ichiro closing in on 3K MLB hits.. The 42-year-old Suzuki, who moved within 32 hits of 3,000 for his major league career, was in his fourth season in 2004 when Twins manager Paul Molitor was hired as Seattle's hitting coach. The post lasted only one year, as he was fired after the team's 63-99 finish, but Suzuki set the all-time season record with 262 hits. ''It was one of the few highlights of being a Mariner,'' said Molitor, who is 10th on the all-time hits list. Suzuki, who came from Japan at age 27, is 31st.