Alex Rodriguez added his name to one of Major League Baseball's most exclusive lists when he belted his 600th career home run overnight, joining Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays among the top seven all-time sluggers.
Besides Aaron (755), Ruth (714) and Mays (660) the exclusive club also includes the recently retired Ken Griffey Jr (630), a team mate of Rodriguez's with the Seattle Mariners when he was an 18-year-old shortstop in 1994.
It is a list topped by Barry Bonds with 762 and has Sammy Sosa at 609 -- two players whose home run totals shot up during baseball's so-called steroids era and whose exploits have been clouded by suspicions of doping.
A-Rod, the only infielder among those power-hitting outfielders, himself admitted before the 2009 season that he had used steroids during his seasons as a Texas Ranger (2001-2003) after signing a free-agent contract that made him the richest player ever at $34 million ($NZ) a year for 10 years.
