In April of 2012, Alex Rodriguez hit his 631st home run passing which slugger?

In April 2012, Alex Rodriguez passed Ken Griffey Jr. on the career home-run list. Rodriguez hit his 631st home run on April 20, moving into fifth place all-time at that point.

The milestone came one week after Rodriguez’s 630th home run, which had tied him with Griffey. His 631st homer therefore carried special significance: it was not simply another addition to his total, but the hit that moved him ahead of one of baseball’s most celebrated power hitters.

Rodriguez reached the mark as a member of the New York Yankees. Griffey had finished his career with 630 home runs, a total built across 22 major-league seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox.

The ranking later changed as other players passed both men, so the wording is tied specifically to 2012. Another nearby fact often causes confusion: Rodriguez’s 630th home run tied Griffey, while the 631st passed him.