Alex Rodriguez became the seventh -– and youngest –- major league player to hit 600 home runs, reaching the milestone Wednesday at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays.

Rodriguez connected off the Blue Jays’ Shaun Marcum for a two-run homer in his first at-bat, in the bottom of the first inning.

GALLERY: Photos of A-Rod

GALLERY: A-Rod’s milestone home runs

With the home run, Rodriguez, 35, joins Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660) and Sammy Sosa (609) with 600 or more homers. Ruth was 36 when he reached 600 home runs.

None of them had a longer drought between homers No. 599 and 600 than A-Rod. Rodriguez was homerless in his previous 46 at-bats entering Wednesday’s game, going 9-for-46 with eight RBI in that span.

No. 600 was his 17th homer of the season, and snapped an 0-for-17 drought preceding his historic round-tripper. The ball landed in protective netting above Monument Park in Yankee Stadium, preventing a public scrum for the souvenir. The ball will be returned to Rodriguez.

The Yankee Stadium scoreboard began advertising A-Rod 600 home run T-shirts immediately after his home run. Between innings, a video montage played on the high-definition screen as Orleans’ “Still the One” played over the sound system.

“It’s an amazing feat — quite an accomplishment,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi had said of the accomplishment. Girardi hit just finished with 36 home runs in his 15 seasons as a major league catcher.

Rodriguez’s home run drought coincided with a period in which the Yankees tumbled from first place in the AL East. They’d gone 6-6 in the games since Rodriguez connected for No. 599 against the Kansas City Royals.

Among active players with 600 homers in sight, Jim Thome of the Twins is at 577 and Manny Ramirez of the Dodgers at 554.

Rodriguez’s home run came three years to the day he hit home run No. 500, against Kansas City’s Kyle Davies, and more than 15 years since his first career home run, off the Royals’ Tom Gordon.

He’s now 162 home runs behind Barry Bonds, baseball’s all-time leader. Like Bonds, Rodriguez’s home run total came under greater scrutiny when it was revealed he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and Rodriguez admitted using steroids between 2001-2003. That period accounted for two of his top three home run seasons, and he hit 151 in all in that span.

By Seth Livingstone via USAToday

Hideki Matsui drove in a record-tying six runs to power the New York Yankees past Philadelphia 7-3 on Wednesday, giving them a record 27th World Series crown and their first since 2000.

The Yankees won Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final 4-2 over the defending champion Phillies, extending the greatest legacy of championship success in North American pro sports.

Designated hitter Matsui smashed his third home run of the Series, a two-run blast to right field in the second inning, adding a two-run single in the third and a two-run double in the fifth.

The 35-year-old Japanese star matched the World Series one-game record for knocking in runs set by Yankees star Bobby Richardson in 1960.

Matsui, who batted .615 for the Series, was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series, an unprecedented honour for an Asian player.

Matsui’s heroics came in what could be his final game in a Yankees uniform since he was not signed beyond this season, but he achieved the dream he had when he joined the Yankees in 2003.

Andy Pettitte won his record-extending 18th playoff game, the 37-year-old US southpaw having also taken the game three victory.

The Yankees became the first World Series champion since Minnesota in 2001 to use only a three-man starting rotation of pitchers, including 2008 free agent signees Pettitte, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett.

After Alex Rodriguez walked to open the second inning, Matsui smashed a full-count pitch off Phillies starter Pedro Martinez high into the right-field stands to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Philadelphia answered in the third when Carlos Ruiz tripled and scored on a Jimmy Rollins sacrifice fly.

But Matsui struck again in the third, coming to the plate with the bases loaded and two out to face Martinez – loathed by Yankees fans after his years with the arch-rival Boston Red Sox.

Matsui smacked a single up the middle to score Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon, giving the Yankees a 4-1 lead.

Damon strained his right calf while running the bases and was removed but the Yankees had plenty of slugging power without him.

Martinez, the game two loser, struggled with control problems and was removed after only four innings but his replacements had problems of their own.

Mark Teixeira singled in a run in the fifth and Rodriguez walked to bring Matsui to the plate against Phillies southpaw reliever JA Happ.

The former Yomiuri Giants star bashed a double to centerfield to give the Yankees a 7-1 lead, giving him eight runs batted in for the Series.

Philadelphia refused to surrender as Ryan Howard bashed a two-run homer in the sixth to pull his club within 7-3 and help chase Pettitte from the mound.

The Phillies put two runners on base in the seventh for Chase Utley, who had tied a one-Series record with five homers.

But the Yankees brought in reliever Damaso Marte and the Dominican southpaw struck out Utley to end the inning.

New York brought in closing relief ace Mariano Rivera and the 39-year-old Panamanian right-hander secured the final outs to touch off a wild celebration.