Pujols hits milestone with career homer 500

Dominican slugger Albert Pujols smacked two home runs off Washington pitcher Taylor Jordan to reach the 500-homer career milestone in the Los Angeles Angels' 7-2 victory. Pujols became the first player in Major League Baseball history to smash his 499th and 500th homers in the same game. The 14-season veteran blasted a three-run homer off Jordan in the first inning and belted a two-run homer off him in the sixth to reach the landmark on Tuesday. Pujols, 34, became only the 26th player to reach 500 homers and only the fourth to do so in his first 14 major league seasons, a list that also includes Willie Mays and two players who have admitted using performance-enhancing substances, Mark McGwire and Alex Rodriguez. Only Rodriguez and Jimmie Foxx were younger when they hit their 500th homer, both of them at age 32. Pujols, who trails Eddie Murray by four homers for 25th place on the all-time major league homer list, is only the fourth player born outside the United States to reach 500 homers, joining countrymen Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa and Cuban-born Rafael Palmeiro. Source: AFP