Shohei Ohtani continues to carry the Japanese torch with pride since Ichiro Suzuki left MLB for good.
The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger hit a seemingly inconsequential single in the bottom of the 5th inning of Friday’s contest against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The hit came with a man on first and one out, but failed to result in any additional runs for the home team.
What Ohtani did achieve was a new record for a Japanese-born MLB player. His hit got him on base for the 44th consecutive game, dating back to last season. The hit broke a tie with Suzuki for the longest on-base streak by a player hailing from Japan.
Shohei Ohtani extends his on-base streak to 44 games, passing Ichiro Suzuki for the longest streak by a Japanese-born player in MLB history! pic.twitter.com/Axy8zv9sbD
— MLB (@MLB) April 11, 2026
Suzuki went on his record-setting 43-game streak with the Seattle Mariners back in 2009, which will likely sit in second place for quite some time.
Shohei also wrestled away a different record from Ichiro in 2024, when Ohtani’s 59 stolen bases became the most ever by a Japanese-born player. Ohtani surpassed Suzuki’s 56 stolen bases tallied in 2001.
Friday wasn’t a great day for Suzuki’s legacy. Aside from losing a record that few would have thought would ever be matched, he also had his Mariners statue break as it was being unveiled.
