Leading off the sixth inning against lefty Brett Cecil in last night's 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, Alex Rodriguez connected for his 30th home run of the season, his 14th season with at least 30 dingers and 13th straight.Rodriguez has 122 RBIs. He has a total of 14 seasons overall with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, the most in major league history.
Hank Aaron holds the record with 15 seasons with at least 30 home runs. Rodriguez and Barry Bonds are tied for second with 14.
When Rodriguez went on the DL August 21 with a left calf strain, it seemed like his streak of 30 home runs and 100 RBI seasons would end at 12 straight. Upon his return September 5th, the New York Yankees slugger needed just three RBI to reach 100 RBI, but he had to hit nine HR to reach 30.
That seemed like a daunting task when you consider Rodriguez's track record. The last time he hit at least nine home runs from September 5th through the end of the regular season was in 2002. While with the Texas Rangers, he hit nine HR from that point on to finish the year with a career-high 57 HR.
But Rodriguez would go on a tear down the stretch this season, culminating with Wednesday's home run, which gave him nine since his return from the DL and 30 for the season. He became the first player since RBI became an official statistic in 1920 to have 13 straight seasons with at least 30 HR and 100 RBI, breaking Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx's record.
This is just a testament to how great of a baseball player Alex Rodriguez really is. I can only think of one other player that has the ability to do what Rodriguez has done: Albert Pujols. You might have heard of that guy from the St. Louis Cardinals. Rodriguez is one of the best hitters in baseball history and this proves just that.
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