In Major League Baseball, the 500 home run club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have hit 500 or more career home runs. As of 2004 only 20 players have accomplished this.
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.
The club
As of the end of the 2004 season, there are 20 players in the 500 home run club. Numbers are current following the games on June 19, 2005.
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| Player | Home runs | Date of 500th | Teams
|
| Hank Aaron | 755 | July 14, 1968 | Milwaukee/Atlanta, Milwaukee (AL)
|
| Babe Ruth | 714 | August 11, 1929 | Boston (AL), New York (AL), Boston (NL)
|
| Barry Bonds† | 703 | April 17, 2001 | Pittsburgh, San Francisco
|
| Willie Mays | 660 | September 13, 1965 | New York/San Francisco, New York (NL)
|
| Frank Robinson | 586 | September 13, 1971 | Cincinnati, Baltimore, Los Angeles, California, Cleveland
|
| Mark McGwire | 583 | August 5, 1999 | Oakland, St. Louis
|
| Sammy Sosa† | 583 | April 4, 2003 | Texas, Chicago (AL), Chicago (NL), Baltimore
|
| Harmon Killebrew | 573 | August 10, 1971 | Washington/Minnesota, Kansas City
|
| Reggie Jackson | 563 | September 17, 1984 | Kansas City/Oakland, Baltimore, New York (AL), California
|
| Rafael Palmeiro† | 560 | May 11, 2003 | Chicago (NL), Baltimore, Texas
|
| Mike Schmidt | 548 | April 18,1987 | Philadelphia
|
| Mickey Mantle | 536 | May 14, 1967 | New York (AL)
|
| Jimmie Foxx | 534 | September 24, 1940 | Philadelphia (AL), Boston (AL)
|
| Willie McCovey | 521 | June 30, 1978 | San Francisco, San Diego
|
| Ted Williams | 521 | June 17, 1960 | Boston (AL)
|
| Ken Griffey, Jr.† | 513 | June 20, 2004 | Seattle, Cincinnati
|
| Eddie Mathews | 512 | July 14, 1967 | Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta, Houston, Detroit
|
| Ernie Banks | 512 | May 12, 1970 | Chicago (NL)
|
| Mel Ott | 511 | August 1, 1945 | New York (NL)
|
| Eddie Murray | 504 | September 6, 1996 | Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York (NL), Cleveland, Anaheim
|
† still active
