A-Rod gets 600th homer as Yankees beat Jays 5-1

NEW YORK - After all his struggles to hit his 600th home run, Alex Rodriguez reached the milestone with style.

A-Rod became the youngest player to attain the mighty mark, driving a pitch into Yankee Stadium's Monument Park in centre field exactly three years to the day after his 500th homer.

His two-run, first-inning drive off Toronto's Shaun Marcum put New York ahead, and the Yankees coasted to a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on a sweltering Wednesday afternoon to end a three-game losing streak.

A-Rod reached the milestone after a 12-game drought, connecting with a 2-0 pitch over the middle of the plate for his 17th home run of the season. Because Rodriguez homered into Monument Park, a stadium worker could retrieve the ball for him.

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  New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez connects for his 600th career home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010. (AP / Kathy Willens)