If Ken Griffey Jr. can stay in the lineup, the next 100 home runs might come a lot easier than his 500th. Of course, for Junior, that's a big "if."
"Knock on wood, he stays healthy," Cincinnati manager Dave Miley said. "He's swinging the bat well, he feels good and that's probably as big a key as anything for him."
The 34-year-old Reds star, who on Sunday became the sixth-youngest player to reach 500 when he snapped a weeklong homer drought, once seemed like a good bet to chase down Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. He was the youngest to 350 homers, 400 and 450.
PHOTO: AFP
But injuries have slowed Griffey since -- he's averaged just 73 games and 14 homers the past three seasons.
"I don't worry about the time that I missed," he said. "When you play hard and you get hurt, that's one thing. If I would have done it doing something else, then I could say `What if?'"
Perhaps the best player of the 1990s, he led the American League in homers from 1997-1999 and won 10 straight Gold Gloves from 1990-1999.
Then injuries began taking their toll. He missed more than a month with a torn hamstring that bothered him throughout the 2001 season, spent two long stints on the 15-day disabled list with a torn patella tendon and a torn right hamstring in 2002, then went to the DL twice again in 2003 for a dislocated right shoulder and torn ankle tendon.
The ankle injury ended his season on July 18, limiting him to only 53 games.
This season, though, the pressure of No. 500 has been the only thing slowing down Junior. With 19 homers already, he's on pace for 45 -- just like the Griffey of old.
Now that the pressure of reaching 500 has been alleviated, those closest to Griffey are anticipating more vintage production.
"He'll be a lot more relaxed now," his father, Ken Griffey Sr., said. "I'm just thinking about him staying healthy and seeing what happens after that.
"If he stays healthy the next six or seven years, there's no telling."
There is recent precedent for a player in his mid to late 30s putting up big power numbers. Barry Bonds hit 73 homers at age 37 in 2001 and Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998 when he was 35 and 65 the following season.
Before his three injury-riddled seasons, Griffey averaged 50 homers and 137 RBIs the previous four years. If he had stayed healthy, Griffey may have sailed past the 500 plateau two years ago.
"An achievement like that deserves a lot of credit and a lot of respect," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He has missed a lot of at-bats, or he would have been there sooner."
But Griffey has no regrets, especially since his injuries have resulted from his hustling style of play. He was injured running the bases in 2001, hurt his knee in a rundown in 2002, and last year he dislocated his shoulder while diving for a ball in April and then hurt his ankle legging out a double in July.
C.C. Sabathia allowed one run in eight impressive innings, and Ronnie Belliard and Casey Blake homered in the first inning of the Cleveland Indians' 5-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.
Victor Martinez had a career-high four hits for the Indians, who moved within two games of the White Sox for second place in the AL Central.
Angels 10, Athletics 3
In Anaheim, California, Vladimir Guerrero went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs, and David Eckstein hit a two-run double in the Angels' four-run fifth inning.
John Lackey (5-8) allowed two runs and seven hits in eight innings. The right-hander struck out four and walked none while winning for only the second time in his last eight starts.
Lance Berkman hit a tying three-run double and Jeff Kent drove in the go-ahead run in a big fifth inning, helping the Houston Astros rally to a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Berkman had four RBIs and Jason Lane homered for the Astros, who came back from a 4-0 deficit to win their second in a row.
Padres 3, Diamondbacks 1
In San Diego, Phil Nevin hit a rare home run at Petco Park and Trevor Hoffman earned his 368th save to take sole possession of fourth place on the career list as the Padres downed the Diamondbacks.
Giants 3, Dodgers 2
In San Francisco, Cody Ransom singled up the middle with two outs in the ninth to drive in the winning run for the Giants.
After Dustan Mohr's two-out single, Guillermo Mota (3-2) walked pinch-hitter Damon Minor and Ray Durham to load the bases for Ransom, who got just his fifth RBI of the season.
Matt Herges (4-2) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win, but blew his fifth save in the top of the ninth when Jayson Werth singled to score pinch-runner Dave Roberts from third to tie it at 2.
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