Gary Sheffield joined the 500-homer club in the New York Mets' 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. The nine-time All-Star was on as a pinch hitter and sent a full-count pitch an estimated 385 feet for his first hit of the season for the Mets, making him the 25th player in major league history to reach the milestone. New York picked him up after he was cut by the Detroit Tigers the last week of spring training.
Ryan Braun hit a three-run homer to give Milwaukee a 4-3 lead in the sixth before Sheffield connected off Mitch Stetter, who was facing his first batter in relief of Dave Bush. Luis Castillo drove in the winning run with a two-out single in the ninth inning. (More Gary Sheffield stories.)