On April 8, 1974 Hank Aaron hit career home run number 715 off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing, breaking the record for career home runs that Babe Ruth had held since 1935. On July 20, 1976, Hank Aaron hit his 755th and final home run. On Aug. 7, 2007 Barry Bonds hit his 756th, breaking Aaron's record and went on to end his controversial career with 762 home runs. Most believe that Alex Rodriguez, who has had his own share of controversies, is the only current player who could break Bonds' record. Where does he stand on the all-time list? And will his efforts, like Bonds', carry an asterisk in fans' minds?

Barry Bonds' home-run total in 2001 jumps off the page the way one of his patented shots jumped out of the San Francisco Giants' ballpark that year. Before he hit a record 73 home runs that season, his top HR total in any year was 49, in 2000. Bonds, a seven-time NL MVP, has been widely accused of steroid use, and in 2007 he was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in the government investigation of BALCO. Most HRs in one year: 73 in 2001.

In 23 seasons, 21 of which were played for the Braves, Aaron led the NL in home runs only four times but hit 30 or more homers 15 times. He tied Babe Ruth's career record of 714 home runs with a three-run shot off Jack Billingham in Cincinnati on April 4, 1974, then hit the record-breaker four days later in Atlanta off the Dodgers' Al Downing. Most HRs in one year: 47 in 1971.

A-Rod broke a tie with Frank Robinson for seventh place on the all-time HR list (587) in grand style. Grand-slam style, in fact, off the Twins' Matt Guerrier on May 14, 2010. He caught and passed Sammy Sosa with two homers against the Red Sox on Sept. 24, 2010. His 600th home run on Aug. 4, 2010 made him the youngest player to reach that milestone. He tied Ken Griffey Jr. with No. 630 on April 13, 2012, and passed him at Fenway Park's 100th-anniversary game on April 20, 2012. The Yankees third baseman has led the AL in HRs five times: 2001, '02, '03, '05 and '07. Most HRs in one year: 57 in 2002.

In a 22-plus-year career, all but one season of which was spent with the Seattle Mariners or Cincinnati Reds, Griffey hit 30 or more HRs nine times. He led the AL in homers four times: 1994, 1997, '98 and '99. His best season was '97, when he hit 56 homers and led the AL in RBI with 147. Griffey announced his retirement on June 2, 2010. Most HRs in one year: 56 in 1997 and '98.

Sosa, who played for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles in an 18-year career, hit more than 60 homers three times without leading his league. He was second to Mark McGwire in 1998 (70 to 66) and '99 (65-63) and to Barry Bonds in 2001 (73 to 64). Sosa's only HR championship came in 2000, when he hit 50. Sosa has never admitted using steroids, but in The New York Times reported he had failed a test for PEDs in 2003. Most HRs in one year: 66 in 1998.

Thome, then with the Twins, achieved Nos. 599 and 600 in style, blasting back-to-back bombs vs. the Tigers on Aug. 15, 2011, in Detroit. He was traded to the Indians 10 days later. On July 3, 2010, Thome tied and passed Minnesota Twins legend Harmon Killebrew for 10th place with two homers against the Tampa Bay Rays, at Target Field. On Sept. 4, 2010, Thome tied, then surpassed Mark McGwire on the all-time list with Nos. 583 and 584. Most HRs in one year: 52 in 2002.

In a 21-season career characterized by consistency and longevity, Robinson led the league in homers only once, when he hit 49 for the Baltimore Orioles in 1966. That was his first season in the AL after the Cincinnati Reds, thinking he was past his prime, traded him away. In all, he hit 30 or more homers 11 times. Most HRs in one year: 49 in 1966.

In 1998 McGwire out-slugged the Cubs' Sammy Sosa in a two-man race to break Roger Maris' single-season HR record of 61. Both wound up surpassing Maris, with Sosa hitting 66 and McGwire 70, a record that stood only until 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73. Throughout his career with the A's and Cardinals, McGwire was the subject of rumors of steroid use, and in 2010 he publicly admitted having used performance-enhancing drugs. Most HRs in one year: 70 (1998).