Consistent Palmeiro closes in on 500th home run

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Rafael Palmeiro leaves the struts and home run poses to others. He does quite nicely without all the bluster.

The Texas Rangers' first baseman simply goes out and plays. And few have done it with such proficiency and consistency.

Palmeiro has never led the league in home runs, never played in a World Series and never been voted an All-Star starter. But he is the only player to hit at least 38 homers in eight straight seasons, and had more than 100 RBIs each year.

"He doesn't do it with the flash or notoriety of some other guys who get mentioned more," Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina said. "But he plays a position where you expect a lot of home runs and RBIs, and he produces them."

Palmeiro has a smooth, seemingly effortless left-handed swing. Now he is just two homers shy of becoming the 19th major leaguer to hit 500.

"He may not get noticed as much, but 500 home runs is 500 home runs," said Mussina, a teammate of Palmeiro's in Baltimore.

Palmeiro gets a chance for the milestone at home when the Rangers start a six-game homestand today against Toronto and Cleveland.

Only Sammy Sosa, who hit his 500th homer on April 4, and Barry Bonds, the single-season record holder and a member of the 600-homer club, have more homers than Palmeiro in the past 10 years. Only Sosa has driven in more runs.

Out of the headlines

Still, Palmeiro doesn't grab headlines like Sosa, Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, his teammate in Texas. Many fans might know Palmeiro best from his TV and print ads for Viagra.

"I don't know how anyone could hit a quiet 500 homers. But it seems he has," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.

The Indians didn't give up a homer to Palmeiro in three games over the weekend, leaving the slugger at 498, eight of them in 28 games this season.

"When I started out, my goal simply was to have a career, to make a living as a major league ballplayer," said Palmeiro, who turns 39 in September. "I really didn't set any type of statistical goals, so reaching 500 homers would be very special. It's an extremely elite group."

Only three members of the 500-homer club aren't in the Hall of Fame: Bonds and Sosa, who are still playing, and Mark McGwire, who hasn't been out of baseball the required five years to be considered.

Palmeiro also has been overshadowed by more prominent teammates.

"I don't play for the recognition," he said. "I play because I love the game because I want to win a World Series."

The closest he has gotten was during his five seasons in Baltimore (1994-98) when the Orioles lost to Cleveland in six games in the 1997 AL championship series.

In Baltimore, Palmeiro homered twice in Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game that broke Lou Gehrig's record. Palmeiro was also the one who pushed Ripken out of the dugout for a victory lap when that game became official.

Ripken said he was "in awe" of Palmeiro while they were together, and considers Palmeiro and Eddie Murray, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, the best teammates he had.

Palmeiro went to Baltimore as a free agent after 37 homers and 105 RBIs for the Rangers in 1993. Five years later, he returned to Texas where Rodriguez has been the focal point since signing a record $252 million, 10-year contract before the 2001 season.

"He's been a great role model for me and younger players," Rodriguez said. "He's amazing."

Palmeiro has a .293 career average, 2,661 hits, 527 doubles, 1,593 RBIs and 1,476 runs in 2,441. He has three Gold Gloves. He never has been on the disabled list, averaging 157 games a year since 1988.

Chicago drafted him in the first round in 1985. Palmeiro hit just 25 homers in 258 games for the Cubs before being traded to Texas after the 1988 season.

In his first season in Texas, Palmeiro hit eight homers in 156 games, and then led the AL with 191 hits with just 14 homers in 1990. Palmeiro had 203 hits, a league-high 49 doubles and 26 homers in 1991.

As he got stronger, Palmeiro learned to pull the ball, and the numbers started to build.

"He's developed into as good an RBI guy, a run producer, as there is in our league," Mussina said.

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AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker and AP Sports Writer Tom Withers contributed to this report.