You'd be hard-pressed to find a more memorable batting stance than Gary Sheffield's constant waggle. His violent swing and bat speed made Sheffield one of the most feared hitters during a 22-year Major League career that included stints with eight clubs from 1988-2009.

The former top prospect retired with 2,689 hits, 509 homers 1,676 RBIs and 253 stolen bases, recording more walks than strikeouts. Sheffield accumulated 14 20-homer seasons, eight 100-RBI seasons and seven 100-run seasons. A nine-time All-Star and a five-time Silver Slugger, he won the 1997 World Series with the Marlins.

For his birthday, here are 10 moments that helped define Sheffield's career.

1. The 500 club
For years, Sheffield dreamt of wearing the same uniform as uncle Dwight Gooden. The 40-year-old's wish came true in his final season, when the Mets acquired him after the Tigers cut ties at the end of Spring Training. As fate would have it, Sheffield became just the 25th player in Major League history -- and the first Met -- to reach 500 home runs on April 17, 2009. He took Brewers southpaw Mitch Stetter deep to left field for a pinch-hit game-tying blast in the seventh inning, becoming the third player to hit home runs before age 20 and after age 40, joining Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub. Sheffield received a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd as he rounded the bases, and teammates José Reyes, Daniel Murphy and David Wright were among the first to greet him in front of the dugout. Sheffield would hit nine more homers in his career before retiring.

“Everything happens for a reason, you know,” Sheffield said after the game. “There was a reason why I hit 19 home runs instead of 20 last year. I could have did it then, but there was a reason … and then coming here and doing it on the biggest stage. [I]t makes it that much more special for me as well as my family.”

2. Going, going ... caught
Sheffield might be most known for his offensive production, but arguably his greatest contribution to the 1997 World Series came with the glove. Sheffield had a monster Game 3, going 3-for-5 with a double, a homer and five RBIs at the plate. But the former infielder also robbed future Hall of Famer Jim Thome, who had homered in his previous at-bat, of extra bases with a leaping catch at the right-center-field wall. That kept the score tied at 7 in the seventh inning. The Marlins went on to win the game, 14-11, and take a 2-1 Series advantage at Jacobs Field.

As broadcaster Bob Costas remarked at the time: "The play of the World Series."

3. A star is born
Decades before Miguel Cabrera won the first batting Triple Crown in 45 years, Sheffield fell just short of the feat during his breakout 1992 campaign. He captured the batting title with a .330 average, joining the late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn as the only Padres to do so, and finished two homers shy of teammate Fred McGriff's 35 and nine RBIs shy of future teammate Darren Daulton's 109. What made Sheffield's season as an MVP finalist even more remarkable is the fact Milwaukee had dealt him to San Diego 11 days before Opening Day. Until this point, he had battled injuries and a decline of play through the first 294 games of his career.

4. Age is just a number
Though Sheffield debuted with the Brewers on Sept. 3, 1988, he didn't collect his first hit until six days later in his 13th plate appearance. His game-tying solo homer broke up Mariners lefty Mark Langston's no-hitter in the sixth inning and marked the first home run by a teenager since Sheffield's teammate and future Hall of Famer Robin Yount did so in 1975. The 19-year-old Sheffield later knocked the walk-off single against Langston in the 11th for a 2-1 victory at County Stadium. This was just the start of Sheffield's penchant for clutch moments.

5. 2004 AL MVP runner-up
Sheffield finished in the top three of MVP voting three times, with the last instance coming during his first of three seasons with the Yankees. Though he didn't lead the American League in any categories, Sheffield slashed .290/.393/.534 with a 141 OPS+ in 154 games as the runner-up to future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. Before the infamous AL Championship Series collapse against the Red Sox, Sheffield went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and four RBIs in a 19-8 Game 3 victory that had given the Bronx Bombers a 3-0 series advantage.

6. Twice as nice
Sheffield notched 38 multi-homer games in his career, but only once did he go deep twice in the same inning. On July 13, 1997, Sheffield became the first player in Marlins history to achieve the feat, hitting a leadoff shot against right-hander Mark Leiter and a two-out three-run tater off righty Reggie Harris. Both homers went well over the left-field scoreboard at Pro Player Stadium. The Marlins quickly turned a 1-0 deficit into an 8-1 lead, going on to beat the Phillies, 9-2. It marked the 37th time in MLB history a player had accomplished that.

“I feel better, my concentration is now where it’s supposed to be,” Sheffield said at the time. “The thing about it is, I was so focused today I didn’t even know it was the same inning. My teammates told me.”

7. Don't call it a comeback
After three consecutive All-Star seasons from 2003-05, Sheffield played in just 39 games during his age-37 season because of wrist surgery. His Yankees tenure came to an end when they dealt him to the Tigers. In 2007, a 38-year-old Sheffield turned back the clock by tying Paul O'Neill as the oldest player to hit at least 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season. He was one of only six AL batters, along with Alex Rodriguez, Grady Sizemore, Ian Kinsler, B.J. Upton and teammate Curtis Granderson, to reach those benchmarks. Sheffield became the first player to hit at least 25 home runs for six teams.

8. Hey now, you're an All-Star
On June 24, 1993, in their inaugural season, the Marlins acquired Sheffield along with Rich Rodriguez in a trade with the Padres for future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, Andres Berumen and José Martínez. A few weeks later, Sheffield was representing his new club at the All-Star Game. Batting third behind Barry Bonds in the National League lineup, Sheffield pulled an elevated pitch from Mark Langston over the left-field wall at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for a two-run homer in the first All-Star at-bat for a Marlin. He returned to the Midsummer Classic in 1996 during arguably his best season (42 HRs, NL-leading 189 OPS+). For his career, Sheffield represented five teams at the All-Star Game -- the first player to do so.

9. Familial competition
"Maybe just knock him down to begin with."

That was Mets right-hander Dwight Gooden's response, said in jest, when asked how he might pitch to his nephew. They squared off for the first and only time of their careers on May 12, 1992, at Shea Stadium with family in attendance. Gooden was in his ninth MLB season, with a pitching Triple Crown, NL Cy Young and NL Rookie of the Year on his resume. Sheffield was set to break out with the first of nine All-Star selections. Gooden retired Sheffield on a groundout in their first matchup before Sheffield laced a single to left, smiling at first base following the knock. But Gooden got the last laugh with a soft comebacker in the last tête-à-tête.

10. The kids are alright
Eight years before making his Major League debut, Sheffield led Tampa's Belmont Heights Little League team to the 1980 U.S. championship with 20-3 and 16-0 victories against Rhode Island and Washington, respectively, before they dropped the World Series title game to Taiwan, 4-3. He set a LLWS record with four doubles, hitting .600 and earning the win on the mound in the semifinals. As of 2015, Sheffield was one of just 12 Major Leaguers in history to have played in both the Little League and MLB World Series.

"I never reflected on it until I got here," Sheffield said in 2015. "I had the same feeling when I walked in the lunchroom that I had when I was 11 years old.

"[Being here] took me back to when I was 11 years old, and what I was thinking at that time and how my life got to this point. It started here. When I look back at that, all of it comes full circle; you kind of see how your life played out in a picture frame. Now, when I see these kids, I'm more appreciative."