Wade Boggs (August 7, 1999)
Tony Gwynn was not the newest member of the 3000 hit club for long, as Wade Boggs joined the fraternity the very next day.
Boggs had developed a reputation as a great hitter, winning five batting titles in his first seven seasons. He had over 200 hits each year from 1983 through 1989, proving himself to be one of the best pure hitters of the decade. Yet, somehow, the Red Sox kept Boggs in the minors until he was 24 years old, making him spend two seasons in AA and AAA despite hitting over .300 each time.
As good of a hitter as Boggs was, he was not known as a power threat. Naturally, it would be Boggs who became the first player to join the 3000 hit club with a homer, as he connected against Chris Haney in the sixth inning, sending the ball into the right field bleachers. Boggs had an adventurous trip around the bases, as a fan ran onto the field and was tackled in front of him, and he planted a kiss on home plate.
It was just Boggs’ second homer of the season. In fact, in his 18 year career, Boggs reached the double digit mark in homers only twice. Somehow, he hit 24 home runs in 1987, a number that more than doubled his second highest total. Of course, it would be Boggs that would become the first member of the club to reach the mark with a home run.
Wade Boggs made his living by rapping out singles and doubles. He made history and ensured his place in baseball history by hitting a home run.