Alex Rodriguez joined the 3,000-hit club in style on Friday at Yankee Stadium, in a familiar scene with a much different character in the starring role.
Derek Jeter, the revered former Yankees captain, had been the last player to reach 3,000 hits, doing so in 2011 with a home run at Yankee Stadium. Rodriguez, whose place in baseball history will always be complicated by his use of performance-enhancing drugs, also homered Friday for his milestone hit.
Of the 29 players who have reached 3,000 hits, Wade Boggs is the only player besides Jeter and Rodriguez to do it by hitting the ball out of the park.