DENVER — Ichiro Suzuki defined his career with speed and sharp hits. It was only fitting he flashed both in his historic moment.

Suzuki lined a triple off the wall for his 3,000th hit in the major leagues, becoming the 30th player to reach the milestone as the Marlins beat the Rockies 10-7 Sunday.

Suzuki, 42, got his big hit in the seventh inning. He became the first player born in Japan to reach 3,000, and he joined Paul Molitor, his former hitting coach with the Mariners, as the only ones to hit the mark with a triple.

“I wanted to see it go over the fence, but after I heard that Paul Molitor was the other person to do it I was glad it didn't go over,” Suzuki said after sharing champagne with his teammates in the clubhouse after the win.

Suzuki was hitless in his first three at-bats before he tagged Chris Rusin. He launched a long drive to right field that carried just beyond the reach of leaping Gerardo Parra and breezed into third standing up.

“When I got that hit, the burden was lifted off,” Suzuki said.

Third base coach Lorenzo Bundy hugged Suzuki as Marlins players came out of the dugout to congratulate him. He waved his helmet to acknowledge the cheers at Coors Field.

“We gave him a big hug and told him he deserved it,” said Dee Gordon, who was the first player to reach Suzuki as he stood on third. “That's what you're supposed to do. Show him his respect, show him that we respect his milestone.”

Suzuki is in his 16th season in the majors. He got 1,278 hits while playing nine years in Japan before becoming the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP with the Mariners in 2001.