Leading Off

755
Within a span of 34 hours three major league superstars reached milestones that put them in the company of baseball's immortals. A celebration of the celebrations, beginning with Barry Bonds's hugging son Nikolai after pounding the home run that tied him with Hank Aaron, plays out on these and the following pages. Bonds, whose blast came last Saturday night in San Diego (page 44), proceeded from home plate to the stands, where daughter Aisha Lynn gave the Giants slugger the sweetest reward of all.

500
It took him 10 days to make the big jump from 499 to his landmark home run, but Alex Rodriguez finally did it on a pitch from the Royals' Kyle Davies last Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Even after he mashed the ball, A-Rod had to wait: Was it fair or foul? But when his shot landed just inside the leftfield pole, the pent-up pressure poured out of him (inset). "I acted like a goofball running around the bases," he said later.

300
It was fitting that the unassuming lefthanded ace Tom Glavine was standing in an alcove of the Mets dugout on Sunday night, when closer Billy Wagner saved his milestone victory. Having been lifted in the middle of the seventh inning, Glavine calmly walked back onto the field to congratulate—and receive congratulations from—teammates for the 8--3 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field (page 86). After every man in a New York uniform had been acknowledged, Glavine shared his special moment with proud family members, including oldest son Jonathan (inset).

For more Leading Off pictures, go to SI.com/photo.

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Photograph by Brad Mangin

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ROBERT BECK

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Photograph by John Iacono

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CHUCK SOLOMON

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Photographs by John Biever