Sosa joins 600-homer club

~ The Rangers slugger hit No. 600 against his former team the Cubs.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Sammy Sosa's 600th homer resembled so many that came before -- except this time the Chicago Cubs were on the other side.

Playing for the Texas Rangers after a year out of baseball, Sosa became the fifth member of the 600-homer club Wednesday night when he connected against his former team.

After driving a 1-2 pitch to right-center for a solo shot in the fifth inning of Texas' 7-3 victory, Slammin' Sammy bounced out of the batter's box with his trademark hop and thrust his right fist into the air before reaching first base. He was mobbed at home plate by his teammates while the scoreboard showed pictures of all five members of the elite club: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sosa.

"It was something that cannot be explained," Sosa said. "Getting my 600th against the Chicago Cubs, and my first team [was] the Texas Rangers. It's like everything clicked. My emotions, I don't know what they are."

Sosa played for the Cubs from 1992-2004, winning the '98 NL MVP award and making seven All-Star teams while hitting 545 homers with Chicago.

No. 600 came off Jason Marquis (5-4), the 364th pitcher the 38-year-old Sosa has homered off in his 18 major league seasons.

"It was a cutter I left up in the zone," Marquis said. "I went away from my strength and he made me pay for it. Other than the fact that it cost us the game, it doesn't really matter."

It was Sosa's 12th homer in 62 games this season.