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In [[Major League Baseball]], the '''3000 hit club''' is an informal term applied to the group of players who have made 3000 or more career [[hit (baseball)|base hits]]. Currently, there are 26 players who have accomplished this. Craig Biggio, of the Houston Astros is the closest active player to achieving this milestone. At the beginning of the 2007 season, Biggio stands at 2,930 hits.
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In [[Major League Baseball]], the '''3000 hit club''' is an informal term applied to the group of players who have made 3000 or more career [[hit (baseball)|base hits]]. Currently, there are 26 players who have accomplished this.
   
 
In general, the 3000th hit is not a surprise, as the player has been approaching the mark for some time. However, teams will often interrupt the game in which the player reaches the mark in order to honor him on reaching a historically significant milestone in what has been an excellent baseball career. The club's "founding member" was [[Cap Anson]] in [[1897 in baseball|1897]], even before what is known as the "modern era of baseball," making the 3000 hit club one of the oldest markers of greatness in the sport. Getting 3000 hits is generally considered - barring severe bad behavior off the field - one of the most reliable marks of a player entering the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]].
 
In general, the 3000th hit is not a surprise, as the player has been approaching the mark for some time. However, teams will often interrupt the game in which the player reaches the mark in order to honor him on reaching a historically significant milestone in what has been an excellent baseball career. The club's "founding member" was [[Cap Anson]] in [[1897 in baseball|1897]], even before what is known as the "modern era of baseball," making the 3000 hit club one of the oldest markers of greatness in the sport. Getting 3000 hits is generally considered - barring severe bad behavior off the field - one of the most reliable marks of a player entering the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]].
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|-
 
|-
 
|[[Hank Aaron]]||3771||[[May 17]], [[1970]]||[[Atlanta Braves|Milwaukee/Atlanta]], [[Milwaukee Brewers|Milwaukee]]||[[1954]]-[[1976]]
 
|[[Hank Aaron]]||3771||[[May 17]], [[1970]]||[[Atlanta Braves|Milwaukee/Atlanta]], [[Milwaukee Brewers|Milwaukee]]||[[1954]]-[[1976]]
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
  +
|[[Stan Musial]]||3630||[[May 13]], [[1958]]||[[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis]]||[[1941]]-[[1944]], [[1946]]-[[1963]]
 
|-
  +
|[[Tris Speaker]]||3514||[[May 17]], [[1925]]||[[Boston Red Sox|Boston]], [[Cleveland Indians|Cleveland]], [[Minnesota Twins|Washington]], [[Oakland Athletics|Philadelphia (AL)]]||[[1907]]-[[1928]]
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|[[Carl Yastrzemski]]||3419||[[September 12]], [[1979]]||[[Boston Red Sox|Boston]]||[[1961]]-[[1983]]
 
|-
  +
|[[Honus Wagner]]||3415||[[June 9]], [[1914]]||[[Louisville Colonels|Louisville]], [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh]]||[[1897]]-[[1917]]
 
|-
  +
|[[Paul Molitor]]||3319||[[September 16]], [[1996]]||[[Milwaukee Brewers|Milwaukee]], [[Toronto Blue Jays|Toronto]], [[Minnesota Twins|Minnesota]]||[[1978]]-[[1998]]
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
  +
|[[Eddie Collins]]||3315||[[June 6]], [[1925]]||[[Oakland Athletics|Philadelphia (AL)]], [[Chicago White Sox|Chicago (AL)]]||[[1906]]-[[1930|1930]][[1954]]-[[1976]]
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|[[Stan Musial]]||3630||[[May 13]], [[1958]]||[[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis]]||[[1941]]-[[1944]], [[1946]]-[[1963]]
 
|[[Stan Musial]]||3630||[[May 13]], [[1958]]||[[St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis]]||[[1941]]-[[1944]], [[1946]]-[[1963]]
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|[[Al Kaline]]||3007||[[September 24]], [[1974]]||[[Detroit Tigers|Detroit]]||[[1953]]-[[1974]]
 
|[[Al Kaline]]||3007||[[September 24]], [[1974]]||[[Detroit Tigers|Detroit]]||[[1953]]-[[1974]]
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|
|[[Roberto Clemente]]||3000||[[September 30]], [[1972]]||[[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh]]||[[1955]]-[[1972]]
 
 
|}
 
|}
Note: Cap Anson, who played entire career for Chicago NL before 1900 (1876-1897) is now credited with 3012 hits. Craig Biggio, who played for Houston NL (1988-2007) is the last player to reach 3000 hits. He had 3060 hits, and attained #3000 on June 28, 2007.
 
 
==Closest Active Players==
 
{| border="0" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3"
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
!Player!!width="50"|Hits!!Teams!!Seasons
 
|-
 
|[[Craig Biggio]]
 
|3060
 
|[[Houston Astros|Houston]]
 
|[[1988]]-2007
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|[[Barry Bonds]]
 
|2841
 
|[[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh]], [[San Francisco Giants|San Francisco]]
 
|[[1986]]-
 
|-
 
|[[Julio Franco]]
 
|2566
 
|[[Philadelphia Phillies|Philadelphia]], [[Cleveland Indians|Cleveland]], [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas]], [[Chicago White Sox|Chicago (AL)]], [[Milwaukee Brewers|Milwaukee]], [[Tampa Bay Devil Rays|Tampa Bay]], [[Atlanta Braves|Atlanta]], [[New York Mets|New York (NL)]]
 
|[[1982]]-
 
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
 
|[[Steve Finley]]
 
|2531
 
|[[Baltimore Orioles|Baltimore]], [[Houston Astros|Houston]], [[San Diego Padres|San Diego]], [[Arizona Diamondbacks|Arizona]], [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Los Angeles (NL)]], [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Los Angeles (AL)]], [[San Francisco Giants|San Francisco]]
 
|[[1989]]-
 
|-
 
|[[Omar Vizquel]]
 
|2472
 
|[[Seattle Mariners|Seattle]], [[Cleveland Indians|Cleveland]], [[San Francisco Giants|San Francisco]]
 
|[[1989]]-
 
|}
 
 
==In fiction==
 
*''[[Mr. 3000]]'', a 2004 [[film]] starring [[Bernie Mac]], that depicts a retired player's attempt to join the club
 
 
[[Category:Records]]
 
[[Category:Records]]
 
[[Category:3000 hit club|*]]
 
[[Category:3000 hit club|*]]

Revision as of 16:14, 13 April 2011

In Major League Baseball, the 3000 hit club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have made 3000 or more career base hits. Currently, there are 26 players who have accomplished this.

In general, the 3000th hit is not a surprise, as the player has been approaching the mark for some time. However, teams will often interrupt the game in which the player reaches the mark in order to honor him on reaching a historically significant milestone in what has been an excellent baseball career. The club's "founding member" was Cap Anson in 1897, even before what is known as the "modern era of baseball," making the 3000 hit club one of the oldest markers of greatness in the sport. Getting 3000 hits is generally considered - barring severe bad behavior off the field - one of the most reliable marks of a player entering the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 3000 hits mark indicates good performance over a long period of time. An average ball player gets approximately 600-700 at-bats per year, of which a good player will bat safely in roughly 180-233—between a .300 and a .333 batting average. At this pace, a ball player will reach 3,000 hits in between 12 and 17 seasons. Since most players only play for up to 8-10 years at the Major League level, and usually decline significantly in their numbers toward the end of that period, only a player who remains healthy over a long period and can continue to play like a younger man into his late 30s and even his early 40s can successfully amass 3,000 hits.

Rarely mentioned is the 4000 hit club, which only has two members.

After a slump in the 1980s, the 1990s saw seven players reaching 3000 hits, tied with the 1970s for the most of any decade.

See also: List of lifetime MLB hit leaders through history, List of major league players with 2,000 hits

The members

Player Hits Date of 3000th Teams Seasons
Pete Rose 4256 May 5, 1978 Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Montreal 1963-1986
Ty Cobb 4189 August 19,1921 Detroit, Philadelphia (AL) 1905-1928
Hank Aaron 3771 May 17, 1970 Milwaukee/Atlanta, Milwaukee 1954-1976
Stan Musial 3630 May 13, 1958 St. Louis 1941-1944, 1946-1963
Tris Speaker 3514 May 17, 1925 Boston, Cleveland, Washington, Philadelphia (AL) 1907-1928
Carl Yastrzemski 3419 September 12, 1979 Boston 1961-1983
Honus Wagner 3415 June 9, 1914 Louisville, Pittsburgh 1897-1917
Paul Molitor 3319 September 16, 1996 Milwaukee, Toronto, Minnesota 1978-1998
Eddie Collins 3315 June 6, 1925 Philadelphia (AL), Chicago (AL) 1906-19301954-1976
Stan Musial 3630 May 13, 1958 St. Louis 1941-1944, 1946-1963
Tris Speaker 3514 May 17, 1925 Boston, Cleveland, Washington, Philadelphia (AL) 1907-1928
Carl Yastrzemski 3419 September 12, 1979 Boston 1961-1983
Honus Wagner 3415 June 9, 1914 Louisville, Pittsburgh 1897-1917
Paul Molitor 3319 September 16, 1996 Milwaukee, Toronto, Minnesota 1978-1998
Eddie Collins 3315 June 6, 1925 Philadelphia (AL), Chicago (AL) 1906-1930
Willie Mays 3283 July 18, 1970 New York (NL)/San Francisco, New York (NL) 1951-1973
Eddie Murray 3255 June 30, 1995 Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York (NL), Cleveland, Anaheim 1977-1997
Nap Lajoie 3242 September 27, 1914 Philadelphia (AL), Cleveland 1896-1916
Cal Ripken, Jr. 3184 April 15, 2000 Baltimore 1981-2001
George Brett 3154 September 30, 1992 Kansas City 1973-1993
Paul Waner 3152 June 19, 1942 Pittsburgh, Boston (NL), Brooklyn, New York (AL) 1926-1945
Robin Yount 3142 September 9, 1992 Milwaukee 1974-1993
Tony Gwynn 3141 August 6, 1999 San Diego 1982-2001
Dave Winfield 3110 September 16, 1993 San Diego, New York (AL), California, Toronto, Minnesota, Cleveland 1973-1995
Rickey Henderson 3055 October 7, 2001 Oakland, New York (AL), Toronto, San Diego, Anaheim, New York (NL), Seattle, Boston, Los Angeles 1979-2004 (Hasn't officially declared retirement and played in several games in 2004 but hasn't played since as of now)
Rod Carew 3053 August 4, 1985 Minnesota, California 1967-1985
Lou Brock 3023 August 13, 1979 Chicago (NL), St. Louis 1961-1979
Rafael Palmeiro 3020 July 15, 2005 Chicago (NL), Texas, Baltimore 1986-2005 (Still an active player but hasn't played since 2005)
Wade Boggs 3010 August 7, 1999 Boston, New York (AL), Tampa Bay 1982-1999
Al Kaline 3007 September 24, 1974 Detroit 1953-1974