Ramirez hits 500th homer, Griffey nears 600

Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night became the 24th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs.

Ramirez hit a solo shot off Orioles reliever Chad Bradford  in the seventh inning to put Boston up 5-3 en route to a 6-3 win at Baltimore's Camden Yards. It was Ramirez's 10th home run of the season.

The Dominican Republic native is the first player to reach the milestone this season. Gary Sheffield of the Detroit Tigers, with 483, is the only other player with a realistic shot of reaching the mark in 2008.

Ramirez drove the first pitch he saw from Bradford into the seats in right-centre. The Red Sox star watched the flight of the ball, which travelled an estimated 410 feet, then took off around the bases.

"As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone," said Ramirez, who went hitless in his other four at bats before being lifted for a defensive replacement in the ninth. "So I was happy to move on."

Ramirez was slow reaching the milestone. He hit No. 496 on April 19 and had only three in 34 games before Saturday.

This one, he said, was worth the wait.

"It was great, especially since I've been trying so hard the past three weeks just to get it done," he said. "It finally came and I'm happy. I'm proud of myself, of all the things I've accomplished. Now I can go and have fun."

Griffey gets 599, closes on Sosa

Cincinnati Reds right-fielder Ken Griffey Jr. drilled a two-run home run, the 599th of his career, in his team's 8-7 home win earlier on Saturday.

Griffey connected on his first home run in 29 at bats in the first inning off Atlanta's Jair Jurgens. The slugger drove in another run with a double in the sixth, going 2-for-4 on the day.

Griffey, 38, is striving to become the sixth man to hit at least 600 home runs. If healthy this season, he is expected to pass Sammy Sosa (609) for fifth on the list.

The next man on the list, Willie Mays, has 660.

The top three are: Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).

Cincinnati prevailed in 10 innings. With Griffey on deck, rookie sensation Jay Bruce ended matters with the first home run of his career.

"That's the first walk-off home run in my life, at any level," said Bruce, who was called up from the minors earlier this week. "It's crazy."

The Reds' top prospect is 11-for-19 in his first five games in the majors, providing one big hit after another. He has a pair of three-hit games and a four-hit game.