3,000-hit club

Pete Rose is the all-time MLB hits leader with 4,256 hits.

The 3,000-hit club is the group of 33 batters who have collected 3,000 or more regular-season hits in their careers in Major League Baseball (MLB). Reaching 3,000 hits has, "long considered the greatest measure of superior bat handling" and is often described as a guarantee of eventual entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cap Anson was the first MLB player to reach 3,000 hits, although his precise career hit total is unclear. Two players—Nap Lajoie and Honus Wagner—reached 3,000 hits during the 1914 season. Ty Cobb did so in 1921 and became the first player in MLB history to reach 4,000 hits in 1927, ultimately finishing his career with 4,189. Pete Rose, the current hit leader, became the second player to reach 4,000 hits on April 13, 1984, and surpassed Cobb in September 1985, finishing his career with 4,256. Roberto Clemente's career ended with precisely 3,000 hits, which he reached in the last at bat of his career on September 30, 1972.

Of the 33 members, 18 were right-handed batters, 13 were left-handed, and two were switch hitters. The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers are the only franchises to see three players reach 3,000 hits while on their roster: for Cleveland, Lajoie, while the team was the Naps, Tris Speaker, and most recently Eddie Murray, both when the franchise was known as the Indians, and, for the Tigers, Cobb, Al Kaline, and most recently Miguel Cabrera. Ten of these players have played for only one major league team. Seven players—Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Miguel Cabrera—are also members of the 500 home run club. Cobb holds the highest career batting average at .366, while Cal Ripken Jr. holds the lowest at .276. Derek Jeter, Wade Boggs, and Alex Rodriguez are the only players to hit a home run for their 3,000th hit, and Paul Molitor and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to hit a triple for their 3,000th; all others hit a single or double. Stan Musial was the first to collect an extra-base hit for his 3,000th hit, and is also the only one to have done so as a pinch-hitter. Craig Biggio is the only player to be thrown out for his 3,000th hit, while attempting to stretch the hit into a double. Biggio and Jeter are the only players whose 3,000th hit came in a game where they had five hits; Jeter reached base safely in all of his at bats. The most recent player to reach 3,000 hits is Cabrera, who did so on April 23, 2022, while playing for the Detroit Tigers.

All eligible players with 3,000 or more career hits have been elected to the Hall except Palmeiro and Rodriguez, whose careers have been tainted by steroid allegations, and since 1962 all except Biggio were elected on the first ballot. Rose is ineligible for the Hall of Fame because he was permanently banned from baseball in 1989. After four years on the ballot, Palmeiro failed to be named on 5% of ballots in 2014, after which his name was removed from the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots, although it is possible that the Veterans Committee could select him. Rodriguez garnered 34.3% of the vote during his first year of eligibility in 2022. Twenty-one different teams have had a player reach 3,000 hits. Cabrera, Pujols, and Suzuki are not yet eligible for the Hall because they haven’t been retired for 5 years.

Key

Cap Anson reached 3,000 hits on July 18, 1897. He was the first, and, as of 2022, the oldest player to reach the mark.

In 1927, Ty Cobb became the first player to collect 4,000 hits. He remains the youngest player to reach 3,000 hits, doing so at the age of 34. He also achieved 3,000 hits in the least amount of games played (2,135).

Paul Molitor was the first to triple for his 3,000th hit.

Derek Jeter (left) and Dave Winfield (right) are both members.

Player	Name of the player
Hits	Career hits
Average	Career batting average
Date	Date of the player's 3,000th hit
Team	The batter's team for his 3,000th hit
Seasons	The seasons this player played in the major leagues
3,000th hit	The type of hit the batter recorded for his 3,000th hit
*	Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
‡	Player is active
†	Also hit 500 home runs

Members

Statistics updated as of the end of the 2023 season.

Player	Hits	Average	Date	Team	Seasons	3,000th hit	Ref
Pete Rose	4,256	.303	May 5, 1978	Cincinnati Reds	1963–1986	Single
Ty Cobb*	4,189	.366	August 19, 1921	Detroit Tigers	1905–1928
Hank Aaron†*	3,771	.305	May 17, 1970	Atlanta Braves	1954–1976
Stan Musial*	3,630	.331	May 13, 1958	St. Louis Cardinals	1941–1944, 1946–1963	Double
Tris Speaker*	3,514	.345	May 17, 1925	Cleveland Indians	1907–1928	Single
Derek Jeter*	3,465	.310	July 9, 2011	New York Yankees	1995–2014	Home run
Honus Wagner*	3,430	.329	June 9, 1914	Pittsburgh Pirates	1897–1917	Double
Carl Yastrzemski*	3,419	.285	September 12, 1979	Boston Red Sox	1961–1983	Single
Albert Pujols†	3,384	.296	May 4, 2018	Los Angeles Angels	2001–2022
Paul Molitor*	3,319	.306	September 16, 1996	Minnesota Twins	1978–1998	Triple
Eddie Collins*	3,314	.333	June 3, 1925	Chicago White Sox	1906–1930	Single
Willie Mays†*	3,293	.301	July 18, 1970	San Francisco Giants	1948, 1951–1952, 1954–1973
Eddie Murray†*	3,255	.287	June 30, 1995	Cleveland Indians	1977–1997
Nap Lajoie*	3,252	.339	September 27, 1914	Cleveland Naps	1896–1916	Double
Cal Ripken Jr.*	3,184	.276	April 15, 2000	Baltimore Orioles	1981–2001	Single
Miguel Cabrera†	3,174	.307	April 23, 2022	Detroit Tigers	2003–2023
Adrián Beltré*	3,166	.286	July 30, 2017	Texas Rangers	1998–2018	Double
George Brett*	3,154	.305	September 30, 1992	Kansas City Royals	1973–1993	Single
Paul Waner*	3,152	.333	June 19, 1942	Boston Braves	1926–1945
Robin Yount*	3,142	.285	September 9, 1992	Milwaukee Brewers	1974–1993
Tony Gwynn*	3,141	.338	August 6, 1999	San Diego Padres	1982–2001
Alex Rodriguez†	3,115	.295	June 19, 2015	New York Yankees	1994–2013, 2015–2016	Home run
Dave Winfield*	3,110	.283	September 16, 1993	Minnesota Twins	1973–1995	Single
Ichiro Suzuki	3,089	.311	August 7, 2016	Miami Marlins	2001–2019	Triple
Craig Biggio*	3,060	.281	June 28, 2007	Houston Astros	1988–2007	Single
Rickey Henderson*	3,055	.279	October 7, 2001	San Diego Padres	1979–2003	Double
Rod Carew*	3,053	.328	August 4, 1985	California Angels	1967–1985	Single
Lou Brock*	3,023	.293	August 13, 1979	St. Louis Cardinals	1961–1979
Rafael Palmeiro†	3,020	.288	July 15, 2005	Baltimore Orioles	1986–2005	Double
Cap Anson*	3,011	.331	July 18, 1897	Chicago Colts	1871–1897	Single
Wade Boggs*	3,010	.328	August 7, 1999	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	1982–1999	Home run
Al Kaline*	3,007	.297	September 24, 1974	Detroit Tigers	1953–1974	Double
Roberto Clemente*	3,000	.317	September 30, 1972	Pittsburgh Pirates	1955–1972

See also

• List of lifetime Major League Baseball hit leaders through history
• List of Major League Baseball hit records
• List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
• Mr. 3000
• Chasing 3000
• 500 home run club

References

General

• "Career Leaders & Records for Hits". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
• "3,000 Hits Club – Milestones". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
• "The 3,000 Hit Club". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010.

Specific