Andrus' 2,000th hit ball a milestone memento for mom

CHICAGO -- The baseball from Elvis Andrus' 2,000th career hit, coming on a single to right during a two-run fifth inning in the White Sox 7-3 victory over the Giants on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field, already has a destination.

It’s going to Andrus’ mom, Elvia, who has the baseballs from hits Nos. 500, 1,000 and 1,500 of her son’s great career.

“She’s the reason why I’m here. So, she knows,” Andrus said. “She texted me already. She said, ‘You better give me the ball.’ I sent her a picture and told her it’s in the box and it will be here for you. She was very ecstatic, very excited. They sent me the video. It was pretty cool.”

Andrus was in an 0-for-14 funk since picking up hit No. 1,999 on March 31 in Houston, and he admitted to feeling a little pressure with the milestone in front of him. He became the 290th player in Major League Baseball history with at least 2,000 hits, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

“Yeah, it’s a great achievement. It’s a lot of hits. It’s a lot of memories,” Andrus said. “Every hit means a lot from the first one to 2,000 today. It means a lot for me and the family, and the people who have helped me through my career.

“It’s very tough when you are right there and you are about to accomplish a milestone. I’m not going to lie. I wanted to get this hit in Houston. My family was there, but just the way it goes. Sometimes it gets a little harder, but thank god I did it and helped the team to win today. It was even better.”

Miguel Cabrera (3,090), Joey Votto (2,093) and Nelson Cruz (2,018) are the only active players with more hits than Andrus. He now can focus on 100 career home runs, needing just four to reach that plateau.

“To see Elvis get that, that’s a huge moment,” designated hitter Gavin Sheets said. “With only 290 players doing that, 2,000 hits. Incredible guy and you see a guy with his work ethic and to see him get that was exciting for all of us, especially him.”

“You've got to play a lot of baseball in the big leagues and you've got to be really damn good to accomplish 2,000 hits,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Congratulations to Elvis. That’s a heck of a feat.”

That milestone 2,000th hit came after Andrus had moved over to shortstop following a start at second base. Shortstop Tim Anderson was ejected by home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn in the bottom of the third.

All these milestone hits have extra meaning, but Andrus’ first hit, which was a double off Cliff Lee on April 6, 2009, still means the most.

“Today, I felt really good,” Andrus said. “It’s the best game offensively in terms of seeing the ball and hitting strikes so far this year. Trying to build on that and trying to get 1,000 more.”