Biggio collects 3,000th hit at home against Rockies

HOUSTON -- Craig Biggio became the 27th player to reach 3,000 career hits Thursday night with a single to center field in the seventh inning.

The Astros second baseman was thrown out trying to stretch the play into a double on his third hit of the night against the Rockies. The hit also tied the game at 1-1.

He added his fourth hit on a single to right field in the ninth for his first four-hit game of the season.

Biggio is the first player in two seasons to reach 3,000 hits. Rafael Palmeiro reached it on July 15, 2005, with Baltimore.

The 41-year-old, who entered the season needing 70 hits to reach the milestone, has played his entire 20-year career with the Astros, making him the longest tenured player in franchise history.

The sellout crowd stood and chanted "Bi-ggi-o" at each bat and cameras twinkled with each pitch. Fans held signs that read "Mr. 3,000" and "Biggio's Hit Parade." One woman wore an orange shirt that featured block letters that read "Biggio" and "3,000."

His 3,000th hit came one day shy of the 19th anniversary of his first career hit, a single off Orel Hershiser on June 29, 1988.

Fireworks went off, the counter in left-center field with red illuminated numbers ticked to 3,000 and a giant banner with his picture and 3,000 that spanned from the train track to the roof of the stadium was unveiled after the hit.

Everyone on the team, including those in the bullpen, stormed the field to congratulate Biggio. His wife Patty, sons Conor and Cavan, and daughter Quinn also joined in the celebration. His sons were in the dugout acting as bat boys.

He kissed his wife and held his 7-year-old daughter in the air.

He went to the dugout and hugged everyone while the crowd continued to go wild. Biggio then pulled Jeff Bagwell out of the dugout and returned with him to the field, where they stood arm and arm. Biggio and Bagwell played together for 15 seasons before Bagwell retired in December.

Biggio's first hit of the night came on a single to center field in the third inning.

The second hit, also a single, came on a grounder to third base in the fifth. Garrett Atkins badly overthrew first base on the play, leaving the official scorer to pause for several tense seconds before calling it a single and ruling an error allowed Biggio to advance to second.