Josh Donaldson of the Minnesota Twins scored the 2 millionth run in major league history Saturday, trotting home in the first inning on a ground-rule double by Nelson Cruz against the Kansas City Royals.
The Elias Sports Bureau confirmed Donaldson touched the plate for the milestone mark. The former American League MVP has scored 685 of those runs.
“I don’t know what to think. I’ll be honest with you,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But I know J.D. only does big things, so I’m not surprised to hear that he scored the 2 millionth run of all time.”
The buildup to No. 2,000,000 certainly didn’t equal the anticipation for the 1 millionth run. Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial were among the stars who helped promote the chase, which also drew corporate sponsors for the countdown.
Bob Watson of the Houston Astros scored No. 1 million on May 4, 1975, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Moments later, Dave Concepcion of the Cincinnati Reds hit a home run and crossed the plate shortly after Watson.
Saturday’s milestone does not include Negro League totals, which are being incorporated into MLB’s official statistics and will change when the 2 millionth run took place. A similar situation occurred with Watson’s millionth run, as that figure was based on totals only from the AL and NL, before MLB later officially recognized other leagues, such as the Federal League and Union Association.
The first run ever recorded was on April 22, 1876, by Tim McGinley of the Boston Red Stockings.
MLB also hit a big number last weekend when Seattle Mariners rookie catcher Jose Godoy became the 20,000th player in MLB history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.