Phillies slugger Howard fastest to 200 homers

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard has belted his 200th career home run, reaching the milestone in fewer games than any Major League Baseball player in history.

Howard surpassed the record previously held by Ralph Kiner, who played in the 1940s and 50s.

"Uh, he's the guy whose record I broke," Howard said when asked what he knew about Kiner. "Not to be disrespectful or anything, but he was before my time."

Howard, 29, notched his 200th homer in his 658th major league game, hitting his 23rd homer of 2009 in the sixth inning of Philadelphia's 4-0 victory over Florida.

Kiner hit number 200 in his 706th game.

"It's a nice feat," said Howard, who became the eighth Phillies player to hit 200 homers. "It's a nice record to have. I'll take it and run with it."