MOBILE, Ala. – Former University of South Alabama baseball standout and current Chicago White Sox outfielder Juan Pierre became the 37th player in Major League Baseball history to steal at least 500 bases when he swiped his 500th career bag in Thursday night’s 6-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Pierre, who has stolen 40-plus bases in 9 of his 11 seasons as a major leaguer, now sets his sights on Hall of Famers Luis Aparicio and Robin Yount, who ended their careers with 506 and 504 steals, respectively. His stolen base Thursday increased his MLB-leading total to 41.

Pierre wasted no time in reaching the career milestone. He led off the game with a single to left field, then stole second off of the Detroit battery of Max Scherzer and Gerald Laird.

“Juan (Pierre) has had a great major league career, and he just has such great work ethic,” USA baseball head coach Steve Kittrell said. “He focuses on the smallest of details in studying pitchers, and that’s why he’s always been extremely successful in stealing bases. He is a prototype leadoff hitter – he does what it takes to get on base and he’s a team player.

“We were fortunate enough to have him here in 1998. He had tremendous work ethic and he was very talented,” Kittrell added. “You could tell his was destined for greatness.”

In this season’s first half, Pierre swiped 32 bags. He has stolen nine bags since the all-star break, and is on pace to steal 62 bases this season. If he continues at that pace, Pierre would close the regular season ranked 30th on the all-time steals list, and would surpass, along with Yount and Aparicio, Harry Stovey, Barry Bonds, Patsy Donovan, Jack Doyle and Hall of Famer Fred Clarke.

Pierre has already stolen more bases this season at the age of 32 than Ty Cobb, who ranks fourth all-time in steals (897), did at the same age. If Pierre can continue the pace he is on now, he would also record more steals at his age than Ricky Henderson did at 32 years old. Henderson is MLB’s all-time leader in stolen bases with 1,406, and stole 58 bags at 32 years of age.

In 1998, his only season at South Alabama, Pierre was named an All-American, voted Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, and led the conference in hits (95), runs (77) and stolen bases (54). He ranked fifth nationally in steals that season, while recording 30 multiple-hit games and 17 games with two or more steals.

Pierre was selected in the 13th-round draft selection by the Colorado Rockies in 1998, and later helped lead the Florida Marlins to the 2003 World Series. He is the active leader in stolen bases (500) in MLB, and led the National League in steals in 2001 (46) and 2003 (65).

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

-USA-