By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – Cincinnati Reds' outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. made history in St. Louis on Sunday by hitting his 500th career home run.
He's the 20th player in baseball to reach that milestone. It was a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning against Cardinals' starter Matt Morris. The Reds beat the Cards 6-0.
At age 34, Griffey is the sixth-youngest to reach 500 homers.
After receiving congratulations on the field from his teammates, Griffey went to a box next to the Reds' dugouts for a hug from his father, Ken Griffey Senior. The 45,000 Cardinal fans in attendance gave him standing ovations after the homer and again when he took his position to start the next inning.
The 19-year-old who got the ball, Mark Crummley of Mount Carmel, Ill., gave the ball to Griffey after the game.
Three other active players have hit 500 homers. Barry Bonds is third on the career list with 676, Sammy Sosa has 549 and Rafael Palmeiro has 538. Fred McGriff needs seven homers to become the 21st player to hit 500.