Alex Rodriguez Ties Barry Bonds for 2nd Place on MLB's All-Time RBI List

Alex Rodriguez's controversial ascent up baseball's all-time record list continued Thursday, as the New York Yankees slugger tied Barry Bonds for the second-most RBI in MLB history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Yankees acknowledged the accomplishment via Twitter:

The accomplishment came in the fifth inning Thursday night on a sacrifice fly off Oakland A's starter Kendall Graveman at O.co Coliseum.

Rodriguez is now 301 RBI behind Hank Aaron, whose total (2,297) is one of the most insurmountable records on the big league board.

Rodriguez, 39, has been working his way through the record books all season. He has already passed Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time home runs list, topped Yankees great Lou Gehrig on the RBI list and put himself within reach of 3,000 career hits.

Of course, what should be a historic season has instead been mired in the typical Rodriguez controversy. His record-breaking totals have come with the asterisk of his performance-enhancing drug use. The Yankees are already withholding a $6 million bonus related to Rodriguez's passing Mays, which they claim was tied to their ability to market the accomplishment.

New York is certainly benefiting from Rodriguez's production this season. He's been one of baseball's biggest surprises, and assuming he stays healthy—a big assumption considering his lingering hip issues—Rodriguez could very easily hit 30 home runs for the first time since 2010.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

"I haven't played a lot of baseball in the last two years, but I feel like I'm in a good place. I'm happy. I'm having fun," Rodriguez said, per Mike Fitzpatrick of the Associated Press (via the Denver Post), after passing Gehrig. "I think for me in a weird way the time off was a blessing in disguise. I was able to get some rest, change my workout regimen a little bit. I just feel like I'm in a better place and more explosive than I've been."

No matter how many asterisks you want to throw next to Rodriguez's name, this accomplishment deserves some level of respect. 

It's a testament to his natural talent that Rodriguez has been able to come back at age 39, after essentially two years off, and still be an effective offensive talent. Disagree with the methods if you want, but the numbers speak for themselves. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.