. Ichiro Suzuki (better known as Ichiro), the left-handed hitting outfielder for the Seattle Mariners, on Sunday concluded the 2004 playing season with the unprecedented single-season record of 262 hits. Three singles in Friday night's game against the Texas Rangers already had propelled him past George Sisler, giving him the record for hits in a season. The record is a testimony to Ichiro's determination to excel, his work ethic and his steady performance.

Hitting a baseball has often been called one of the hardest jobs in sports. A hitter must swing and control a piece of wood to make it connect with a spinning, speeding, curving ball that is being aimed near -- and sometimes at -- his body at speeds that can exceed 160 kilometers per hour. Some reckon that a batter must begin to swing before the pitcher even releases the ball if he is going to make contact.

All of this occurs under hothouse conditions, with considerable distractions -- noise from the fans, bright lights, a psychological battle with the opposing pitcher and catcher -- day in and out for over six months a year. It is little surprise then that the record for hits in a single season has been held for over 84 years -- one of the oldest records in baseball -- by Sisler, a little-known player from the St. Louis Browns who batted 257 hits in 1920.