Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Tyler Duffy throws to the Houston Astros in the first inning during a baseball game on Monday, Aug., 8, 2016 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Tyler Duffy throws to the Houston Astros in the first inning during a baseball game on Monday, Aug., 8, 2016 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King) Credit: Andy Clayton-King

Miami — The president of the Baseball Hall of Fame was the grateful recipient Monday as Ichiro Suzuki handed over his gear — a jersey, a pair of cleats, his arm guard and batting gloves, all items he wore while becoming the 30th player to reach 3,000 hits.

When the exchange concluded, the two men bowed to each other, a fitting gesture to celebrate the bridge from Japan to Cooperstown.

Suzuki began building that bridge when he came to the major leagues as a 27-year-old rookie in 2001. Three-thousand hits later, he’s a memorabilia-making machine.

The Suzuki collection at the Hall of Fame numbered more than two dozen items even before his triple Sunday at Colorado, which made him the first Japanese player to reach 3,000 hits. When he and his teammates returned to Marlins Park to begin a homestand, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was there to collect additional Suzuki souvenirs.

“Jeff asked me about the stuff,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “I was happy to give it to him. I have an agreement with Jeff that when I die, all of my stuff is going to go to Jeff and the Hall of Fame.”

Suzuki, a baseball history buff, has visited Cooperstown six times.

“There is no current player I’ve encountered who has as deep an appreciation of baseball history as Ichiro,” Idelson said. “This is a guy who understands his place in history. Because of that, as a sport and as a country, we’re all the richer.”

While Major League Baseball celebrated Suzuki’s achievement, it was even bigger news back home. Several dozen reporters and photographers from Japan had been logging lots of air miles following their nation’s most famous athlete as he approached the milestone and then went into a slump.

With the triple in Denver — only his second hit in 17 at-bats since July 29 — he said his overriding emotion was relief that so many of his countrymen would be reunited with their families.

“For the last couple of weeks there have been a lot of members of the media following me,” Suzuki said. “I’m just so happy they can go back to their homes now.”

Monday’s GamesBlue Jays 7, Rays 5Toronto — Devon Travis had a career-high four hits, including the go-ahead single in the seventh inning, and Toronto beat Tampa Bay.

Edwin Encarnacion hit his 299th career home run as the Blue Jays snapped a three-game losing streak against the Rays.

Encarnacion and Jose Bautista both had three RBIs as Toronto scored more than four runs for the first time since a 9-1 win over Baltimore on July 30.

Twins 3, Astros 1Minneapolis — Tyler Duffey pitched six effective innings and Minnesota took advantage of two misplays by center fielder Carlos Gomez in a three-run fifth that sent the Twins past Houston.

Gomez, the former Twins outfielder, let Jorge Polanco’s single skip by him for a two-base error that allowed one run to score. Then he lost a fly ball off Juan Centeno’s bat, turning it into an RBI triple.

Braves 4, Brewers 3 (12)Milwaukee — Matt Kemp scored from third after Keon Broxton dropped Gordon Beckham’s fly ball to center field in the 12th inning, and Atlanta beat Milwaukee.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Broxton dropped a drive to deep center. An error was given to Broxton, but Beckham was awarded a sacrifice fly and an RBI.

Kemp drew a walk off Carlos Torres (2-2) to start the 12th and went to third on a ground-rule double to right-center by Nick Markakis. An intentional walk to Adonis Garcia loaded the bases.

Brewers reliever Blaine Boyer came on to work out of the bases-loaded jam with no further damage.

Brandon Cunniff (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings to earn his first win. Jim Johnson stranded the tying run at second base for his ninth save.