Miguel Cabrera became the 28th member of Major League Baseball's 500 Home Run Club on Sunday. The Detroit Tigers slugger hit the historic blast in the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 500 Home Run Club has long been one of the most storied and revered groups in baseball, though it got a bit watered down in the wake of the so-called "steroid era." Still, Major League Baseball has been played an awfully long time and there are only 28 players with at least 500 career home runs.
Once thought to be a foregone conclusion, it would've been reasonable the last few years to wonder if Cabrera was going to make it to 500. He had 446 home runs though 2016, but managed only 16, three and 10 in the next three seasons, respectively, due to age-related decline and several injuries. Then there was the pandemic-shortened season, though he hit 10 homers in 57 games, and picking the pace up like that really boosted him heading into this season.
Here's a look at his milestone moment:
Babe Ruth was first player with 500 homers, getting there in 1929 and was joined by Jimmie Foxx in 1940. Only one more member -- Mel Ott -- joined before 1960. In the '60s, the group expanded with all-timers Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron joining the fray. Three more were added before the end of the 1971 season in Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew and Frank Robinson. Only Willie McCovey would get there between 1971 and 1984. Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt would get there in the '80s. Eddie Murray and Mark McGwire joined the club in the 1990s.
Then there was the explosion. From 2001-2009, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield got there.
Thankfully, it feels less watered down and more an incredible accomplishment these days. The most recent additions were Albert Pujols in 2014 and David Ortiz in 2015. And we can add Cabrera in 2021 to the list.
Cabrera was already headed straight to the Hall of Fame five years after his retirement. This is just another accolade to put on the ever-growing resume. Another one is coming relatively soon, too. He now has 2,955 hits. If Cabrera gets to 3,000, he'll join Aaron, A-Rod, Pujols, Mays, Palmeiro and Murray as the only players in history with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.
This would be on top of his two MVPs, 11 All-Star Games, seven Silver Sluggers, four batting titles, a triple crown and a litany of other incredible stats. He played in two World Series, too, winning one.
For now, let us celebrate Cabrera's place in home run history. Five hundred is an awful lot of longballs. He joins just 27 others to know how it feels.
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