Question:
A-Rod belts historic 500th homer
08/04/2007 2:23 PM ET
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez became the 22nd member of the prestigious 500 home run club on Saturday, slugging a three-run homer off Kyle Davies of the Kansas City Royals for the landmark blast.
After waiting more than a week, Rodriguez finally hit his 500th home run, jumping on the first pitch he saw Saturday from Davies and clubbing a high-arcing three-run homer down the left-field line.
Rodriguez, whose last homer came on July 25 at Kansas City, raised his hands in the air and exchanged a pair of high-fives with first-base coach Tony Pena, grinning as he rounded the bases and approached the entire Yankees roster, spilled out of the dugout and waiting at home plate in celebration.
A-Rod was greeted first by Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, who were on board for the historic blast. Embraced by his teammates, Rodriguez blew kisses to the roaring Yankee Stadium crowd and pumped his fists in the air for a curtain call before finally taking a seat on the dugout bench, an expression of relief appearing to wash over his face.
Hugged by Robinson Cano -- who would later triple home a run in the inning -- and Melky Cabrera in the Yankees dugout, the three players carried on their season-long exercise of a celebratory, rapid-hop movement before Rodriguez took the field for the top of the second inning, earning another standing ovation.
At 32 years and eight days of age, Rodriguez is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs. Jimmie Foxx held the previous mark at 32 years, 338 days. Rodriguez also became just the third player to hit his 500th home run in a Yankees uniform, joining Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.
The milestone did not come easily for Rodriguez, who hit his 499th career home run on July 25 off the Kansas City Royals' Gil Meche and endured a long, frustrating wait for the homer, his troubles helped only by his teammates' consistent production over that span.
Following the homer off Meche, Rodriguez went hitless in a three-game series at Baltimore's Camden Yards last weekend -- including an at-bat attributed to the eighth inning of a June 28 suspended game -- before returning home to New York to hit the milestone homer in the second game of a three-game series with the Royals, enduring an 0-for-21 span through one stretch before connecting.
Part of the celebration of the chase may have created external pressure for Rodriguez, who spoke repeatedly about the continued procession of specially marked baseballs dumped into umpires' pockets before his at-bats and the oceans of flashbulbs that lit stadiums during each pitch of his night plate appearances.
Rodriguez is not the record-holder for fewest games to 500: Mark McGwire reached the 500-homer plateau in 1,639 games, while Babe Ruth needed 1,740. Saturday marked the 1,855th game for Rodriguez, who has hit 154 home runs as a Yankee after hitting 189 for the Seattle Mariners and 156 for the Texas Rangers.
None of Rodriguez's previous round-number home run milestones have come at home. He hit No. 100 on Aug. 12, 1998, at Toronto; No. 200 on May 21, 2001, at Chicago, No. 300 on April 2, 2003, at Anaheim and No. 400 on June 8, 2005, at Milwaukee. He hit his first home run on June 12, 1995, for Seattle off Kansas City's Tom Gordon.
Rodriguez, the Major League leader in home runs and RBIs, is the first player to hit 35 home runs and drive in at least 100 runs in 10 consecutive seasons. He has hit 98 of his 500 home runs at Yankee Stadium.
hi steve,
that's great. i was wondering when he was going to do it. congrats to him
have a good weekend my friend
richard
Congrats to A-Rod, on this outstanding achievement.
I understand he is playing for the Sox next season.
Karen :)
08/04/2007 2:23 PM ET
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez became the 22nd member of the prestigious 500 home run club on Saturday, slugging a three-run homer off Kyle Davies of the Kansas City Royals for the landmark blast.
After waiting more than a week, Rodriguez finally hit his 500th home run, jumping on the first pitch he saw Saturday from Davies and clubbing a high-arcing three-run homer down the left-field line.
Rodriguez, whose last homer came on July 25 at Kansas City, raised his hands in the air and exchanged a pair of high-fives with first-base coach Tony Pena, grinning as he rounded the bases and approached the entire Yankees roster, spilled out of the dugout and waiting at home plate in celebration.
A-Rod was greeted first by Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, who were on board for the historic blast. Embraced by his teammates, Rodriguez blew kisses to the roaring Yankee Stadium crowd and pumped his fists in the air for a curtain call before finally taking a seat on the dugout bench, an expression of relief appearing to wash over his face.
Hugged by Robinson Cano -- who would later triple home a run in the inning -- and Melky Cabrera in the Yankees dugout, the three players carried on their season-long exercise of a celebratory, rapid-hop movement before Rodriguez took the field for the top of the second inning, earning another standing ovation.
At 32 years and eight days of age, Rodriguez is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs. Jimmie Foxx held the previous mark at 32 years, 338 days. Rodriguez also became just the third player to hit his 500th home run in a Yankees uniform, joining Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle.
The milestone did not come easily for Rodriguez, who hit his 499th career home run on July 25 off the Kansas City Royals' Gil Meche and endured a long, frustrating wait for the homer, his troubles helped only by his teammates' consistent production over that span.
Following the homer off Meche, Rodriguez went hitless in a three-game series at Baltimore's Camden Yards last weekend -- including an at-bat attributed to the eighth inning of a June 28 suspended game -- before returning home to New York to hit the milestone homer in the second game of a three-game series with the Royals, enduring an 0-for-21 span through one stretch before connecting.
Part of the celebration of the chase may have created external pressure for Rodriguez, who spoke repeatedly about the continued procession of specially marked baseballs dumped into umpires' pockets before his at-bats and the oceans of flashbulbs that lit stadiums during each pitch of his night plate appearances.
Rodriguez is not the record-holder for fewest games to 500: Mark McGwire reached the 500-homer plateau in 1,639 games, while Babe Ruth needed 1,740. Saturday marked the 1,855th game for Rodriguez, who has hit 154 home runs as a Yankee after hitting 189 for the Seattle Mariners and 156 for the Texas Rangers.
None of Rodriguez's previous round-number home run milestones have come at home. He hit No. 100 on Aug. 12, 1998, at Toronto; No. 200 on May 21, 2001, at Chicago, No. 300 on April 2, 2003, at Anaheim and No. 400 on June 8, 2005, at Milwaukee. He hit his first home run on June 12, 1995, for Seattle off Kansas City's Tom Gordon.
Rodriguez, the Major League leader in home runs and RBIs, is the first player to hit 35 home runs and drive in at least 100 runs in 10 consecutive seasons. He has hit 98 of his 500 home runs at Yankee Stadium.
Answers:
hi steve,
that's great. i was wondering when he was going to do it. congrats to him
have a good weekend my friend
richard
Answers:
Congrats to A-Rod, on this outstanding achievement.
Answers:
I understand he is playing for the Sox next season.
Karen :)
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