A-Rod Joins Elite 600 Club; Youngest Player to Reach Feat
Three years to the day after hitting his 500th career home run, Alex Rodriguez hit no.600 in the legendary Yankees Stadium. A-Rod now joins an elite group of batters as he is the seventh player to reach such a milestone. He is also became the youngest player to reach such a feat.
Six other players were previously in the 600 club; Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr (630) and Sammy Sosa (609). Rodriguez now joins that elite bunch and may very well one day be the new home run king as he has just 163 home runs to go before accomplishing just that.
A-Rod hit the historic home-run in the first inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays off Shaun Marcum en route to a 5-1 Yankees victory. A-Rod’s homer was a two-run blast that also brought Derek Jeter in for a run.
Rodriguez had been struggling since hitting no.599 and stayed there for a week and a half before finally reaching the milestone on Wednesday: "I was probably just trying to get it over with and not really enjoy the moment and stay in the present. I was probably just trying to do a little bit too much. I had a lot of support from my teammates -- they were very patient. The fans here in New York were extremely patient. It reminds me of the place I've been the last two years -- talk little and try to do the talking with my bat. And the last week and a half or so, I've been doing the exact opposite. I've been talking a lot with the media and doing very little with the bat. So I'm glad that's over."
This ongoing saga had been on not just A-Rod’s mind, but the mind of the entire organization and certainly the Yankees are relieved that this story is out of the way and the team can focus on winning games.
"It's an amazing accomplishment," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm sure he's happy to be through it. I know how much Al just wants to get down to baseball and winning games and not be the talk right now, about when he's going to hit 600. He's been so productive for us."
Rodriguez certainly had to wait a while in his quest to hit that elusive 600th home run. He stepped to the plate a record 46 times between no. 599 and 600, more than doubling the time it took Willie Mays (21) to hit the milestone.
There is still a dark cloud over Rodriguez. As amazing as the accomplishment is, he did admit to using performance enhancing drugs earlier in his career as a member of the Texas Rangers and certainly many are not willing to applaud A-Rod in reaching 600 home runs.
The Yankees have offered A-Rod incentives if he were to reach the top-four on the home run list and even more if he were to pass Bonds and become the new home run king. A-Rod’s contract already pays him $27.5 million a year.
The home-run ball was caught by a member of Yankees security who handed it over to his supervisor. The ball will be given to A-Rod and the slugger offered to treat the person who caught the ball to lunch with him and actress Cameron Diaz.
"Today was a special day," Rodriguez said. "I've been through a lot the last two years, coming back from last year in Spring Training. And I know a lot of fans are going to have their hesitations on what it means. But for me personally, I've played a long time and it is a big number and a special number, and I feel very good about it. The only time I allow myself to think a little bit down the line is, three years ago on Aug. 4, I hit 500. And today, I hit 600. So it just ... that kind of stuff, weird stuff like that happens in baseball."
So now Rodriguez is in the elite 600 club and only his health and the length of his career may determine how many more home runs he can hit before his career is over. The perception of him may never change and besides Yankees fans, no one may ever commend him for what he’s accomplished. Nonetheless history is history and August 4th will now go down as a historic day for both A-Rod and the Yankees.
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