When I was a kid, I was obsessed with baseball statistics. I had a book called The 500 Club that chronicled every Major League batter to record 500 or more career home runs. It was a pretty short and tidy list.
At the time, there were only two members of the 700 Club (Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth) and one member of the 600 Club (Willie Mays), then there were these esteemed members of the exclusive 500 Club.
- Frank Robinson
- Harmon Killebrew
- Reggie Jackson
- Mickey Mantle
- Jimmie Foxx
- Willie McCovey
- Ted Williams
- Ernie Banks
- Eddie Mathews
- Mel Ott
That was it. 10 guys were in the 500 Club. Throw in the three who had over 600 and there was a grand total of 13. Yesterday, when Albert Pujols his his 500th career home run, he became the 26th player to hit 500.
It's still an exclusive club, it's just a little more crowded than when I was a kid.
