During his career, Alex Rodriguez has hit quite a few milestones in a career that, if one just looks at the statistics, would be of Hall of Fame caliber. On this day in 2015, the Yankees shortstop collected his 3000th career hit.
There are certain milestones that are considered to provide virtually instant enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If a player gets to 3000 hits and 500 home runs, that is almost a guarantee of being inducted into Cooperstown; unless, of course, the player in question is Rafael Palmiero. Given that he shares the same taint of PEDs, Alex Rodriguez may well share the same fate as the former All Star first baseman.
That link to PEDs, and being suspended for their usage, is not the only thing that Rodriguez and Palmiero have in common. On this day in 2015, Rodriguez recorded his 3000th career hit, doing so by launching a home run to right against Justin Verlander.
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That home run made Rodriguez the 29th player in MLB history to reach the lofty 3000 hit plateau, and only the third to do so with a home run. Interestingly enough, the other two players to get a home run as their 3000th hit, Wade Boggs and Dereck Jeter, spent at least a portion of their careers in the Bronx.
It was also a bit of an awkward situation. Rodriguez had burned a lot of bridges with the Yankees, to the point where they were refusing to pay out his historical bonuses and were looking to find ways to find themselves of the former superstar. Their response was muted at the time, but as Rodriguez kept his head down and became a model teammate, the Yankees began to warm up, eventually having ceremonies for his accomplishments, albeit later in the year.
Alex Rodriguez added another milestone to his illustrious career when he recorded his 3000th hit on this day in 2015. Unfortunately, he will be remembered for his narcissism and PED usage instead of his stellar career.