New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran hit his 400th career home run in the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday’s game against the Chicago White Sox.
The Bronx Bombers sent out this tweet after Beltran’s blast:
Beltran’s milestone shot was a two-run homer and gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead. He launched a 2-2 fastball from Zach Duke over the left field wall of Yankee Stadium, his 42nd homer in two-plus years wearing pinstripes.
Going into that at-bat, Beltran hadn’t had much success against the White Sox reliever, per Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago:
The eight-time All-Star became the 54th player to reach the 400-dinger club, according to Yankees PR, but he also joined a short list of players from Puerto Rico:
Not only has Beltran been an impact player at the plate, but he spent his early years as one of the game’s best base stealers. ESPN Stats & Info noted Beltran also finds himself in the exclusive company of some of baseball’s best all-around players:
Jon Heyman of MLB Network acknowledged Beltran’s defensive talent and wonders if Cooperstown is in his future:
The only downside to Beltran’s career is he’s yet to win a World Series. He finally reached the Fall Classic for the first time in his storied career in 2013 with the St. Louis Cardinals, but they lost to the Boston Red Sox.
It’s debatable whether Beltran should be a Hall of Famer, but there aren’t many players who have batted .280 while showcasing the combination of power and speed that the 39-year-old has for the majority of his career.
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