Not that there was any doubt about Albert Pujols reaching 500 career homers by the end of the season, but his strong start for the Angels with a league-leading six bombs puts him just two long balls shy of the magic number.
When he gets there, possibly this week, Pujols will become just the eighth player in baseball history to reach 500 career homers by age 34. Here’s the previous seven:
Alex Rodriguez 613
Sammy Sosa 539
Jimmie Foxx 527
Babe Ruth 516
Hank Aaron 510
Willie Mays 505
Ken Griffey Jr. 501
Pujols is at 498 right now, so he’ll likely surpass Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth, and there’s a decent chance he could pass Jimmie Foxx as well.
Also, just in case anyone is curious, here’s a list of the most homers by anyone after age 34:
Barry Bonds 317
Hank Aaron 245
Rafael Palmeiro 208
Andres Galarraga 199
Darrell Evans 198
Babe Ruth 198
Carlton Fisk 193
Kind of a weird list.
