Left fielder Matt Holliday downplayed his 20th home run of the season, even if Thursday's fifth-inning shot to right field also represented No. 200 for his career.

"I'm just glad to get it out of the way," he said.

Despite Holliday's initial dismissal, the milestone actually carries deeper meaning to a player who never assumed stardom from himself as a prospect who required six full minor-league seasons before making his major-league debut with the Colorado Rockies. "If you told me in the minor leagues I'd get to 200 in the major leagues, I would have said that's pretty nice. It's not something you really anticipate for yourself. I'd like to do a lot more of it," he said.

Holliday has hit at least 24 home runs in his previous five major-league seasons. But it wasn't until 2005, when Holliday hit 19 home runs with the Rockies and one during a brief minor-league rehab assignment, that he crammed 20 within the same season.

Holliday becomes the third player on the Cardinals' current roster with at least 200 home runs. First baseman Albert Pujols owns 442 career home runs and right fielder Lance Berkman owns 357.