TORONTO, 10 June 2005 — Alex Rodriguez belted two home runs on Wednesday to become the youngest player in major league history to reach 400, powering the New York Yankees to a 12-3 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers in Interleague play at Miller Park.

Mired in a slump, Rodriguez’s milestone could not have come at a better time for the reeling Yankees, who had won just once in 10 games.

Rodriguez opened the scoring with a two-run first inning shot off Brewers starter Chris Capuano then capped his historic night with an eighth inning solo shot off reliever Jorge De La Rosa becoming the 40th player to reach the 400 plateau.

No other player in major league history has reached the mark quicker and at 29 years and 316 days, Rodriguez is the only player to achieve the feat before his 30th birthday.

The next youngest, Ken Griffey Jr, hit his 400th round-tripper at 30 years and 141 days.

In Chicago, Sergio Mitre pitched seven shutout innings and drove in a run as the Cubs blanked the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0. Mitre (1-1), who held the Blue Jays without a hit until the fifth inning, registered a season-high six strikeouts and walked one to notch his first win of the season.

In Philadelphia, Pat Burrell belted a two-run single to account for all scoring and four pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Phillies shutout the Texas Rangers 2-0. Robinson Tejeda made his first career start for the Phillies and impressed surrendering just two hits in five innings of work but the win went Aaron Fultz (1-0) who pitched a scoreless sixth.

In Pittsburgh, Rob Mackowiak drove in four runs and Kip Wells provided seven solid innings, leading the Pirates to a 6-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

In Miami, Carlos Delgado had a three run homer and brought in all five Florida runs while Dontrelle Willis became the major league’s first 10-game winner as the Marlins trimmed the Seattle Mariners 5-4 to snap a four-game losing skid.

In Washington, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider and Vinny Castilla each had a home run as the Nationals rolled to a season-high sixth straight win pounding the Oakland Athletics 7-2.

In Atlanta, Dallas McPherson went three-for-five with a three-run triple, helping the Los Angeles Angels to an 8-4 victory over the Braves.

In Cincinnati, Wily Mo Pena belted a pair of home runs, including a game winning two-run shot in the ninth inning, as the Reds won an 11-9 slugfest over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Adam Dunn and Joe Randa each contributed two-run homers to the Reds total while Jason LaRue and Jacob Cruz added solo shots

In Phoenix, Johan Santana pitched a complete game shutout leading the Minnesota Twins to a 10-0 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In Los Angeles, Jason Grabowski belted a two-run homer and Jeff Weaver delivered seven solid innings, leading the Dodgers to a 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

In San Diego, Aaron Boone smacked a pair of home runs and Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner each added a solo shot sparking the Cleveland Indians to a 6-1 decision over the Padres.

In Denver, Carl Everett and Juan Uribe each had three RBIs and Joe Crede and Frank Thomas both homered as the Chicago White Sox pounded out 22 hits on way to 15-5 demolition of the Colorado Rockies to complete a three-game sweep.

In St. Louis, David Wells tossed eight innings of four-hit ball and Jason Varitek had had a two-run double as the Boston Red Sox blanked the Cardinals 4-0. David Ortiz and Edgar Renteria had solo home runs for the Red Sox.

In San Francisco, Runelvys Hernandez pitched six innings of one-hit ball to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 4-1 win over the Giants.

Palmeiro Blast Helps Astros Soar Over Mets

In New York, Orlando Palmeiro had a pinch-hit home run and Brandon Backe provided six solid innings to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the New York Mets in National League play at Shea Stadium on Wednesday.