Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz joined a historic club on Sunday. Cruz launched his 40th home run of the season and became the 57th member of baseball’s historic club.
Cruz stepped to the plate in the fourth inning sitting on 39 home runs with 399 bombs in his career. He saw a fastball come in on the first pitch and crushed it for the milestone blast.
The monster blast also made Cruz just the third player in MLB history to hit 40-plus home runs in an age-39 or older season. He also became the 26th player to hit 40-plus home runs in at least four seasons.
Cruz didn’t receive much interest this offseason and the Twins struck when other teams didn’t. He has rewarded their decision with 40 home runs, 105 RBI and a .631 slugging percentage.