THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL July 15: Vladimir Guerrero gets his 1,000th career RBI

Bleacher Report, Sports Poster Warehouse, Latino Baseball Illustration

Vladimir Guerrero was at the top of his game and just about halfway through his Hall of Fame career when he became the seventh-fastest player to knock in his 1,000th career RBI on this day in béisbol, July 15, 2006. 

The Anaheim Angels outfielder reached the milestone with a first inning-single in an eventual 9-2 victory over the Devils Rays in Anaheim.

The 30-year-old Guerrero, the defending American League MVP, would come in third in 2006’s Most Valuable Player voting. He ended the season with 32 home runs, 108 RBIs and a .317 average.

Also on this day: Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro collected the 3,000th hit of his career, becoming only the 26th man to reach the lofty milestone. He joined Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Eddie Murphy as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. But his Cooperstown-worthy accomplishments were tainted just a few weeks later when he tested positive for steroid use.

— Robert Dominguez

Robert Dominguez is co-author of “Bronx Bummers: The Unofficial History of the New York Yankees’ Bad Boys, Blunders and Brawls” and writer of the upcoming “El Salón: The Trials and Triumphs of Baseball’s Latino Hall of Famers.”

rdominguez@latinobaseball.com

Photo source:  Derral Chen — Under Creative Commons License