500 home run club

From Academic Kids

In Major League Baseball, the 500 home run club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have hit 500 or more career home runs. As of 2004 only 20 players have accomplished this. In general, the 500th home run is not a surprise, as the player has been approaching the mark for some time. However, teams will often interrupt the game in which the player hits his 500th home run in order to honor him on reaching an historically significant milestone in what has been an excellent baseball career. The 500 home run club was "founded" by Babe Ruth in 1929. At the time, he had more than twice as many home runs as any other player.

Rarely mentioned are the 600 home run club and the 700 home run club, which have 4 and 3 members respectively, as of September 2004.

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The club

As of the end of the 2004 season, there are 20 players in the 500 home run club. Numbers are current following the games on June 19, 2005. <tr><td width="33%" valign="top">

† still active

Player	Home runs	Date of 500th	Teams
Hank Aaron	755	July 14, 1968	Milwaukee/Atlanta, Milwaukee (AL)
Babe Ruth	714	August 11, 1929	Boston (AL), New York (AL), Boston (NL)
Barry Bonds†	703	April 17, 2001	Pittsburgh, San Francisco
Willie Mays	660	September 13, 1965	New York/San Francisco, New York (NL)
Frank Robinson	586	September 13, 1971	Cincinnati, Baltimore, Los Angeles, California, Cleveland
Mark McGwire	583	August 5, 1999	Oakland, St. Louis
Sammy Sosa†	583	April 4, 2003	Texas, Chicago (AL), Chicago (NL), Baltimore
Harmon Killebrew	573	August 10, 1971	Washington/Minnesota, Kansas City
Reggie Jackson	563	September 17, 1984	Kansas City/Oakland, Baltimore, New York (AL), California
Rafael Palmeiro†	560	May 11, 2003	Chicago (NL), Baltimore, Texas
Mike Schmidt	548	April 18,1987	Philadelphia
Mickey Mantle	536	May 14, 1967	New York (AL)
Jimmie Foxx	534	September 24, 1940	Philadelphia (AL), Boston (AL)
Willie McCovey	521	June 30, 1978	San Francisco, San Diego
Ted Williams	521	June 17, 1960	Boston (AL)
Ken Griffey, Jr.†	513	June 20, 2004	Seattle, Cincinnati
Eddie Mathews	512	July 14, 1967	Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta, Houston, Detroit
Ernie Banks	512	May 12, 1970	Chicago (NL)
Mel Ott	511	August 1, 1945	New York (NL)
Eddie Murray	504	September 6, 1996	Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York (NL), Cleveland, Anaheim

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Categories: Baseball statistical groupings

500 home run club

From Academic Kids

The club

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