610 is the new 600
August 4, 2010 by Jess Coleman · 1 Comment
After about 50 chances at home run number 600, Alex Rodriguez finally became the seventh player in history to hit 600 career home runs. The fans went wild, the anticipation is over, and the history is made. Yay!
But here is my question: what is so special about 600? Why does all the excitement come now? If you ask me, 599 is just as special.
But come on, he is still just the seventh player to hit 600 home runs. Isn’t that a big deal?
Well it may be, but he was also the seventh player to hit 599, and 598, and even 587. How is 600 any different from 601? If anything, 601 is more impressive than 600.
Anyway you slice it, home run number 600 didn’t do anything for A-Rod on the home run chart. He is still seventh all-time, and will be until he hits home run number 610, when he will pass Sammy Sosa. Don’t expect the same excitement for that, though. After all, why should we get excited if it isn’t a multiple of 100?
A valid point, Jess. But I think fans/media get into celebratory mode for round-number milestones that represent tickets to exclusive clubs. The “500 HR club” may not be so exclusive anymore, but 600 still is.
With the offensive downshift in baseball, perhaps “600” is the new “500,” and it might stay that way for a long time. Outside of Pujols (I guess Thome and Manny still have outside shots), who has a realistic shot at 600 today? (I’d wait and check with Miguel Cabrera when he turns 32…)