On June 10, 1974, Schmidt hit one of the longest singles recorded in major league history. In a game against the Houston Astros, he crushed a Claude Osteen fastball off a speaker dangling from the ceiling of the Astrodome, 329 feet from the plate and 117 feet in the air.

When it comes to making an impact at the plate, the key for major leaguers is to “start the season with a bang”…or is it “finish it with a flash”?  Actually it’s both, a tough thing to do.  In fact, only three MLB players have hit 30 or more homers before-and-after the All Star break in the same season…and, big surprise, they’re all members of The 500 Home Run Club®.Slammin’ Sammy Sosa did so twice; in 1998 (33/33), when he was joined by his slugging mate “Big Mac” Mark McGwire (37/33).  Then, to prove it wasn’t a fluke, he did it again the following year (32/31) in 1999.

In addition to being considered baseball royalty by fans worldwide, members of The 500 Home Run Club® are among the most famous and widely recognized people the world has ever seen. As such, their actions (athletic and civic alike) have been studied and modeled by generations of Americans. 

Independence Day Dinger Ties Jimmy Foxx with 534 Career Long Ball

Say what you want about Manny Ramirez, but the man can flat out hit the horse- hide.  Plus he clearly loves the game of baseball and is loved in return by fans nationwide who have embraced his quirky “Manny Being Manny” persona, unconventional approach to the major leagues and obvious power at the plate.

Predicted Hitting 500 HRs Tougher For Future Players

Eddie Mathews, who was best remembered for teaming with the immortal Hank Aaron to form the Braves' one-two punch that dominated the National League in the 1950s and early 1960s, actually preceded “Hammerin’ Hank” into both the 500 Home Run Club (7-14-67) and the National Baseball Hall-Of-Fame (1978).

Mike Schmidt Labels Charity Wine

To mark the 22nd anniversary of his 500th home run (April 18, 1987), Philadelphia legend Mike Schmidt announced in April that he is launching his own wine label with other members of the 500 Home Run Club, including Ernie Banks and Eddie Murray.

Can You Name The Five MLB Players Have Hit 500+ Home Runs While Playing For Their Original Team?

Fans of the 500 Home Run Club, LLC are among the most informed and involved followers of baseball stats.  But here are some questions that may challenge even you!

All-Star MVP Award Named For Ted Williams

While Major League Baseball’s tradition of selecting the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player to recognize the most outstanding performer in each year’s game, didn’t begin until 1962, baseball historians and knowledgeable fans agree that Ted Williams personified the MVP spirit.

June has always been a pivotal month for major league teams, and it was the month that many members of the 500 Home Run Club hit their pivotal long balls.
 

Mets Slugger Receives Flood Of Congratulatory Messages After Hitting 500th Career Home Run.

The gladiator in him couldn’t allow Jim Thome to fully enjoy his 548th home run (that moved him into a tie for 13th place on the all-time home run list with Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt), because the White Sox lost the May 19th game to Toronto.

Sports Illustrated’s commitment to featuring baseball’s greatest sluggers was made abundantly clear when it spotlighted 500 Home Run Club member Eddie Mathews hitting a titanic blast out of Milwaukee’s cavernous County Stadium on the cover of its inaugural issue on August 16, 1954.

500 HRC Greats Battled At The Plate…And In The Military

Members of the 500 Home Run Club were known for their ability to “fight off” inside fastballs and knock baseballs into the “wild blue yonder.”  But two of MLB’s greatest sluggers (Ted Williams and Willie Mays) also took time out of the playing career to serve in our nation’s military.

Mays, Schmidt and Oh Share Record With Four Homers In Single Game

Mays Goes “FOUR” It

On April 30, 1961 at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, The San Francisco Giants scored fourteen runs against the Braves and eight of them belonged to Willie Mays.  The “Say Hey Kid” put on a dazzling display of power by going deep in the first, third, sixth, and eighth inning.  Mays later credited the fact that he used teammate Joey Amalfitano's bat during the game for his stunning display of power.

Gary Sheffield; The Ultimate Journeyman Slugger Raps Out 500 Home Runs Playing For Eight Different Franchises

As he has throughout his playing career, Gary Sheffield became the 25th member of The 500 Home Run Club® on Friday, April 17, 2009 by defying convention and playing by his own rules.  Signed just days before the start of the 2009 season to play in the New York Mets beautiful new Citi Field, “The Iron Sheff” didn’t care if he started in right field or came of the bench as a pinch hitter when the game was on the line for The Mets…as long as he got his cuts at the plate.

Members’ Game-Worn Jerseys Demand Historical Bids at Auction

1954 Mickey Mantle Game-Worn Jersey Sold For $119,500.00  MLB Players of this era were issued only two home and two road jerseys per season, and the fine wear is appropriate for an estimated forty games of use.  Pick any road event from the 1954 season, and there's a 50/50 chance “The Commerce Comet” was sporting this very jersey.  And the odds were good that he posed for his 1955 Bowman baseball card (inset) in this classic flannel shirt. And he was likely wearing this very shirt when he made himself an unwelcome “visitor” by hitting a late-inning pitch entirely out of the Detroit Tiger’s Briggs Stadium on August 8th of that year.
 

Leave it to the 500 Home Run Club to combine two of your favorite things:  home run trivia and Facebook. You guessed it, we’ve created the official 500HRC Facebook page. Just log on to our facebook page and join as a fan, to get started connecting with other 500 Home Run Club fans worldwide.

Prior to 1984, only 14 major league sluggers hit more than 500 career homers.  And from 1988 through 1995, nobody reached the legendary home run plateau.  But when “Steady Eddie” Murray crashed through the 500 barrier in 1996 it signaled a second coming of aggressive new hitting stars.

Other sports have season openers, but the “Opening Day” of America’s Pastime marks the ceremonial beginning of spring. Every MLB team starts the season with a clean slate and fans never know what they may see on Opening Day…like a game winning home run from one of history’s greatest sluggers – a 500 Home Run Club member.

Baseball’s biggest stars dazzle in movies, TV, music, awards shows

While today’s elite athletes train year-round, (see Manny Maxes-Out in Off Season) the winter months have always provided major leaguers with a much needed reprieve from the physical and mental challenges of 162 regular season games – not to mention the heightened emotions and stress of post-season playoffs.