Manny Joins the 500 Club

Utter pandemonium. That was the reaction in Camden Yards last night when Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run, joining a club of only 23 other players in baseball history. Walking around Baltimore yesterday in the rain, it didn't seem like the game was going to get played, but about two hours before first pitch the sun came out to the relief of the many Sox fans who made the trip to Balitmore for the games this weekend.

Everytime Manny stepped to the plate, the flashbulbs went off all over the ballpark, making it look like mini-lightning storms throughout Camden Yards. You could feel the anticipation with each at bat and then finally in the 7th inning, with one pitch from Chad Bradford... a swing and 410 feet into history.

We were on our feet for the next five minutes, just screaming and chanting Manny's name. Ian Browne of MLB.com wrote:

With a large group of Red Sox fans at Camden Yards for this weekend series, the historic homer elicited roars that felt like they were right out of Fenway Park. It was so loud after Ramirez made contact that it was hard to believe the majestic shot came on the road. "That's why they call it Red Sox Nation," Ramirez said. "They follow us everywhere. Everywhere we go, we get big support."

Here's to the next 100.