Tag Archives: most career hits

H2H 67: Hank Aaron vs. Stan Musial – Who was Better?

After Pete Rose (4,256) and Ty Cobb (4,191), no players in MLB history have more career hits than Hank Aaron at #3 (3,771) and Stan Musial at #4 (3,630).  With careers spanning well over 20 seasons apiece, Aaron and Musial accomplished it all during their playing days – 20+ All-Star selections each, MVP awards, batting titles, World Series championships, and a plethora of career hitting records.  Interestingly, the younger Aaron viewed Musial as one of his baseball idols and the two later became lifelong friends; given their similar career statistics and accomplishments (with the exception of Aaron’s clear superiority in hitting home runs), it is a natural comparison to ask:

Who was better – Hank Aaron or Stan Musial?

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H2H 28: Pete Rose vs. Ichiro Suzuki – Who was Better?

On June 15, 2016, Ichiro Suzuki tallied two hits against the San Diego Padres to reach 2,979 for his MLB career; coupled with his 1,278 hits in Japan, that gave him 4,257 total professional hits, thus surpassing Pete Rose’s total of 4,256 professional hits (all accumulated in MLB).  Though most baseball fans and pundits still consider Rose the all-time hits king due to the differences between American and Japanese professional baseball, this milestone nevertheless highlighted the incredible hitting prowess and consistency and longevity of two of baseball’s legendary hitters.  Despite the differences in era, ethnicity, and personality, the two men are bonded by their shared affinity for gathering hits and tenacious, unrelenting style of play, leading to the natural comparisons and thus, the question:

Who was better – Pete Rose or Ichiro Suzuki?

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