On this day in baseball history, June 9th, 2006, Ken Griffey Jr. became the 6th player to reach 600 career home runs.

In the first inning against the Marlins in Florida, left-hander Mark Hendrickson was on the mound. With a 3-1 count, Griffey sent the ball 413 feet to the right field seats scoring Jerry Hairston Jr, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead and him his 600th career Home Run, joining Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, Mays, and Sosa on the list. Griffey then received a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd and responded by coming out of the Reds’ dugout and tipping his helmet. “I don’t think I touched any of the bases,” he said. “I sort of floated around.”

References:

  1. The Associated Press. Griffey Hits Home Run No. 600 via New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/sports/baseball/10griffey.html