A-Rod Passes Lou

Alex Rodriguez Passes Lou Gehrig for 3rd Place on MLB's All-Time RBI List

The New York Yankees and Alex Rodriguez may not always see eye-to-eye regarding his on-field accomplishments, but the controversial third baseman keeps rewriting the record books. His latest feat: slotting into third place on the all-time RBI list.   

Per CBS Sports MLB on Twitter, Rodriguez's three-run homer against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday gave him 1,995 career RBI, moving him past Lou Gehrig for the most in American League history:

Rodriguez was tied with Babe Ruth for fourth on the all-time RBI list with 1,992 before the home run. Per Baseball-Reference (via Ryan Hatch of NJ.com), Ruth had 2,214 RBI in his 22-year career, but it didn't become an official stat until 1920. He had 224 from 1914-19 as a member of the Boston Red Sox that didn't count in the official MLB record books. 

With Ruth and Gehrig in his rear-view mirror, Rodriguez could end up second on the all-time RBI list before the season ends. He needs one more to pass Barry Bonds (1,996), while Hank Aaron is way ahead of everyone else with 2,297 career RBI. 

A-Rod has had an excellent start to 2015 after being suspended for all of last season. The three-time AL MVP was hitting .270/.371/.547 with 10 home runs in 43 games prior to his blast Wednesday.

The Yankees have needed Rodriguez's production in their lineup with all of their issues in the starting rotation. It's unclear if the 39-year-old can maintain this pace all season, but so far, he's been better than even the most optimistic Yankees fan could have predicted. 

Published by: Bleacher Report

May 29th, 2015

Source: www.bleacherreport.com