Cruz in rare Dominican company with his 400th home run
By Tab Bamford
On Sunday, Nelson Cruz hit his 40th home run of the 2019 season and the 400th of his career. Cruz became the ninth Dominican native to reach the 400-homer benchmark. He joins:
- Albert Pujols – 656
- Sammy Sosa – 609
- Manny Ramírez – 555
- David Ortiz – 541
- Adrián Beltré – 477
- Vladimir Guerrero** – 449
- Edwin Encarnación – 414
- Alfonso Soriano – 412
- Nelson Cruz – 400
** – inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
With his 40th home run, Cruz also ties Ortiz for the most home runs every by a Dominican native after his 35th birthday. Ortiz hit 40 in 2016 at the age of 38; Cruz is 39 years old this season.
Among players born in the Dominican Republic, only Ortiz, Cruz, Ramírez, Pujols and Sosa hit more than 35 home runs after their 35th birthday. Ortiz (three times) is the only other Dominican native to hit at least 35 more than once after his 35th birthday.
This season is the fourth time Cruz has eclipsed 35 home runs since turning 35. In the history of baseball, only Barry Bonds (five) hit at least 35 homers in more seasons after his 35th birthday. Hank Aaron and Rafael Palmeiro also hit 35+ in four seasons after turning 35.
Featured Image: Minnesota Twins Instagram