Alex Rodriguez has hit 599 home runs, including at least one against 365 different pitchers for 26 different teams in 31 different ballparks, leaving him one long ball away from becoming only the seventh man in major league history to reach 600. Although the build-up to this milestone has been much more subdued than the Yankees and Arod probably envisioned, obtaining 600 home runs at such a young age is still a remarkable achievement. In fact, Arod is so far ahead of every other slugger in the game’s history that, absent a serious injury (or a more significant reoccurrence of his hip issue), he seems to be a lock to surpass Barry Bond’s record of 762. In the meantime, here is a roadmap of Arod’s approach to history, as well as a breakdown of his lofty homerun total.
Most Home Runs Through a Player’s Age-34 Season
| Player | HR | From | To | Age | G | PA |
| Alex Rodriguez | 599 | 1994 | 2010 | 18-34 | 2254 | 9997 |
| Sammy Sosa | 539 | 1989 | 2003 | 20-34 | 2012 | 8479 |
| Jimmie Foxx | 527 | 1925 | 1942 | 17-34 | 2213 | 9400 |
| Babe Ruth | 516 | 1914 | 1929 | 19-34 | 1790 | 7551 |
| Hank Aaron | 510 | 1954 | 1968 | 20-34 | 2279 | 9888 |
| Willie Mays | 505 | 1951 | 1965 | 20-34 | 2005 | 8637 |
| Ken Griffey | 501 | 1989 | 2004 | 19-34 | 1997 | 8517 |
| Mickey Mantle | 496 | 1951 | 1966 | 19-34 | 2113 | 8809 |
| Eddie Mathews | 493 | 1952 | 1966 | 20-34 | 2223 | 9533 |
| Harmon Killebrew | 487 | 1954 | 1970 | 18-34 | 1852 | 7634 |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
The Road to 600
| HR# | Date | Opponent | Pitcher |
| 1 | 6/12/1995 | Royals | Tom Gordon |
| 100 | 8/12/1998 | Blue Jays | Nerio Rodriguez |
| 200 | 5/12/2001 | White Sox | Jon Garland |
| 300 | 4/2/2003 | Angels | Ramon Ortiz |
| 400 | 6/8/2005 | Brewers | Jorge DeLaRosa |
| 500 | 8/4/2007 | Royals | Kyle Davies |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Arod’s Home Run Breakdown
| Team | HR | Position | HR | |
| Yankees | 254 | SS | 344 | |
| Mariners | 189 | 3B | 244 | |
| Texas | 156 | DH | 11 | |
| Opponent | HR | Inning | HR | |
| Angels | 67 | 1 | 109 | |
| Orioles | 51 | 2 | 39 | |
| Blue Jays | 50 | 3 | 78 | |
| Twins | 45 | 4 | 59 | |
| Red Sox | 45 | 5 | 58 | |
| Rays | 43 | 6 | 89 | |
| As | 43 | 7 | 63 | |
| Royals | 41 | 8 | 59 | |
| Mariners | 32 | 9 | 36 | |
| Tigers | 32 | 10+ | 9 | |
| Stadium | HR | Pitchers | HR | |
| Yankee Stadium #2 | 124 | Ramon Ortiz | 8 | |
| Rangers Ballpark | 96 | David Wells | 8 | |
| Kingdome | 60 | Bartolo Colon | 8 | |
| Safeco Field | 39 | Tim Wakefield | 7 | |
| Angel Stadium | 37 | Jarrod Washburn | 7 | |
| Rogers Centre | 32 | Jeff Suppan | 6 | |
| Yankee Stadium #3 | 27 | Sidney Ponson | 6 | |
| Camden Yards | 23 | Jamie Moyer | 6 | |
| Metrodome | 21 | Gil Meche | 5 | |
| Fenway Park | 21 | Brad Radke | 5 | |
| McAfee Coliseum | 21 | Steve Sparks | 5 | |
| Tropicana Field | 21 | Kenny Rogers | 5 |
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Hey,
Sorry to contact you this like this, but I couldn’t find any other way. I was hoping you could shoot me an email. rob (at) bronxbaseballdaily.com.
Thanks.
While A-Rod is far ahead of the other sluggers up to the age of 34 it is also worth noting that he has played more games than anyone else (except Hank Aaron, 25 more than A-Rod) and has had 100 more plate appearance than anyone else. Something to keep in the back of your mind.
It is definitely worth noting (which is why I included G and PA in the table), but they can’t take Arod’s head start away from him.