A-Rod hits career homer 661 to pass Mays for 4th all time

Alex Rodriguez was denied a shot at history in the first inning, so he made sure in the third to hit the ball where no one could possibly catch it.

The New York Yankees slugger passed Willie Mays for fourth on baseball's all-time leaderboard by hitting his 661st career home run Thursday at Yankee Stadium, a 441-foot blast to the deepest part of the field off Baltimore Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman in the third inning.

Rodriguez smiled and pumped his fist as he rounded the bases before exchanging high fives with Mark Teixeira and celebrating with teammates in the dugout. He re-emerged for a curtain call and waved to fans as they cheered him with a standing ovation.

"All of this is pretty crazy," Rodriguez told reporters after the Yankees' 4-3 win. "A year ago today I never thought I would ever get a curtain call or be hitting in the middle of the lineup for the Yankees, helping our team win."

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

With none on and two outs, A-Rod drilled Tillman's 1-1 changeup at an exit speed of 108 mph into the off-limits area near Monument Park for his seventh homer of the season to put the Yankees in front 3-2.

The historic home run came just two innings after Delmon Young made a superb catch by perfectly timing his jump in right field to rob Rodriguez of No. 661 in his first at-bat of the night.

"He's one of the all-time greats. You've got to respect it," Tillman said. "Any time you make a mistake to that guy he's going to make you pay, and he pretty much did twice tonight."

The Yankees, who have said they will not pay the $6-million bonus written into A-Rod's contract for equaling Mays' mark, recognized the historic home run on the scoreboard for about 10 seconds with a message that read: "661 Home Runs. Alex Rodriguez just surpassed Willie Mays for sole possession of 4th place on baseball's all-time home runs list."

Rodriguez, who turns 40 in July, has been front and center in the headlines over the last month following his return to baseball after a one-year suspension for steroids. His dramatic, game-winning home run at Fenway Park last week to tie Mays followed an unbelievable first month that saw A-Rod club five homers in 20 games.

"It's a lot of fun to be part of," said Brett Gardner. "I know there's a lot of questions surrounding everything. Still, 661 home runs is a lot."

Rodriguez went 2-for-3 on Thursday to up his slash line to .245/.351/.532 through 27 games this season. His seven homers and 18 RBIs rank second on the team.

When asked post-game about Rodriguez's resurgence at the plate, manager Joe Girardi offered a succinct reply: "It's what you want."

A-Rod's productive night also moved him closer to several other major milestones, many of which are well within his reach this season:

Sean Hughes, a member of the Yankees' stadium security, told reporters he grabbed Rodriguez's home run ball after it hit him on the leg. He said he gave it to A-Rod, who presented him a signed bat in return.