Jeff Kent's 278th HR sets mark

HOUSTON (AP) -- Jeff Kent hit his 278th home run as a second baseman Saturday, breaking Ryne Sandberg's major league record.
Kent homered twice against the Colorado Rockies, first off Shawn Estes in the second inning and then against Adam Bernero in the fifth. The second one was Kent's 27th of the season and 302nd of his career. It gave the Astros a 7-1 lead en route to a 9-3 victory that left them one win from clinching the NL wild card.
Sandberg hit 277 homers at second base, 282 overall.
Earlier this week, Kent became the 105th player to hit 300 homers. He was the seventh player to reach that mark this season, joining Tino Martinez, Edgar Martinez, Chipper Jones, Ruben Sierra, Jim Edmonds and Vinny Castilla.
Kent, a four-time All-Star, has eight consecutive 20-homer seasons, a record for second basemen. He also tied Hall of Famers Tony Lazzeri and Charlie Gehringer for most career 100-RBI seasons by a second baseman with seven.
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