In the first inning of tonight's Cincinnati-Florida game, Ken Griffey Jr. ended the chase for 600 home runs with a 413-foot bomb into the right field stands.

It was a 3-1 pitch from Florida's Mark Hendrickson with Jerry Hairston on third and one out that became No. 600 in Griffey's 20-year career.

Here's more information on the home run:

- Griffey's 600th was his 286th home run on the road.  He hit 22 in the Metrodome and 18 at Yankee Stadium and Angel Stadium.  His home run tonight at Dolphin Stadium was his fifth in 25 games at the park.

- Most of Griffey's home runs came in the first inning.  Monday night's blast was his 105th in the first inning.

- Situationally, it was Griffey's 189th with one on, his 145th with a runner in scoring position, his 207th with one out and 25th with a 3-1 count.

- It was the second time in his career that Griffey homered off of Mark Hendrickson in 12 plate appearances.  Hendrickson was the only current Marlin pitcher that Griffey had ever homered off of.  Griffey's favorite victim, David Wells, gave up eight homers to Junior in his career.

600 HOME RUN CLUB

1. Barry Bonds - 762
2. Hank Aaron - 755
3. Babe Ruth - 714
4. Willie Mays - 660
5. Sammy Sosa - 609
6. Ken Griffey Jr. - 600

The Griffey Home Run Timeline

As A Seattle Mariner:

CAREER HR #1 - April 10, 1989 - vs. Chicago White Sox (Eric King)
CAREER HR #100 - June 15, 1993 - vs. Kansas City Royals (Billy Brewer)
CAREER HR #200 - May 21, 1996 - at Boston Red Sox (Vaughn Eshelman)
CAREER HR #300 - April 13, 1998 - at Cleveland Indians (Jose Mesa)
CAREER HR #398 - September 22, 1999 - vs. Kansas City Royals (Jay Witasick) *LAST AS A MARINER*

As A Cincinnati Red:

CAREER HR #400 - April 10, 2000 - at Colorado Rockies (Rolando Arrojo)
CAREER HR #500 - June 20, 2004 - at Saint Louis Cardinals (Matt Morris)
CAREER HR #600 - June 9, 2008 - at Florida Marlins (Mark Hendrickson)

Update

I've attached a spreadsheet of every career home run hit by Junior...courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds ~ JH

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a sprained left knee.  The move was retroactive to Saturday and allowed the Brewers to replace the injured Weeks on the roster with utilityman Hernan Iribarren.

Weeks injured himself in Friday night's game in Colorado and was diagnosed with a knee sprain last night.  The injury needs rest and rehab to heal but no surgery is required.  Weeks was hitting .210 with seven homers and 20 RBI with 10 steals in 59 games.

Iribarren was recalled from Triple-A Nashville and will be available for Tuesday's game against Houston.  In Nashville, Iribarren hit .273 with 14 steals and has the tools to lead-off.

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The Cleveland Indians sent down second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and recalled Josh Barfield from Triple-A Buffalo.  Last August, Cabrera took Barfield's spot on the roster. 

Cabrera struggled this season.  In 52 games, Cabrera hit .184 with a home run and 14 RBI.  His season has not been filled with highlights but he did turn the 14th unassisted triple play in Major League history earlier this season.

Barfield, 25, started at second base in 2006 with the Padres and most of 2007 with the Indians before losing his spot to Cabrera.  With Triple-A Buffalo, Barfield hit .255 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 62 games.  Barfield played 280 games in his two seasons in the Major League and hit .264 with 16 homers and 108 RBI and 125 runs scored. 

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On Saturday, the Dodgers added Angel Berroa to their Major League roster.  Today, struggling shortstop Chin-lung Hu was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas.  The move leaves a roster spot open for the expected return of utilityman Andy LaRoche who was injured prior to the start of the season.

Hu made the roster out of spring training due to a myriad of injuries to the team then was thrust into the starting shortstop role after Rafael Furcal went on the DL with a bad back.  Hu struggled at the plate with a .159 batting average and .224 on-base percentage in 49 games.  Hu played error-free ball in 28 games at shortstop but his seven RBI and 13 runs scored in 49 games made him too much of an offensive liability to continue to move forward with.

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The last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place to wrap up the Sidney Ponson issue in Texas.  The Rangers have announced Eric Hurley from Triple-A Oklahoma to take Ponson's spot in the rotation.  No official announcement has been made but Hurley will be recalled on Thursday and step into the role of the fifth starter.

In 13 starts in Oklahoma, Hurley went 2-5 with a 5.30 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings.  The 22-year-old Hurley was a first round pick of the Rangers in 2004.  In 2007, Hurley was a Texas League All-Star before moving up to Triple-A Oklahoma and was a combined 11-9 with a 4.00 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 162 innings at Double-A and Triple-A.

 

...The House Oversight and Government Reform committee chairman Henry Waxman is now disputing the testimony given by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Players Union head Donald Fehr  in 2005 regarding drug testing.

"It's clear that some of the information Major League Baseball and the players union gave the committee in 2005 was inaccurate," Waxman said in a written statement. "It isn't clear whether this was intentional or just reflects confusion over the testing program for 2003 and 2004. In any case, the misinformation is unacceptable."

This all comes less than three weeks after Major League Baseball and the players put into motion a new and tougher drug testing program.

...The Tampa Bay Rays will soon have Closer Troy Percival back in the pen by Friday when he's activated from the Disabled List. Which leaves the Rays with a problem, who to demote? Right now the name being brought up is Grant Balfour - though he's pitched well enough that it's going to be a tough call on just who gets a ticket to Durham.

...Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, will get a look at the Chicago Cubs book's today as he gets to see what Sam Zell (current owner) is selling. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Cuban was on local radio on Friday basically stumping for the chance to purchase the Cubs. It also could be possible that Zell, sells Wrigley Field as well.

It's a bit of a slow Monday as a lot of teams have the day off, I'm sure there will be more as the day progresses.