Joining the club
Angels slugger Albert Pujols becomes the ninth major leaguer to hit at least 600 home runs in his career.
Thirty-seven-year-old Albert Pujols has joined Major League Baseball's most exclusive club, with a fourth-inning grand slam off of Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana. Only Alex Rodriguez, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron reached 600 homers at a younger age than Pujols.
Until 2002, only Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays could say they hit more than 600 home runs over the course of their career. Then Barry Bonds broke through in 2002 , followed by Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome and now Pujols.
The last five entrants all faced scrutiny and questions about the use of peformance-enhancing drugs, and Rodriguez ultimately was suspended for 162 games for his admitted use of steroids.
Nearly 17 seasons of steady
From 2001 to 2010, Pujols averaged 41 home runs per season while maintaining a .331 average. Unlike many of those on the list, Pujols doesn't own a season of more than 50 home runs. He came up one short in 2006.
He has hit 40 or more home runs seven times, and hit 30 or more home runs in a season 14 times in his 17-year career.
Home run production declined when Pujols moved to the American League in 2012 and joined the Angels, with the exception of a 40 home run season in 2015. This season, Pujols is on pace to hit 21 home runs, which would approach the career-low 17 he hit in his injury-shortened 2013 season.
Milestone home runs
Pujols sits at an even 600 home runs over the course of his 17-year career. Here's a look at when he reached milestone home runs.
| Milestone | Date | Opponent | Opposing Pitcher |
|---|---|---|---|
| MilestoneNo. 1 | DateApril 6, 2001 | Opponentat Arizona | Opposing PitcherArmando Reynoso |
| MilestoneNo. 100 | DateJuly 20, 2003 | Opponentat Dodgers | Opposing PitcherOdalis Perez |
| MilestoneNo. 200 | DateSept. 30, 2005 | Opponentvs. Cincinnati | Opposing PitcherMatt Belisle |
| MilestoneNo. 300 | DateJuly 4, 2008 | Opponentvs. Chicago Cubs | Opposing PitcherBob Howry |
| MilestoneNo. 400 | DateAug. 26, 2010 | Opponentat Washington | Opposing PitcherJordan Zimmermann |
| MilestoneNo. 500 | DateApril 22, 2014 | Opponentat Washington | Opposing PitcherTaylor Jordan |
| MilestoneNo. 600 | DateJune 3, 2017 | Opponentvs. Minnesota | Opposing PitcherErvin Santana |
Source: baseball-reference.com
Pujols' home runs by the numbers
With Angels
165
Versus right-handed pitchers
455
At home
286
Multiple home rungames
One-homer game:
494
Two-homer game:
52
Three-homer game:
4
Sources: baseball-reference.com
Credits: Reporting by Pedro Moura & Houston Mitchell
UPDATES:
Aug. 23, 2017 10:04 p.m.: This article was updated to include the 610th home run hit by Albert Pujols.
Aug. 8, 2017 4:50 p.m.: This article was updated to include the latest home runs by Albert Pujols.
June 4, 2017 8:25 a.m.: This article was updated to include details of Albert Pujols hitting his 600th home run.
This article was originally published on June 1, 2017.