Alex Rodriguez hit his first home run of the season Sunday, a second-inning solo shot that accounted for the 1,951st RBI in his career, surpassing Stan Musial for sole possession of fifth place on the all-time RBI list.
The third baseman turned on a 1-0 fastball from Justin Verlander, just barely sending it over the leftfield wall:
The homer was No. 648 in Rodriguez's career, leaving him 12 home runs behind Willie Mays on the all-time home run list. Rodriguez is due a $6 million bonus if he matches Mays' total.
Rodriguez discussed how he felt after passing Musial, telling Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:
"That means I'm getting old. When you think about names like that, it's obviously so humbling. It makes you think that you've been around a long time. Those are things that you kind of reflect years after you're done playing."
MLB has suspended Rodriguez 211 games for violating the JDA and CBA, but he has appealed his suspension and is playing before the hearing.
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