$250 Million Rodriguez Becomes Youngest To Hit 300 Homers

The major leagues` best fielding shortstop and highest salary-earner, Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers became the youngest player to hit 300 homeruns in an away game against the Anaheim Angels held yesterday at Edison Field in Anaheim, California.

Rodriguez, 27 years, 249 days old, drove a 2-1 pitch from Ramon Ortiz to center field in the fifth inning for his second homer in three days, which brought home two runners. Previously, the fastest to 300 was Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx at 27 years, 328 days.

Alex has done it all through his career as he hits for averages and power, can steal a base and is one of the best fielding shortstops in the game. After starting with the Seattle Mariners in 1994, and playing the first seven years of his career there, Alex signed a $252 billion, 10-year contract with the Rangers before the 2001 season. In 1998, he hit 42 homeruns and stole 46 bases.

Last season was a typical year for Alex. The star player led the major leagues in home runs (57) and RBIs (142) last season. Unfortunately, he lost the MVP title to Oakland Athletics` Miguel Tejada, who led his team in the post-season.

It may be possible for Alex to break Hank Aaron`s career record of 755 home runs. For his 10th season, Alex punched 300 homers. In the past five years, he has hit an average of 46 homers a season. If that continues, he will set a new homerun record in about 10 years.

Despite the young player`s achievements, the Rangers gave up another game to the Angels 5-11 due to the collapse of its mound.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com