Slugging Out Milestones

Jet, August 27, 2001

SLUGGING OUT MILESTONES: The San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds and the Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey, Jr. watch their home runs leave the park as the two sluggers made major-league history at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. Bonds, ninth on the career list with 543 homers, became the fastest player to reach 49 home runs in a season, doing so in the Giants' 115th game.

Sammy Sosa, who hit three homers the same day in Chicago, had been the quickest to 49 in 120 games in 1999. At 31 years, 261 days old, Griffey's 450th career home run that night made him the youngest player to reach this milestone. That's 15 days younger than record holder Jimmie Foxx. Each slugger was quite modest about his fete, declining to talk about the significance. Last season, Bonds, 37, hit a career-high of 49 homers. Griffey added to his home run legacy. He was also the youngest to reach 350 and 400.