Part 4/12:
In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki set the modern-era standard with 262 hits in a single season. Today, players can rarely come close to such numbers; for instance, Jarren Duran led in 2024 with only 671 at-bats. To break Ichiro's record, a player would need to achieve an extraordinary batting average of .390, an accomplishment unseen in the last 30 years. The transition from contact hitters to power hitters in the game has further solidified the rarity of surpassing Ichiro's achievement.