Alex Rodriguez hits long-awaited 600th career home run

He finally did it.

He went 46 at bats without a home run, the longest stretch ever between milestones, but he got it done.

Yes, on August 4, 2010 the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, 35, hit his 600th career home run, making him the youngest to ever reach the milestone. An 0-2 pitch from the Toronto Blue Jays' Shaun Marcum flew like a bullet to straight away center field, landing, ironically, in Monument Park, where Rodriguez will eventually be enshrined. Also, Rodriguez's 600th home run came exactly three years to the day that he hit his 500th home run in 2007.

He now joins a list of seven players who have hit 600 or more home runs, which includes Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and the Home Run King, Barry Bonds.

"Congratulations to Alex on this great achievement and on adding another highlight to Yankees history. We are especially proud he accomplished this feat as a Yankee and here before the most loyal fans in baseball," said Yankees' co-owner Hal Steinbrenner.

"When you reach that plateau, no matter where it is, whether you're playing in the Majors or the Minors, it's a tremendous accomplishment," former Home Run Champ Hank Aaron said. "It means an awful lot to whoever reaches this achievement."

Rodriguez, who endured an 0-17 before today's game, was no doubt struggling. But with one swing of the bat, Derek Jeter on first base, and the crack of a baseball hitting wood, a 600 lb gorilla (see what I did there?) was dropped off of his shoulders.

"It's definitely a special number," Rodriguez said. "I'm certainly proud of it. I'll treasure it for a long, long time. Many years from today, I'll be able to reflect a lot better. Today, the focus was that we needed to win. It was good to do it in a winning fashion and to be able to hit it at home."

"So much has changed, for me, for my place in that clubhouse," Rodriguez said. "That's the No. 1 thing that's changed -- my relationship with my teammates. The journey is what's fun, and playing with a team like that, with my teammates, I'm just in a good place. I'm enjoying playing the game, I'm enjoying playing good team baseball. It's much different than 500."

"There's no question I was pressing -- I wanted to get it out of the way to get back to playing good team baseball," Rodriguez said. "My plan [on Wednesday] for the first time was just drive in a run, get a base hit, hit it hard somewhere."

"It sure has been awhile, but it definitely felt good to get a big home run and help us win," he said.

"I just wanted to get a base hit," he added. "My teammates wanted me to go out there and relax."

"I'm at peace with my game," Rodriguez said. "I'm at peace with myself."

Well said, Alex.

Congrats to A-Rod, the eventual home run king.