Ballpark Figure for Sosa: 500
As soon as the ball left the bat, Sammy Sosa knew he had it.
Sosa became the 18th player to hit 500 homers, connecting for a solo shot Friday night that ended a winter of waiting and three games worth of drama.
He raised his arms, took his trademark home run hop and ran the bases with his head down, providing the first truly historic moment in the Cincinnati Reds’ new ballpark.
By the way, Cincinnati won the game, 10-9. But even with the loss, Sosa was happy to get No. 500 out of the way.
“It’s great because I don’t have to think about it anymore,” Sosa said. “I don’t have to go up there every at-bat thinking of hitting the ball out of the park.
“I’m happy about it. There’s still no time to celebrate because it’s a long season. I’ve got to keep my focus.”
For four games, everything was focused on Sosa, who spent the off-season knowing he needed only one swing to enter rare territory. He failed in three games in New York, which included one fly to the wall.
His wife, mother, brother and four close family friends accompanied him to Cincinnati, and watched him take some uncharacteristically poor swings in his first three plate appearances.
When he lined a 1-and-2 pitch from Scott Sullivan into the right-field seats in the seventh inning, he set off a tussle for the ball and got one of the loudest ovations in the ballpark’s brief history.
At home plate, he pointed both index fingers toward the sky, then at his wife and mother sitting in a booth behind home plate.
“When I made contact, I knew the ball was gone and I’m like, ‘Wow, I got it,’ ” Sosa said. “When I went to the plate, I pointed to the sky to show my respect to God.”
The crowd of 29,048 continued its ovation until Sosa came out of the dugout for a curtain call.
A 22-year-old man scraped his knee and knuckles while coming up with the ball, which was at the bottom of a pileup.
The fan gave the ball to the Reds for authentication, but wasn’t sure what he was going to do with it.
“He’s claiming somebody offered him $20,000 for it while in the scrum,” Red spokesman Rob Butcher said.
Sosa’s wife, Sonia, got the ball from Butcher and held it for a few minutes before giving it back.
“I feel so proud of my husband,” she said. “I feel like him right now -- it’s so exciting.”
Sosa doesn’t care about what the fan decides.
“What matters to me is I got 500,” he said. “He caught the ball. Whatever he wants to do with the ball, God bless him.”
Sosa could be the first of four players to reach the milestone this year.
Rafael Palmeiro of Texas has 491 homers, Fred McGriff of the Dodgers has 479 and Ken Griffey Jr. of Cincinnati has 469.
“I still have a lot more in my body, so I really don’t know where I’m going to stop,” Sosa said. “I want to just keep having consistent years the way that I have been.
“The pressure’s off. Now I can come back and help the team and relax.”
Sosa is 12 homers short of former Cub Ernie Banks, who finished tied with Eddie Matthews at 14th on the list.
Mel Ott had 511, and Eddie Murray is next ahead of Sosa with 504.
Sosa is only the fifth player to reach 500 before his 35th birthday.
Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays also were 34, and Jimmie Foxx was 32.
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The 500 Club
Players with at least 500 home runs, with their best season, times hitting 40 or more and times led league in homers:
*--* Player HR Best 40+ LL 1. Hank Aaron 755 47 8 4 2. Babe Ruth 714 60 11 12 3. Willie Mays 660 52 6 4 4. Barry Bonds * 615 73 6 2 5. Frank Robinson 586 49 1 1 6. Mark McGwire 583 70 6 4 7. Harmon Killebrew 573 49 8 6 8. Reggie Jackson 563 47 2 4 9. Mike Schmidt 548 48 3 8 10. Mickey Mantle 536 54 4 4 11. Jimmie Foxx 534 58 5 4 12. Willie McCovey 521 45 2 3 12. Ted Williams 521 43 1 4 14. Ernie Banks 512 47 5 2 14. Eddie Mathews 512 47 4 2 16. Mel Ott 511 42 1 6 17. Eddie Murray 504 33 0 1 18. Sammy Sosa * 500 66 6 2
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