BOSTON — Alex Rodriguez matched Willie Mays for fourth on the career homer list by hitting No. 660, possibly setting up a legal showdown with the Yankees over a $6 million payment.
Rodriguez connected off Junichi Tazawa of the Red Sox in the eighth inning Friday night to reach the milestone with his sixth home run in a successful return from a yearlong drug suspension.
Homer 660 was hit nearly five years after he became the youngest player to reach 600 — on Aug. 4, 2010.
Because of injuries and serving the longest performance-enhancing drug ban in major league history, A-Rod went 1,731 days between historic homers, 306 more than Mays, The Say Hey Kid.