Every member of the 3,000-hit club
The 3,000-hit club is one of the most famous, and one of the most exclusive, in all of baseball.
The players who have gotten 3,000 hits in the Major Leagues are few and far between. They are legends of the game -- nearly all of the 33 members are Hall of Famers or soon-to-be Hall of Famers, or are locks for Cooperstown once they retire.
Here is every member of the 3,000-hit club, listed in chronological order of when they got their 3,000th hit, starting with the most recent.
Miguel Cabrera
3,000th hit: April 23, 2022 (Single)
Team: Tigers
Career hits: 3,174
Cabrera punched a single into right field against the Rockies' Antonio Senzatela for his 3,000th hit in front of his home crowd at Detroit¡¯s Comerica Park, making him the 33rd player to reach the milestone. The two-time AL MVP and Triple Crown winner became the first Venezuelan player and seventh Latin American player to reach 3,000 hits.
Cabrera also joined another, even more exclusive club with the knock, becoming the seventh player to record 3,000 hits and 500 homers. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez preceded Cabrera in achieving both feats. More >
Albert Pujols
3,000th hit: May 4, 2018 (Single)
Team: Angels
Career hits: 3,384
The former 13th-round Draft pick took the Major Leagues by storm in 2001, and continued to etch his name in history when he hit a soft liner to right field at Safeco Field in Seattle for his 3,000th hit. Pujols was only the fourth player to collect 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez.
"There are so many people -- if I start thanking them all we might be here to till 2 in the morning," Pujols said. "In the Dominican Republic, there were 10 million-plus people staying up and missing sleep over the last couple days waiting for this moment. This is a moment that I share with my friend Adrian Beltre, who accomplished that last year. To be able to come to the United States and be the second Dominican-born player to accomplish that is pretty special." More >
Adrian Beltre
3,000th hit: July 30, 2017 (Double)
Team: Rangers
Career hits: 3,166
The fan-favorite third baseman notched his 3,000th career hit in front of his family and home crowd -- with 32,437 fans in attendance at Globe Life Park in Arlington, as well as Beltre's wife and children. Beltre ripped a double down the third-base line for hit No. 3,000, becoming the first Dominican-born player to reach the milestone.
"I thought, 'This has to be it,'" Beltre said after the game. "'I don't want to have the fans waiting, my family is waiting for it. I don't want to drag it one more day.'" More >
Ichiro Suzuki
3,000th hit: Aug. 7, 2016 (Triple)
Team: Marlins
Career hits: 3,089
Ichiro didn't come to the Major Leagues until age 27, after nine years and 1,278 hits in Japan playing for Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Blue Wave. But that didn't stop him from reaching one of MLB's most prestigious milestones. The seven-time Major League single-season hits leader collected his 3,000th with a towering triple off the right-field wall at Coors Field, becoming just the second player, after Paul Molitor, to join the 3,000-hit club with a triple. Only Cap Anson (45) and Rickey Henderson (42) were as old as Ichiro (42) when they got their 3,000th hits.
"More than the number 3,000 itself," Ichiro would say afterward, "when I saw the teammates come out and how happy they were and how warm the fans were -- it's not about just the 3,000 and what I did, it's about my teammates and my fans. That's powerful today."
Alex Rodriguez
3,000th hit: June 19, 2015 (Home Run)
Team: Yankees
Career hits: 3,115
With specially marked balls ready at Yankee Stadium and 44,588 fans ready to see history, Rodriguez stepped to the plate in the first inning and immediately delivered. A-Rod drove a 95-mph fastball from Justin Verlander into the right-field porch in the Bronx, reaching 3,000 hits with a home run. He was just the third player to do so, but the second in a row -- his fellow Yankee, Derek Jeter, had done the same in 2011.
"I'm grateful. I'm extremely appreciative to the Yankees giving me an opportunity to put the uniform back on," Rodriguez said, having returned from a season-long suspension in 2014. "There were days last year that I never thought I would sometimes get that uniform back on and to be able to play in this stadium in front of these fans. And for that I'm thankful to the Steinbrenner family and the whole Yankee organization." More >
Derek Jeter
3,000th hit: July 9, 2011 (Home Run)
Team: Yankees
Career hits: 3,465
The Captain walked to the plate in the third inning at Yankee Stadium to chants of "Derek Jeter!" from the crowd of 48,103. The franchise icon had notched hit No. 2,999 in his first at-bat, and he wasted no time getting to 3,000. Jeter launched David Price's offering into the left-field bleachers to join the 3,000-hit club. It was his second of five hits in the game.
Jeter was the second player to join the club with a home run, after Wade Boggs in 1999. He was also the fourth-youngest at age 37, with only Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron and Robin Yount younger when they got their 3,000th hits. The only other 3,000-hit club members who spent most of their careers at shortstop were Yount, Cal Ripken Jr. and Honus Wagner.
Craig Biggio
3,000th hit: June 28, 2007 (Single)
Team: Astros
Career hits: 3,060
Biggio's 3,000th hit came in front of 42,537 fans at Minute Maid Park, in a game where the longtime Astros second baseman put on a show. Biggio racked up five hits in the game -- including No. 3,000, a game-tying single in the seventh inning of Houston's 11-inning victory over the Rockies. (Interestingly, Biggio was actually thrown out on the play, trying to stretch his single into a double.) He became the first player to reach 3,000 hits in a five-hit game. Jeter would later join him.
Rafael Palmeiro
3,000th hit: July 15, 2005 (Double)
Team: Orioles
Career hits: 3,020
Palmeiro was an elite slugger for the Orioles in the 1990s, and he returned to Baltimore to wrap up his Major League career from 2004-05. In the summer of his final season, Palmeiro reached the 3,000-hit plateau with an RBI double against the Mariners in Seattle. Palmeiro, who also hit 569 home runs in his career, is one of seven players with both 3,000 hits and 500 homers, along with Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, A-Rod, Eddie Murray, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.
"I was numb going around the bases," Palmeiro would say after the game. "I don't remember much."
Rickey Henderson
3,000th hit: Oct. 7, 2001 (Double)
Team: Padres
Career hits: 3,055
Henderson got No. 3,000 in the very last game of the season. Batting in his usual spot at the top of the order, Rickey led off the bottom of the first inning in San Diego with a bloop double on the very first pitch he saw. There was a huge crowd on hand at Qualcomm Stadium -- 60,103 fans -- because it was also the final game of Tony Gwynn's career. (Gwynn himself had been a member of the 3,000-hit club since 1999.) They got to see Henderson make history, too.
Cal Ripken Jr.
3,000th hit: April 15, 2000 (Single)
Team: Orioles
Career hits: 3,184
Ripken had already cemented his legacy by playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games. But he added another milestone to his Hall of Fame career by joining the 3,000-hit club at the Metrodome in Minnesota. Ripken lined a single to center field for the milestone hit, and was met by Murray, the first-base coach, who was not just a member of the 3,000-hit club himself, but achieved the milestone at the Metrodome, too, in 1995.
"I was relieved; I felt a weight was lifted from my shoulders," Ripken said. "I thought about how lucky you are and how you started."
Wade Boggs
3,000th hit: Aug. 7, 1999 (Home Run)
Team: Devil Rays
Career hits: 3,010
Boggs was the first to join the 3,000-hit club with a home run. He also was the final player to reach 3,000 hits before the turn of the millennium. As 39,512 fans looked on and cameras flashed in the stands at Tropicana Field, the five-time batting champion launched hit No. 3,000 into the right-field seats. Boggs just so happened to record his 3,000th hit on the night after Tony Gwynn had recorded his, making them the only two players to join the 3,000-hit club on back-to-back days.
Tony Gwynn
3,000th hit: Aug. 6, 1999 (Single)
Team: Padres
Career hits: 3,141
One of the great pure hitters of all time, Gwynn reached 3,000 hits a day before Boggs in Tampa Bay. The Padres legend got the big hit in Montreal, at Olympic Stadium, with a line drive to right-center field. That made him the first player to notch his 3,000th hit outside the United States. He was the third-fastest player to 3,000 hits, reaching the milestone in his 2,284th game.
"When you talk about 3,000 hits, you talk about passion and a love for the game," Gwynn said afterward. "I love playing the game."
Paul Molitor
3,000th hit: Sept. 16, 1996 (Triple)
Team: Twins
Career hits: 3,319
Since joined by Ichiro, Molitor was the first player whose 3,000th hit was a triple. He reached the milestone at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, driving the hit deep into the right-center-field gap, just between the outfielders. It was Molitor's 211th hit of the season, en route to a league-leading total of 225.
"To just be engulfed by my teammates at third base, and seeing my family there, were very nice visual pictures I can hang on to," Molitor said after the game.
Eddie Murray
3,000th hit: June 30, 1995 (Single)
Team: Indians
Career hits: 3,255
Like his fellow Orioles icon Ripken, Murray got his 3,000th hit at the Metrodome, reaching the mark with a ground-ball base hit to right field. He became just the second switch-hitter to join the 3,000-hit club, after MLB's hit king, Pete Rose. Murray's hit gave the Indians the last two players to reach 3,000, as teammate Dave Winfield had done so in 1993.
"It feels good to get it out of the way," Murray said after the game. "I hope things get back to normal. It'll be a lot better once I'm done playing. I never set 3,000 as a goal. I know there were people out there happier than I was. It's not what I was focused on."
Dave Winfield
3,000th hit: Sept. 16, 1993 (Single)
Team: Twins
Career hits: 3,110
Winfield's 3,000th hit was extra special because he did it for his hometown team. A St. Paul, Minn., native, Winfield didn't play for the Twins until the tail end of his career, but that was perfect timing for the fans to see him reach his milestone hit. Winfield got it with a ground-ball single through the left side of the infield in front of 14,654 fans at the Metrodome.
George Brett
3,000th hit: Sept. 30, 1992 (Single)
Team: Royals
Career hits: 3,154
Brett's 3,000th hit was the last in a four-hit game in the closing days of the 1992 season. He lined a single up the middle off the Angels' Tim Fortugno at Anaheim Stadium to join the 3,000-hit club. Coincidentally, exactly 24 years after Brett recorded his 3,000th hit, another memorable Royals moment would take place. On Sept. 30, 2014, the Royals staged their remarkable comeback win over the A's in the American League Wild Card Game, with Brett watching from general manager Dayton Moore's suite.
Robin Yount
3,000th hit: Sept. 9, 1992 (Single)
Team: Brewers
Career hits: 3,142
There was a crowd of 47,589 on hand at Milwaukee's County Stadium to see the greatest player in franchise history get his 3,000th hit. It was the final game of the Brewers' homestand, and Yount was hitless in his first three at-bats, but he finally got the milestone in the seventh inning in front of the home crowd. When Yount lined a base hit over second base and into right-center field off the Indians' Jose Mesa, the fans erupted.
Rod Carew
3,000th hit: Aug. 4, 1985 (Single)
Team: Angels
Career hits: 3,053
Carew's 3,000th hit brought together the two fan bases he played his entire career in front of -- his second team, the Angels, was hosting his first team, the Twins, on a sunny afternoon at Anaheim Stadium. When Carew flared hit No. 3,000 into short left field and pulled into first base, he doffed his helmet to the crowd of 41,630, who gave him a standing ovation.
"I'm just very glad it's over," said the seven-time batting champion. "Now I can sleep at night. After so many years, it's a very emotional thing for me."
Carl Yastrzemski
3,000th hit: Sept. 12, 1979 (Single)
Team: Red Sox
Career hits: 3,419
Yastrzemski got his 3,000th hit just in time, in his last at-bat and in front of 34,337 Fenway faithful, before the Red Sox embarked on a long road trip. He'd been stuck on 2,999 for three days. But with a simple single through the right side of the infield, he reached the milestone 3,000. Yaz was met at first base by his son Carl Jr., teammates, coaches and fans.
"I know one thing," he said, addressing the crowd. "This was the hardest of the 3,000. I took so long because I enjoyed all those standing ovations you gave me the last three days."
Lou Brock
3,000th hit: Aug. 13, 1979 (Single)
Team: Cardinals
Career hits: 3,023
Brock got his 3,000th hit in his final Major League season, in front of the St. Louis fans who'd been watching him for a decade and a half. There were 44,457 in attendance for the game against the Cubs when Brock got No. 3,000, a comebacker off pitcher Dennis Lamp. The scoreboard flashed "3,000" and Brock was greeted by his teammates at first base. He then saluted the crowd as it gave him a long ovation.
Pete Rose
3,000th hit: May 5, 1978 (Single)
Team: Reds
Career hits: 4,256
Charlie Hustle has more hits than any player in the history of Major League Baseball. He notched No. 3,000 and still had more than 1,000 hits left in him. Rose's 3,000th hit of his 4,256 in the Majors was a line-drive single to left field in front of 37,823 fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. As Rose stood on first base after the hit, he was congratulated by the Expos' first baseman -- none other than Tony Perez, Rose's longtime teammate on the Big Red Machine.
Al Kaline
3,000th hit: Sept. 24, 1974 (Double)
Team: Tigers
Career hits: 3,007
The Tigers legend ripped an opposite-field double for his milestone hit near the end of the 1974 season, pulling into second as the scoreboard flashed his achievement. He didn't do it in his home stadium, but he did do it in his hometown of Baltimore, notching the hit off the Orioles' Dave McNally at Memorial Stadium. After Kaline's double, the next 3,000-hit club member to join with an extra-base hit would be Molitor, with eight singles in between.
Roberto Clemente
3,000th hit: Sept. 30, 1972 (Double)
Team: Pirates
Career hits: 3,000
Clemente's final Major League hit was No. 3,000. One of the iconic figures in the history of the game, Clemente doubled against the Mets' Jon Matlack in the closing days of the 1972 season, at the Pirates' Three Rivers Stadium. Clemente would tragically die in a plane crash that winter while flying from his native Puerto Rico to Nicaragua to help earthquake victims there. But his legacy lives on.
Willie Mays
3,000th hit: July 18, 1970 (Single)
Team: Giants
Career hits: 3,283
The "Say Hey Kid" became the first member of the 3,000-hit club to accomplish the feat on the West Coast when he smacked a single into left field against the Expos with 28,879 fans looking on at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Mays' 3,000th hit came a little more than two months after Hank Aaron's, marking the third time two players had recorded career hit No. 3,000 in the same season. Mays is the only Giants player with 3,000 hits.
Hank Aaron
3,000th hit: May 17, 1970 (Single)
Team: Braves
Career hits: 3,771
Aaron was one of the most complete hitters to ever play the game. He of course ranks second all-time with 755 home runs, first in RBIs with 2,297 and third in hits with 3,771. His most famous milestone achievement was his 715th home run, which surpassed Babe Ruth for the MLB record until Barry Bonds, in turn, surpassed Aaron. But Hammerin' Hank's 3,000th hit was a big milestone, too. He did the honors with a single in the second game of a doubleheader at Cincinnati's Crosley Field. Stan Musial, the last player to enter the 3,000-hit club, was there to present Aaron with the ball.
"I always said the one thing that out of my 23 years I played baseball -- the thing I am most proud of -- I was able to get as many hits as I did," Aaron told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2015. "The most important thing in my career out of the 23 years I played is I never struck out 100 times. Getting the base hits was the greatest thrill of my life."
Stan Musial
3,000th hit: May 13, 1958 (Double)
Team: Cardinals
Career hits: 3,630
"Stan The Man" got his 3,000th hit at Wrigley Field. At first, the Cardinals had planned to sit Musial, as they were about to return to Busch Stadium where he could achieve the milestone in front of his home crowd. But manager Fred Hutchinson decided to use Musial as a pinch-hitter, and Musial delivered a line-drive double to left field for hit No. 3,000. That makes him the only member of the 3,000-hit club to join it with a pinch-hit.
"It was a curveball. I was just trying to meet the ball," Musial said after the game. "He had two strikes on me, and I was just trying to meet the ball and get a hit there somewhere."
Paul Waner
3,000th hit: June 19, 1942 (Single)
Team: Braves
Career hits: 3,152
Waner was the first National Leaguer to enter the 3,000-hit club since Honus Wagner in 1914, with four American Leaguers joining in between. He accomplished the feat against his longtime club, the Pirates, with whom he had starred for the first 15 seasons of his career. As Waner collected his 3,000th hit off former teammate Rip Sewell, the eventual next member of the 3,000-hit club was just beginning his Major League career -- 1942 was Musial's first full season.
Eddie Collins
3,000th hit: June 3, 1925 (Single)
Team: White Sox
Career hits: 3,314
The day Collins got his 3,000th hit for the White Sox, it just so happened that the opposing team was the Tigers, and the center fielder was Ty Cobb, one of the two active 3,000-hit club members along with Tris Speaker. Collins singled off Detroit's Rip Collins at Navin Field in Detroit to become the third. It was the first time a 3,000-hit club member was on the field when another joined.
Tris Speaker
3,000th hit: May 17, 1925 (Single)
Team: Indians
Career hits: 3,515
Just over a decade after Nap Lajoie accomplished the feat, Speaker, another Indians great, notched his 3,000th hit. Speaker had come to Cleveland two seasons after Lajoie left, and he won the Triple Crown in his first year with the Indians. He was in his 10th season with the team when he got hit No. 3,000, a single off the Washington Senators' Tom Zachary at Dunn Field before a listed crowd of 20,000.
Ty Cobb
3,000th hit: Aug. 19, 1921 (Single)
Team: Tigers
Career hits: 4,191
Cobb, a true legend of the game, was the first member of the 4,000-hit club -- a group that has a membership of just two: Cobb and Rose. The all-time batting-average leader with a .366 career mark, Cobb was already approaching his 3,000th hit in his age-34 season. He got it with a single in the second game of a doubleheader against the Red Sox, just two weeks after the first-ever radio broadcast of an MLB game. Cobb is the youngest player to reach 3,000th hits.
Nap Lajoie
3,000th hit: Sept. 27, 1914 (Double)
Team: Indians
Career hits: 3,252
Lajoie was the second of two Hall of Famers to reach 3,000 hits in 1914, with Honus Wagner being the first. The longtime face of the Indians franchise -- the team was actually renamed the Naps while Lajoie played there because of his popularity -- was in what would be his last season with Cleveland. The two-time Triple Crown winner got his 3,000th hit in a doubleheader against the Yankees, knocking a double off Marty McHale. He was the first American Leaguer in the 3,000-hit club.
Honus Wagner
3,000th hit: June 9, 1914 (Double)
Team: Pirates
Career hits: 3,430
The legendary shortstop collected his 3,000th hit more than a century ago, but even then 3,000 hits was a milestone. In fact, Wagner told The Pittsburgh Press just after he got his hit against the Phillies: "Well, I'm glad that's over. Now, maybe I can get a hit once in a while. Sometimes I believe too much newspaper talk hurts a fellow, that it acts as a sort of jinx. I never tried harder in my life than I did in the series at Philadelphia, and what did I do? I didn't get a hit in two games and then in the next two I got a couple, one for each game. That's no hitting at all."
Cap Anson
3,000th hit: July 18, 1897 (Single)
Team: Cubs
Career hits: 3,011
The first member of the 3,000-hit club, Anson had the milestone under his belt before the modern era began. The Hall of Famer, a four-time batting champion and eight-time RBI leader who played most of his career for the Cubs franchise -- before it even became the Cubs -- knocked a single for No. 3,000 in his final Major League season, at age 45.