Alex Rodriguez has become the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs when he sent the first pitch he saw just past the foul pole in the left field on Saturday! Alex Rodriguez stood at the home plate for a second waiting to see if his first-inning drive of Kansas City's Kyle Davies would stay fair,then he threw his hands in the air after the ball landed in the seats and began trotting round the bases with a wide frin on his face as the Yankee Stadium crowd cheered him on!After hugging Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu when he reached the plate, he then blew a kiss towards the stands, with his teammates already on the field and he embraced several of them on his way back to the bench.
Rodriguez the son of Dominican immigrants to the United States has surpassed Jimmie Foxx (32 years, 338 days) as the youngest player to reach 500 homers. He is the 22nd player to reach the mark and the second this season behind Frank Thomas.
The crowd were cheering wildly and roaring as Rodriguez who is known in the baseball world as A-Rod stuck his head out of the dugout for the long awaited curtain call, which came more than a week after he hit No.499 and just eight days after his 32nd Birthday!
"Never as a kid did I ever think I'd hit even one" Rodriguez said after hitting No 499 in a 7-1 win over Kansas City on July 25 this year.
Rodriguez has also become the third player to accomplish the feat as a Yankee and the second to do it in the Bronx. Babe Ruth hit his 500th at Cleveland on August 11th 1929, and Mickey Mantle reached the mark at home against Baltimore on May 14th 1967.
