New York - The New York Yankees' drug-tainted slugger Alex Rodriguez belted his 661st career home run on Thursday to pass Willie Mays for fourth place on Major League Baseball's all-time list.
Next up: legendary Babe Ruth, whose 714 put him at number three on the list led by Barry Bonds (762) and Hank Aaron (755).
Rodriguez had matched Mays in dramatic fashion on May 1 at Fenway Park, home field of the Yankees arch-rivals the Boston Red Sox -- with his first home run as a pinch-hitter.
He nearly moved ahead of Mays in the first inning on Thursday, but Baltimore Orioles outfielder Delmon Young robbed him of a home run with a nifty catch.
When he stepped to the plate in the third, A-Rod made certain, crushing a 1-1 offspeed pitch from Chris Tillman over the wall in center field.
The Yankee Stadium crowd gave him a rare curtain-call after his seventh home run of the season.
Rodriguez has been gradually winning over fans since his return on Opening Day after serving a 162-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug violations linked to his role in the Biogenesis drug distribution scandal.
But A-Rod's drug-tainted past has made his pursuit of Mays a controversial affair, with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman indicating that the club doesn't plan to pay a $6 million bonus for matching Mays -- because his history makes the milestone unmarketable.
The Major League Baseball Players Association has said it will fight that decision on Rodriguez's behalf.
The Yankees acknowledged Rodriguez's homer with a brief tweet on their official feed.
"AROD hits No. 661, passing Willie Mays," the team posted.
AFP
