A-Rod clobbers pair of homers, sits 2 shy of Willie Mays for 4th all-time

Alex Rodriguez inched closer to reaching Willie Mays on the all-time home run leaderboard Friday at Tropicana Field, blasting a solo shot off Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Nathan Karns in the second inning for the 657th round-tripper of his career.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

The fan who caught Rodriguez's home run - his third of the season, estimated at 477 feet by ESPN Stats & Info -  felt compelled to throw his new souvenir back onto the field, though.

Rodriguez, however, didn't stop there. The 39-year-old drilled a two-run shot off reliever Ernesto Frieri in the top of the sixth inning - the 658th of his career - to even the score at 4-4. His performance Friday night was also his first multi-homer game since May 23, 2012.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star, now sits just two home runs away from tying Mays at 660 and consequently earning a $6-million milestone bonus that the New York Yankees are reportedly eager to avoid.