Ichiro Suzuki

In November 2002 Suzuki went 4-for-4 to help lead the Major League Baseball All-Stars to victory over their Japanese counterparts in the seventh game of the annual exhibition series in Japan's Sapporo Dome. The Japanese team took the first three games of the series, but the MLB team bounced back to take the next four games and win the series. In the final game, Suzuki hit three singles and a double for the major leaguers.

At five feet, nine inches and 160 pounds, Suzuki is a little bit diminutive compared to most American ballplayers, but it's obviously done nothing to hamper

Ichiro Suzuki

his performance. In just two years, he's taken Major League Baseball by storm, amassing a total of 450 hits, more than any other player in history. As Ray Knight, bench coach for the Cincinnati Reds, told Sports Illustrated, Suzuki is "impossible to defend, but he's a joy to watch." Just how far he will go remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that Suzuki will remain a force to be reckoned with for several years.