500 home run club

In the past, membership in the 500 home run club was a guarantee of eventual entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame, although some believe the milestone has become less meaningful in recent years and many members have not been enshrined in Cooperstown.

Seven eligible club members—Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGwire, Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa—have not been elected to the Hall.

[1][4][6] Some believe that by not electing McGwire to the Hall the voters were establishing a "referendum" on how they would treat players from the "Steroid Era".

Ruth ended his career with 714 home runs, a record which stood from 1935 until Hank Aaron surpassed it in 1974.

[10] Aaron's ultimate career total, 755, remained the record until Barry Bonds set the current mark of 762 during the 2007 season.

A man in full baseball attire wears a pinstriped jersey and a hat with overlapping white "N" and "Y". Looking to the left of the camera, he is holding a baseball bat upward.
Babe Ruth was the first player to reach 500 home runs and set a career home run mark of 714 that stood until 1974.
An African American man in a white baseball uniform with "GIANTS" on the chest takes a left-handed baseball swing as a catcher kneels behind him to receive the pitch.
Barry Bonds (pictured here in 2006) joined the 500 home run club in 2001 and set a new career home run record of 762 in 2007.
A dark-skinned man in a black baseball jersey and gray pants takes a right-handed baseball swing with a crowd in the background, several people wearing red.
David Ortiz is one of 12 to reach the milestone from 1999 to 2015.
Miguel Cabrera , joining on August 22, 2021, is the most recent addition to the club.