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Watch: Rafael Palmeiro, 53, hits home run in independent league game

Rafael Palmeiro, 53, hit his first competitive home run since 2005 on Monday for the Cleburn Railroaders. (AP)
Rafael Palmeiro, 53, hit his first competitive home run since 2005 on Monday for the Cleburn Railroaders. (AP)

Rafael Palmeiro’s return to baseball got off to an inauspicious start on Friday when he went 0-for-4 for the American Association’s Cleburn Railroaders.

The 53-year-old former Major leaguer with Hall of Fame stats (3,020 hits, 569 HRs) and a PED past that has kept him from Cooperstown, signed to play for the Railroaders this spring after receiving no interest from MLB teams. His 27-year-old son Patrick also plays for the independent Texas team.

Palmeiro found his swing on Monday and hit his first home run in a game since he left baseball in 2005.

WDAY’s Dom Izzo shared the moment, which came against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, on Twitter.

The Railroaders shared another angle.

While there’s no chance his swing will catch the interest of any MLB teams, that’s still a smooth stroke from one of the best power hitters of his generation. Not bad for a 53-year-old.

MLB video from Yahoo Sports

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