Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
500 home run club
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.
See also: Top 500 Home Run Hitters of all time.
The club
As of 2004 there are 20 players in the 500 home run club:
| Player | Home runs | Date of 500th | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hank Aaron | 755 | July 14, 1968 | Mil/Atl (NL), Mil (AL) |
| Babe Ruth | 714 | August 11, 1929 | Bos (AL), NY (AL), Bos (NL) |
| Barry Bonds† | 703+ | April 17, 2001 | Pit, SF |
| Willie Mays | 660 | September 13, 1965 | NY/SF, NY Mets |
| Frank Robinson | 586 | September 13, 1971 | Cin, Bal, LA, Cal, Cle |
| Mark McGwire | 583 | August 5, 1999 | Oak, StL |
| Sammy Sosa† | 574+ | April 4, 2003 | Tex, Chi (AL), Chi (NL),Bal. |
| Harmon Killebrew | 573 | August 10, 1971 | Was/Min, KC Royals |
| Reggie Jackson | 563 | September 17, 1984 | KC/Oak, Bal, NY (AL), Cal |
| Rafael Palmeiro† | 551+ | May 11, 2003 | Chi (NL), Bal, Tex |
| Mike Schmidt | 548 | April 18,1987 | Phi |
| Mickey Mantle | 536 | May 14, 1967 | NY (AL) |
| Jimmie Foxx | 534 | September 24, 1940 | Phi (AL), Bos (AL) |
| Willie McCovey | 521 | June 30, 1978 | SF, SD |
| Ted Williams | 521 | June 17, 1960 | Bos (AL) |
| Ernie Banks | 512 | May 12, 1970 | Chi (NL) |
| Eddie Mathews | 512 | July 14, 1967 | Bos/Mil/Atl, Hou, Det |
| Mel Ott | 511 | August 1, 1945 | NY (NL) |
| Eddie Murray | 504 | September 6, 1996 | Bal, LA, NY (NL), Cle, Ana |
| Ken Griffey, Jr.† | 501+ | June 20, 2004 | Sea, Cin |
† still active
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