Alex Rodriguez finally hits his 600th home run

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez finally hit his 600th career home run, helping the New York Yankees avoid a sweep by taking a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez, who hit No. 599 on July 22 against Kansas City, went 51 plate appearances before hitting the milestone homer in the first inning off Shaun Marcum. The hit also snapped an 0-for-17 streak he brought into Wednesday’s contest.

“It really felt good and it was a relief just to put it past me and start focusing on good baseball,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez became the youngest player to reach 600 home runs. Hall of Famer Babe Ruth hit his at age 36, while Rodriguez turned 35 last week. He joined Ruth as the only Yankees to hit 600 home runs.

Along with Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter powered the Yankees’ offense. Jeter had his first four-hit game of the season, doubling twice, while Teixeira went two for three with three RBIs in the victory, which snapped New York’s three-game slide.

Phil Hughes (13-4) picked up the win after limiting Toronto to one run on four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings while striking out five.

Marcum (10-5) lost for the first time since July 1 after giving up five runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings.

Lyle Overbay had an RBI double for the Blue Jays, who went without a home run for the first time since July 24. They had hit four in Tuesday’s victory to increase their MLB-best total to 167.

However, the home run story line went to Rodriguez on Wednesday. He stepped to the plate in the first inning with Jeter on base and two out. Rodriguez belted a 2-and-0 pitch to dead center field and the crowd’s cheers intensified on the home run’s landing in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park.

“I’m certainly proud of it and I’ll treasure it for a long, long time,” Rodriguez said. “Many years from today I’ll be able to reflect a lot better. Today the focus was we needed a win, and it was good to do it in a winning fashion and to be able to give Phil a little breathing room in the first inning.”

Blue Jays Manager Cito Gaston said that while the home run came in his team’s loss, it was also a special event and the second time he’s seen a player hit his 600th home run.

“I was playing when Willie Mays hit his 600th home run,” said Gaston, who was a member of the Padres when Mays hit the historic homer against San Diego on September 22, 1969. “So I don’t think too many people get a chance to see that.”

It turned out to be the winning hit, thanks to Hughes and the Yankees’ pitching staff. The right-hander retired the first six batters he faced before Overbay walked to begin the third. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a single, but Hughes got the next three hitters out to escape the situation.

Jeter and Teixeira doubled in the home half to make it a 3-0 game, and Hughes allowed his only run in the next inning. With two on and two away, Overbay doubled to right to score Jose Bautista, who had hit a leadoff single. However, Hughes ended the rally by striking out Encarnacion.

After Hughes worked a 1-2-3 fifth, Marcum loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half. Teixeira hit a two-run single to left to extend the Yankees’ lead to 5-1, but Marcum managed to get out of the inning.

Hughes and Boone Logan combined to pitch a scoreless sixth for New York, while Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the victory.