500 Home Run Club

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Introduction[edit]

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Hitting 500 home runs is the gold standard among sluggers in baseball. The list of members of the 500 home run club reads like a "who's who" list of the all-time greats with names like Ruth, Aaron, Mays, Bonds etc. Hitting 500 home runs was once considered a guaranteed ticket to Cooperstown but that has all changed after the steroid scandal of the 1990s. Throughout MLB history, there have only been 28 players who joined the 500 home run club (as of 2021). On August 11, 1929, Babe Ruth became the charter member of the club. It would be 11 years before a second player accomplished the feat. 11 of the 28 players hit their 500th homer in the 2000s.

The Babe was also the first American League player to hit 500 homers. Mel Ott became the charter member of the 500 home run club for the National League on August 1, 1945.

Records and Trivia[edit]

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Alex Rodriguez is the youngest player to hit 500 home runs; he did so at 32 years, 8 days old. A-Rod is also the youngest player in American League history to hit 500 home runs. Willie Mays is the youngest 500 home run hitter in National League history; he did so at the age of 34 years, 130 days old. Ted Williams was the oldest player to hit his 500th home run; he did so at 41 years, 292 days old. The quickest player in Major League history to hit 500 home runs is Mark McGwire; he hit his 500th homer in his 1,639th game and his 5,487th at-bat. Sammy Sosa was the quickest National League player in history to reach 500 home runs; he did so in his 1,651th game and his 6,382nd at-bat in the NL. Babe Ruth holds the record in the American League; he reached the mark in his 1,740th game and his 5,801st at-bat. Eddie Murray took the longest time in history to hit 500 home runs, he reached the mark in his 2,950th game and his 11,095th at bat.

Members of the 500 Home Run Club[edit]

There are currently 28 players in the 500 Home Run Club. The most recent player to join the club is Miguel Cabrera, who hit his 500th home run on August 22, 2021. There are no members of the club who are currently active.

The members[edit]

Player Home Runs Date of 500th Teams Seasons
Barry Bonds 762 April 17, 2001 Pittsburgh, San Francisco 1986-2007
Hank Aaron 755 July 4, 1968 Milwaukee/Atlanta, Milwaukee (AL) 1954-1976
Babe Ruth 714 August 11, 1929 Boston (AL), New York (AL), Boston (NL) 1914-1935
Albert Pujols 703 April 22, 2014 St. Louis, Los Angeles (AL), Los Angeles (NL) 2001-2022
Alex Rodriguez 696 August 8, 2007 Seattle, Texas, New York (AL) 1994-2016
Jim Thome 612 September 16, 2007 Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago (AL), Los Angeles (NL), Minnesota 1991-2012
Willie Mays 660 September 13, 1965 New York/San Francisco, New York (NL) 1951-1973
Ken Griffey, Jr. 630 June 20, 2004 Seattle, Cincinnati, Chicago (AL) 1989-2010
Sammy Sosa 609 April 4, 2003 Texas, Chicago (AL), Chicago (NL), Baltimore 1989-2007
Frank Robinson 586 September 13, 1971 Cincinnati, Baltimore, Los Angeles (NL), California, Cleveland 1956-1976
Mark McGwire 583 August 5, 1999 Oakland St. Louis 1987-2001
Harmon Killebrew 573 August 8, 1971 Washington/Minnesota, Kansas City 1954-1975
Rafael Palmeiro 569 May 11, 2003 Chicago (NL), Texas, Baltimore 1986-2005
Reggie Jackson 563 September 17, 1984 Oakland, Baltimore, New York (AL), California 1967-1987
Manny Ramirez 555 May 31, 2008 Cleveland, Boston, Los Angeles (NL), Tampa Bay 1993-2011
Mike Schmidt 548 April 18, 1987 Philadelphia 1972-1989
David Ortiz 541 September 12, 2015 Minnesota, Boston (AL) 1997-2016
Mickey Mantle 536 May 14, 1967 New York (AL) 1951-1968
Jimmie Foxx 534 September 24, 1940 Philadelphia (AL), Boston (AL), Chicago (NL), Philadelphia (NL) 1925-1945
Ted Williams 521 June 17, 1960 Boston (AL) 1939-1960
Willie McCovey 521 June 30, 1978 San Francisco, San Diego, Oakland 1959-1980
Frank Thomas 521 June 28, 2007 Chicago (AL), Toronto, Oakland 1990-2001
Eddie Mathews 512 July 14, 1967 Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta, Houston, Detroit 1952-1968
Ernie Banks 512 May 12, 1970 Chicago (NL) 1953-1971
Mel Ott 511 August 1, 1945 New York (NL) 1926-1947
Miguel Cabrera 511 August 22, 2021 Florida, Detroit 2003-2023
Gary Sheffield 509 April 17, 2009 Milwaukee, San Diego, Florida, Los Angeles (NL), Atlanta, New York (AL), Detroit, New York (NL) 1988-2009
Eddie Murray 504 September 6, 1996 Baltimore, Los Angeles (NL), New York (NL), Cleveland, Anaheim 1977-1997

Closest active players[edit]

as of end of 2023 season

Nelson Cruz - 464

Giancarlo Stanton - 402

Mike Trout - 368

Joey Votto - 356

Other Home Run Clubs[edit]

100 Home Run Club

200 Home Run Club

300 Home Run Club

400 Home Run Club

600 Home Run Club

700 Home Run Club

Further Reading[edit]

  • Andrew Kamholz: "High Heat Stats: 500-homer club deserves second look", USA Today, April 3, 2014. [1]
  • Matt Kelly: "The 500 Home Run Club: 28 sluggers have reached one of baseball's hallowed milestones", mlb.com, August 22, 2021. [2]
  • Manny Randhawa and Mike Petriello: "Sluggers who could make a run at 500 homers", mlb.com, January 15, 2024. [3]