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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.
| Player | Home runs | Date of 500th | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hank Aaron | 755 | July 14, 1968 | Mil/Atl, Mil (AL) |
| Babe Ruth | 714 | August 11, 1929 | NY (AL), Bos (NL) |
| Barry Bonds† | 703+ | April 17, 2001 | Pit, SF |
| Willie Mays | 660 | September 13September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). There are 109 days remaining in the year. Events 533 Belisarius and the Roman Empire defeat Gelimer and the Vandals at the Battle of Ad Decimium. 1440 Gilles de Rais is taken into custody up, 19651965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). Events January-February January 4 United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his " Great Society" during his State of the Union address. January 14 Prime Ministers of N | NY/SF, NY Mets |
| Frank RobinsonFrank Robinson (born August 31, 1935) was a Major League Baseball player and is currently the manager of the Washington Nationals. Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. Robinson had a very successful career with five teams: Cincinnati | 586 | September 13September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). There are 109 days remaining in the year. Events 533 Belisarius and the Roman Empire defeat Gelimer and the Vandals at the Battle of Ad Decimium. 1440 Gilles de Rais is taken into custody up, 19711971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). Events January January 1 British divorce Reform Act comes into force January 2 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match, Glasgow, Scotland. See Ibrox disaster. Janua | Cin, Bal, LA, Cal, Cle |
| Mark McGwireMark McGwire hits a home run during his last Major League season in 2001 Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963 in Pomona, California) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1986 through 2001. In his prime, he was perhaps the Babe Ruth of the | 583 | August 5, 1999 | Oak, StL |
| Sammy Sosa† | 574+ | April 4, 2003 | Tex, Chi (AL), Chi (NL) |
| 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
Baseball statistical groupings