Griffey hits homer No. 599 in Reds’ win

CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 599th home run, leaving him one shy of a seldom-reached mark, and Jay Bruce extended his amazing weeklong debut with a 10th-inning homer that lifted the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

With his next homer, Griffey will join Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa at 600.

Bruce’s first big league homer off Manny Acosta (3-2) dealt another crushing road defeat to the Braves, who couldn’t hold a one-run lead entering the ninth.

Griffey was on deck when Bruce connected for the game-winning solo shot. The 21-year-old rookie rounded the bases, flipped his helmet into the air halfway to home, then got pummeled by teammates when he hopped on the plate.

The Reds’ top prospect is 11 for 19 in his first five games in the majors, providing one big hit after another. He has two three-hit games and a four-hit game. The only thing he hadn’t done in his amazing week was connect for a homer. He pulled it off on a 2-and-1 pitch from Acosta, sending it deep into the seats in right field.