The 600 Home Run Club - And then there were Five, Part I

The 600 Home Run Club - And then there were Five

    A-Rod, Willie, Junior, Thome, and Sosa.

    Do those names evoke anything? If you know anything, or more, about baseball in the major leagues of the Northern Hemisphere and its history and lore, then at least one of those names should ring some bells. All of them were some of the best players in baseball history, and all of them are in the top ten all-time home run hitters. These are the five of the 600 club as of 2024.

    Instead of Alex Rodriguez, to begin with, I will mention and feature maybe the best all-around baseball player of all-time: Willie the Say Hey Kid, Mays. He did everything well. He did everything in baseball more than well, except for pitch from the mound. So maybe today's 30-year-old Shohei Ohtani is that guy. We will see what happens the next ten years for the Japanese wonder. He pitches and hits great, but he has had some injuries. Willie had a great, I think, injury-free career. Hard to do. Ask Mike Trout or Bryce Harper, or Giancarlo Stand, some of the best hitters of our age. All have had lost significant playing time to disabled lists. Body parts that break and are unable to perform.

    But he did miss a year due to military service in 1953. Amazing. Why do people who are good citizens today not believe it is great to serve in the military branches? Because millions of great men and women have done it before them, and they paved the way. Thank you, Mr. Mays. You were forced or obliged to eat the service cake, and then you went on to be an all-time stud.

    Willie Mays retired from the game at age 42 in 1973. He played in 66 games, garnered 239 plate appearances, hitting six home runs, totaling his career sum to 660. Not bad. He did all the things: hit, hit for power, run, field, and throw. A champion in all senses. He did win one World Series, and competed in many pennant races. He only died a couple of weeks ago at the age of 93. Quite the human specimen. Never accused of cheating, to my knowledge.

    Then we have Alex Rodriguez, the wunderkind and 90s and 21st century star who has been caught doing those PEDs, the performance enhancing drugs. He finished his career with 696 home runs, but like Bonds, it was besmirched with the hits on his integrity. Drugs. Not cool. Still in 2024 not in the Hall of Fame, as Bonds, or Clemens, the great pitcher, or Rafael Palmeiro, or Mark McGuire, in the 500-home run club. None of them have been voted in because of their alleged or confirmed cheating through drugs. Chemicals that give them an illegal advantage in strength or muscle switch powers.

    A-Rod became a big popular icon, dating famous people, racking up killer numbers and joining the juggernaut market of New York City. He won one World Series, which was considered a weakness in his teams compared to the team with a younger Derek Jeter before. But he was suspended for juicing, and the reputation was forever tarnished.

    

    Rodriguez ended his illustrious numerical but dubious professional career at age 41 in 2016. His final season as a Yankee, after the one championship season in 2009; he played in 65 games with 243 plate appearances, 9 home runs. He missed a lot of time in 2014 due to PED suspension, hurting his realistic chances of passing up Ruth, or Aaron, or Bonds.

    More on Griffey, Thome, and Sosa in Part II.