New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had an historic game in Friday’s 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Angels, taking sole possession of second place on the all-time RBI list, along with sole possession of eighth place on the all-time runs list, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Previously even with Barry Bonds at 1,996 career RBI, Rodriguez broke the tie with a single off of Angels pitcher Jered Weaver in the fifth inning, giving the Yankees a 5-0 lead when outfielder Brett Gardner crossed home plate.
Oddly enough, while he’s third on the list provided by MLB.com, Rodriguez is technically considered by MLB to be in second place on the official all-time list, as the RBI only became an official stat in 1920.
Per Yahoo Sports‘ Mark Townsend, both Ruth and Cap Anson would have more RBI than Rodriguez if the stat had been official prior to 1920, though Anson is only listed 11th on the list provided by MLB.com, while Ruth is second.
In any case, Rodriguez reached another milestone later in Friday’s game when he scored the Yankees’ eighth and final run on a seventh-inning single from outfielder Chris Young.
Upon crossing home plate for the 1,950th time in his career, Rodriguez broke a tie with Stan Musial for eighth place on the all-time runs list.
There’s little contention regarding A-Rod’s place on the runs list, as he’s officially considered eighth and is listed as such by MLB.com.
That being said, Rodriguez is only ninth on the list used by Baseball-Reference.com, as the site credits Anson with 1,999 career runs, compared to just 1,719 on MLB.com.
Two things that can’t be argued are Rodriguez’s upcoming milestones, with the slugger currently sitting at 1,999 career RBI and 2,991 hits.
He’ll soon reach 2,000 and 3,000, respectively—possibly even in the same game or at-bat.
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