Griffey hits 599th home run before rookie's wins game

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 599th career home run and rookie Jay Bruce won the game with a dramatic 10th inning homer to spark the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-7 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

Griffey, a 38-year-old outfielder, rapped a two-run shot in the first inning to edge closer to the 600 mark. Only five major-leaguers have achieved the milestone: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa.

Bruce drove a fastball into the right field deck for his first homer in the majors and was mobbed when he touched home plate.

"That was my first walk-off home run ever, at any level," Bruce, 21, told reporters. "I knew it was gone.

"I was ready to get to home plate, and get beat up."

The hit was the rookie's 11th in his first five games in the Major Leagues. He went 3-for-5 and scored three runs to boost his batting average to a stunning .579.

"If he's living a dream, I'd like to get in that dream," Reds manager Dusty Baker told reporters.

"Everybody said he was good. Sometimes guys get over-hyped. Most times you're disappointed at first. This hype is real."

Atlanta led 7-6 going into the bottom of the ninth but could not hold on.

Cincinnati's Ryan Freel raced home on an infield out to tie the score in the ninth and Bruce delivered his game-winner in the 10th.

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected from the game for arguing Freel should have been out on the close play at home.

First-inning home runs by Griffey and Brandon Phillips gave Cincinnati a 3-0 lead before Atlanta rallied.

Greg Norton's two-run homer brought the Braves to within 3-2 in the second and Mark Teixeira tied the score at 5-5 with a three-run blast in the third.

Another homer by Jeff Francoeur in the seventh gave the Braves their final lead at 7-6.

(Writing by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; editing by Martin Petty)