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05/01/2004 Archived Entry: "MLB news: This week in milestones"
This week in milestones
By Michael Toeset
Quick hits from the week that was:
MOISES ALOU drove in his 1,000th run on April 21. He’s never been the RBI machine that Manny Ramirez is, but he did string together four consecutive seasons of 100-plus RBI: 1997 to 2001 (he missed all of 1999).
SCOTT ROLEN smashed home run No. 200 on April 21. The ex-Phillie is no Mike Schmidt, but he is in the midst of a fine career, and through April 30, his career numbers read .283 average, 200 home runs, 734 RBI and 88 stolen bases.
ERIC MILTON pitched his 1,000th inning on April 21. Through the end of April, the lefty has a career record of 59 wins and 51 losses.
OMAR VIZQUEL, just when you thought he was about to drop off the face of the earth a la Ozzie Smith in the famous “Simpsons” episode, is having himself a terrific year to date. And on April 22, he collected hit No. 2,000. Five days later, Vizquel also stole his 300th base. The 37-year-old isn’t the magical player he was in his heyday, but he’s proving he can still play.
BARRY BONDS is walking into the record books. On April 26, he got a free pass to first base for the 2,100th time. For April, Bonds recorded a mind-boggling .688 on-base percentage, walking 39 times and only registering 54 at-bats. At this rate, Bonds will shatter his own single-season walks record, and he’s fast approaching Rickey Henderson’s all-time walks mark: he’s only 82 free passes from becoming the most-walked man in the history of baseball.
RICHIE SEXSON hit his 200th home run on April 26. The slugger landed on the disabled list recently, so he won’t be reaching any more milestones until June, most likely.
STEVE FINLEY stole his 300th base on April 27. While we’re on the subject of speed, Finley leads all active players in triples with 108, and he’s attempting to crack the top 100 all-time, but he has yet to hit a triple this year.
MIKE CAMERON collected steal No. 200 on April 27. The center fielder remains one of the best power-speed packages in baseball, and to date, he has 135 home runs and 200 steals.
EDGAR RENTERIA drove in run No. 500 on April 27. The shortstop collected 100 RBI last year, but he likely won’t accomplish that again; at the end of April he had 10 on the season.
MATT LAWTON, like Vizquel, has re-emerged with the Indians as a force on the field, and on April 28, he got his 1,000th hit. After the first month of play, Lawton is hitting at a .327 clip.
DARIN ERSTAD, the man with perhaps one of the flukiest years ever (the only time he has topped a .300 average was in 2000 when he hit .355), drove in his 500th run on April 29.
LUIS CASTILLO recorded his 1,000th hit on April 30. The speedster also is approaching his 300th steal: he has 254 to date.
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