On August 4, 2010, Alex Rodriguez drove a pitch from Toronto's Shaun Marcum into Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Home run number 600. He was 35 years and 8 days old -- the youngest player in MLB history to reach the milestone, breaking Babe Ruth's record (Ruth was 36 years, 196 days when he hit his 600th in 1931). The ball's destination felt scripted: Monument Park, the place where Yankees legends live forever, receiving A-Rod's bid for membership. And the date? August 4. Exactly three years to the day after he'd hit number 500 off Kansas City's Kyle Davies. The symmetry was almost too perfect -- like baseball had decided to write the story itself.
The Weight of the Number
Only six players had reached 600 home runs before Rodriguez: Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr. (630), and Sammy Sosa (609). It's the most exclusive club in baseball -- fewer members than the astronaut corps, more difficult to join than the Hall of Fame. And A-Rod was the youngest to punch his ticket.
The milestone came during a 2010 season where Rodriguez was still producing -- .270 average, 30 home runs, 125 RBI -- even as his body was beginning its slow decline from peak A-Rod. At 35, the speed was gone, the defense was declining, and the injuries were becoming more frequent. But the power remained, and power is what gets you to 600.
(The steroid question hung over everything, of course. A-Rod had admitted in 2009 to using performance-enhancing drugs during his Texas Rangers years. Whether the admission tainted the milestone depended entirely on who you asked -- and where they stood in the never-ending steroids debate. For one afternoon in the Bronx, though, most people chose to just enjoy the moment.)
The At-Bat
Marcum threw a 3-2 pitch that Rodriguez drove to left-center field. The ball sailed over the wall and into Monument Park's seating area -- not technically onto the plaques and monuments themselves, but close enough for the narrative to work. The Stadium erupted. Rodriguez rounded the bases with the kind of measured trot that comes from a man who's hit 599 home runs before this one and knows exactly how to handle the moment.
His teammates mobbed him at home plate. Jeter, Cano, Teixeira, Posada -- they were all there, and their smiles looked genuine, which hadn't always been the case during A-Rod's time in the Bronx. Rodriguez's relationship with the clubhouse had been complicated (that's the polite word for it), but milestone moments have a way of dissolving tension. For one day, the Yankees celebrated their third baseman without reservation.
Three Years Apart, Same Date
The August 4 symmetry between home runs 500 and 600 is one of those baseball coincidences that statisticians dismiss as meaningless and fans embrace as magical. Both home runs came at Yankee Stadium. Both came against AL East division rivals. Number 500 was against Kansas City's Kyle Davies on August 4, 2007; number 600 against Toronto's Shaun Marcum on August 4, 2010. The gap -- exactly 100 home runs in exactly three years -- suggested a machine-like consistency that few hitters in history have sustained into their mid-30s.
Between the two milestones, Rodriguez had hit 100 home runs while navigating the opt-out drama, the $275 million contract, the steroid admission, hip surgery, and the 2009 World Series (where he'd been the postseason MVP, finally silencing -- temporarily -- the narrative that he couldn't perform in October). If nothing else, A-Rod's path from 500 to 600 proved that he could produce through chaos. Whether the chaos was self-inflicted was a separate question.
The Milestone Bonuses
Rodriguez's 2007 contract had included milestone bonus provisions tied to career home run records. Each benchmark -- 660 (Mays), 714 (Ruth), 755 (Aaron), 762 (Bonds) -- triggered additional payments. The 600th home run wasn't a bonus trigger itself, but it put Rodriguez squarely on pace for the ones that were. The marketing rights to each milestone were also part of the deal, giving the Yankees the ability to sell A-Rod's pursuit of history as a standalone product.
The bonuses would become controversial as the steroid cloud thickened, but in August 2010, they were still an afterthought. The focus was on the number: 600. And the trajectory: youngest ever.
| Date | August 4, 2010 |
| Pitcher | Shaun Marcum, Toronto Blue Jays |
| Location | Yankee Stadium (landed in Monument Park area) |
| Career HR Total | 600 |
| Age | 35 years, 8 days (youngest to reach 600) |
| Previous Record | Babe Ruth (36 years, 196 days) |
| 500th HR | August 4, 2007 (exactly 3 years earlier) |
| 600 HR Club Members (at time) | Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Griffey, Sosa, Rodriguez |
A-Rod Hits 500
Rodriguez hits his 500th career home run off Kansas City's Kyle Davies at Yankee Stadium, becoming the youngest player to reach that milestone at age 32.
Steroid Admission
Rodriguez admits to using performance-enhancing drugs during his Texas Rangers years (2001-2003), casting a shadow over his statistical achievements.
World Series MVP
A-Rod wins the 2009 World Series MVP, delivering the October performance that had eluded him for years. The championship temporarily quiets his critics.
Home Run 600
Rodriguez drives Shaun Marcum's pitch into Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. At 35 years and 8 days, he's the youngest player ever to reach 600 home runs.
The Chase Continues
Rodriguez finishes 2010 with 30 home runs and 613 career total, putting him on pace to pursue Mays (660), Ruth (714), and the all-time record.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run?
Rodriguez hit his 600th career home run on August 4, 2010, off Toronto's Shaun Marcum at Yankee Stadium. The ball landed in the Monument Park area. At 35 years and 8 days old, he became the youngest player in MLB history to reach the milestone.
Who held the previous record for youngest to 600 home runs?
Babe Ruth held the previous record at 36 years and 196 days old when he hit his 600th home run in 1931. Rodriguez broke Ruth's record by more than a year, reaching the milestone at just 35 years and 8 days.
How many career home runs did Alex Rodriguez finish with?
Rodriguez finished his career with 696 home runs -- fourth on the all-time list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714). His total fell short of the records his early trajectory had suggested were reachable, due to injuries and a full-season suspension in 2014.