#26 08/04/85 – Anaheim Stadium - Rod Carew’s 3000th Hit

Rod Carew played the first twelve years of his Hall of Fame career for the Twins, winning seven batting titles. He played the last seven for the Angels, posting a career .314 batting average in Anaheim. It seems poetic that he stroked his 3,000^th career hit in a 6-5 win over the Twins.

In the first inning, Carew came to bat with 2,999 career hits. Unfortunately, he grounded the ball back to Twins’ pitcher Frank Viola for an out. In the third, Rod stepped up to the plate again. With one out, and a runner on first, he lined a slider into leftfield for #3000. The Angels would go on to win the game 6-5, building a four game lead in the AL West.

It was a magical moment for the Angel first baseman who was putting the final touches on his Hall of Fame career. Rod, the first foreign born member of the 3,000 hit club, would retire at the end of the season with 3,053 career hits and a .328 career batting average. Not only was Carew immortalized in Cooperstown, both clubs retired his number.