The 'other' 500 HR Club
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, 04-02-2010 at 07:16 AM (777 Views)
[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3]500 home runs-a coveted milestone that every slugger desires. 500 home runs gets you the chicks. 500 home runs gets you into the Viper Room. 500 home runs gets you into the Hall of Fame. In 2007, it was Thome, Thomas and Rodriguez. Manny did it in 2008. Sheffield did it last season. Carlos Delgado is 27 homers short, but he probably won’t make the exclusive club this season, considering both his hip injury and that no team has signed him yet. For the first time in 4 seasons, we may not get a new member of the 500 HR Club.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3]There is however, the [I]other[/I] 500 home run club. The one where a pitcher is unlucky enough to have [I]given up[/I] 500 career homers. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3]There are 25 sluggers in the hitters 500 HR Club, but only one immortal stands in the Pitchers 500 HR Club-Robin Roberts. In 1966, the 39-year old HOF pitcher hung one to Hank Aaron, who crushed a home run, making Roberts the first, and only, pitcher to give up 500 career home runs. For 43 years, the record has stood. [/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]But as all baseball fans know, it’s only a matter of time before some record, somewhere, gets broken. When Charlie Manual penciled in 46-year old Jamie Moyer as the Phillies number 5 starter, he allotted the pitcher a chance to join Roberts in the [I]other[/I] 500 HR Club. Moyer needs to give up only 9 home runs and he’ll join Roberts in the club, 15 and he’ll break Robert’s record of 505 homers given up. Give it time, and the record will be broken, as Moyer has averaged 26 home runs given up in each of his 3 seasons in Philadelphia.[/SIZE] [/FONT]