Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield remains in search of his 200th win. (AP)

Then-Twins slugger Jim Thome hit his 600th home run on Aug. 15, becoming just the eighth player in MLB history to accomplish that feat. Thome, who was since traded to the Indians, spent 20 years chasing that goal.

Earlier this season, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter recorded his 3,000th hit. Against the Red Sox on Wednesday he moved into 20th place on baseball’s all-time list with his 3,061st hit.

With those milestones fresh in our minds, a number of other players from Boston and around the country are nearing landmark moments in their careers. Here are 10 of them.

10. Paul Konerko, White Sox: 400 home runs

While it’s certainly not as impressive as Thome’s 600, Konerko needs just eight more longballs to reach 400 for his career. It’s not exactly an exclusive club, with close to 50 members already enlisted, but Konerko’s journey to 400 has been noteworthy, especially because of his resurgent 39-homer season in 2010. If he gets there, Konerko will pass Al Kaline and Andres Galarraga for 48th on the all-time list.

9. Chad Ochocinco, Patriots: 70 receiving touchdowns and 11,000 receiving yards

The Patriots’ new high-profile receiver is on the brink of a pair of milestones, but he’ll need to recover from a down year in 2010 (831 yards, four touchdowns) to reach them. Ochocinco needs four scores to reach 70 career TDs and 217 yards to hit 11,000. He won’t crack the top 10 in either category on the all-time list, but Tom Brady has made the most out of his talented receivers in the past, particularly in 2007 when Randy Moss racked up a record 23 touchdowns to go along with 1,493 yards.

8. Kevin Garnett, Celtics: No. 19 all-time scoring leader and 13,000 rebounds

Garnett was just 12 points away from passing former Celtics great Robert Parish on the all-time scoring list last year, but a quick season-ending series against the Heat forced the Big Ticket to wait until the 2011-12 campaign. Garnett scored 1,056 points last year, and if he matches that total, he’ll leapfrog Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson as well. KG needs 181 more rebounds to reach 13,000. He pulled down 631 boards last season. At that pace, he has a chance to break into the top 10 all-time rebounding ranks in the next two years.

7. Tim Wakefield, Red Sox: 200 career wins

The Red Sox’ 18-year-veteran has been chasing this one since July 24, but four losses and two no-decisions have left Wakefield stuck at 199. While it seems imminent that the knuckleballer will pull out at least one more victory before season’s end, the milestone was far from guaranteed entering this year. Wakefield finished the 2010 campaign at 4-10 with a 5.32 ERA and began 2011 in a relief role. Injuries to Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz gave the 45-year-old his chance, and he’s taken advantage with six wins thus far.

6. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners: 200 hits for 11 straight seasons

For the last 10 seasons, Ichiro has made one of baseball’s toughest tasks — getting 200 hits in a season — look like a walk in the park. He has a chance to pass Pete Rose and become the only player in MLB history with 11 straight 200-hit seasons, but 2011 has not been kind to the 37-year-old. With just 133 hits and 42 games to play, Ichiro might find that the milestone may just be out of reach. He’d be higher on this list if it was a sure thing, but some fans are still holding out hope that if Ichiro returns to form, he can still hit 200.

5. Tom Brady, Patriots: 35,000 passing yards and No. 5 all-time in passing touchdowns

Brady needs just 256 yards to reach 35,000, but reaching 300 touchdowns within the upcoming season will be no easy task. He needs 39 more scores to reach that plateau and tie John Elway for fifth most all-time. Brady came close to that mark last season with 36 TDs and left no doubt in 2007 when he scored a record 50 times through the air.

4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers: 28,000 points and No. 5 all-time scoring leader

Shaquille O’Neal‘s retirement benefits Bryant in more ways than one. With Shaq out of the picture, Kobe is now the NBA’s active scoring leader with 27,868 points, and he only needs 729 more to knock his former teammate out of the top five on the all-time scoring list. Bryant has averaged 2,305 points per season over the last six years.

3. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jets: 14,000 rushing yards and 150 touchdowns

Tomlinson’s touchdown numbers were cut in half when he joined the Jets in 2010, but another six scores would get him to 150. He’s already second on the all-time list behind Emmit Smith, but he’ll need another jaw-dropping, 20-plus touchdown year to reach him. If Tomlinson racks up 596 yards (his lowest single-season total is 730), he’ll reach 14,000. With 101 more, he’ll pass Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin for fourth on the all-time list. From there, it’s an uphill battle to the top of the rushing ranks, with L.T. sitting well behind Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Smith.

2. Mariano Rivera, Yankees: all-time saves leader

The Yankees closer has struggled to seal the deal recently, but the 41-year-old needs just 10 more saves to reach 600, and 12 more to pass Trevor Hoffman and become the all-time saves leader. Rivera has recorded an ERA below 2.00 in seven out of the last eight seasons. The next closest player on the all-time list is Lee Smith, who saved 478 games in the 1980s and ’90s.

1. Peyton Manning, Colts: 400 passing touchdowns and 55,000 passing yards

Pending Brett Favre‘s status, Manning enters the 2011 season as the NFL’s active leader in passing yards (54,828) and touchdowns (399), and it’s not even close. Brady is next in line with 20,000 less yards and 138 less touchdowns, although Manning has played 63 more games. If the Colts’ franchise quarterback can throw more than 21 TDs (he’s had at least 26 touchdowns in each of his 13 seasons), he’ll pass Dan Marino for second on the all-time list.

Leave a Reply