Griffey Slams 600th Homer Against Marlins

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th career homer last night to join Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Sammy Sosa as the only players to do so. Griffey connected off Mark Hendrickson in the first inning of the Cincinnati Reds' 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins, the AP reports. The 38-year-old slugger hit a 3-1 pitch 413 feet into the right-field seats with Jerry Hairston on third and one out.

"I was just trying to get a pitch I could hit and be as patient as possible," Griffey said. "And I was fortunate enough to get a curveball I could drive." Griffey started the season with 593 home runs despite numerous injuries in recent years—enough to make a lot of people wonder how many homers he could have had if he had stayed relatively healthy. "I don't think about that," Reds manager Dusty Baker told the AP. "I appreciate where he is right now."     (More Ken Griffey Jr. stories.)