Baseball – 1999

Baseball in 1999

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January

January 5Nolan Ryan‚ George Brett‚ and Robin Yount are elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. It is the first time since 1936 that three players are elected simultaneously on their first try. Carlton Fisk finishes 4th in the voting‚ missing election by 43 votes.
January 6Surgery makes the news as the Mets prize rookie OF Jay Payton undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. Also‚ Toronto pitcher Paul Quantrill has surgery to repair a fractured right thigh and a metal rod is inserted in his leg. Quantrill‚ 30‚ was injured in a snowmobile accident at his home in Port Hope‚ Ontario.

Nolan Ryan is the first passenger to board the “Nolan Ryan Express‚” a Southwest Boeing 737. He autographs both sides of the aircraft’s nose on two specially designed decals each featuring a baseball with airplane wings and a Southwest colored tail. In July‚ Ryan will again board the “Nolan Ryan Express” to fly to the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in New York.
January 11The Brewers sign free agent OF Rich Becker to a contract.
January 12The ball that Mark McGwire hit for his 70th home run is sold at auction for $2.7 million by Guernsey’s Auction House in New York. The buyer is later revealed to be Todd McFarlane‚ creator of the Spawn comic book series.

The Angels sign free agent OF Matt Luke.

The Cardinals sign free agent OF Darren Bragg.
January 14The Reds sign free agent 1B Hal Morris.

The Tigers obtain C Brad Ausmus and P C.J. Nitkowski from the Astros in exchange for C Paul Bako‚ pitchers Dean Crow‚ Mark Persails and Brian Powell‚ and 3B Carlos Villalobos.
January 15The Orioles sign free agent P Heathcliff Slocumb.

The Cardinals sign free agent P Mike Mohler.
January 18A fiberglass panel falls from the roof of Olympic Stadium in Montreal‚ home of the Expos‚ during the setup for an auto show. Five people are injured.
January 19The Blue Jays sign free agent 2B Joey Cora and 3B-OF Willie Greene to contracts.
January 25The Athletics sign free agent OF Tim Raines to a contract.
January 27The Brewers sign free agent P Jim Abbott to a contract.

The Cardinals sign free agent 2B Carlos Baerga to a contract.

February

February 1The Yankees trade 3B prospect Mike Lowell to the Marlins for minor league pitchers Ed Yarnell‚ Mark Johnson‚ and Todd Noel.
February 2The Reds acquire outfielders Greg Vaughn and Mark Sweeney from the Padres for OF Reggie Sanders‚ IF Damian Jackson and P Josh Harris.
February 3The Astros avoided arbitration with P Billy Wagner by signing him to a 3-year contract worth $10.5 million. Wagner set a major league record with 14.55 SO/9 innings pitched in 1998 (minimum: 50 IP. Meanwhile‚ Kerry Wood set the major league record with 12.58 SO/9 IP for pitchers who qualified for the ERA title.).

The Mets decline to offer a new contract to announcer Tim McCarver‚ a 16 year veteran behind the mike for New York. The outspoken McCarver will be replaced by Tom Seaver‚ who vows to be less critical of the home team. The Hall of Fame pitcher will also serve as a part-time coach for the team.

The Indians sign free agent Wil Cordero to a one year contract.
February 7Veteran pitcher Dennis Martinez announces his retirement. He leaves with 3‚999.2 innings pitched.
February 8Boston OF Midre Cummings has his arbitration case heard by Elizabeth Neumeier. It is the first arbitration case in baseball history to be decided by a female arbitrator. Since the arbitration rule went into effect in 1974‚ all 409 cases have been decided by men.
February 12The Padres sign 37-year-old country singer Garth Brooks and invite him to spring training camp as a non-roster player.
February 15The Cincinnati Reds announce that they are dropping their long-standing policy of no facial hair for players. The change is the result of a talk between owner Marge Schott and newly-acquired OF Greg Vaughn.
February 18The U.S. Postal Service issues a Jackie Robinson stamp as part of their “Celebrate the Century” program. Robinson was selected to represent the 40’s‚ the 2nd ball player chosen. Babe Ruth‚ last May‚ represented the 1920s.

The Yankees end the trade rumors by acquiring Cy Young winner Roger Clemens from the Blue Jays in exchange for pitchers David Wells and Graeme Lloyd‚ and IF Homer Bush.
February 20The Pirates sign free agent SS Pat Meares to a contract.
February 21Florida rookie 3B Mike Lowell‚ acquired 3 weeks ago‚ undergoes surgery for testicular cancer after a small mass is found during a routine exam.
February 25The Diamondbacks acquire 2B Tony Womack from the Pirates in exchange for OF Paul Weichard and a player to be named.
February 28Arizona minor league-and former major league-pitcher Ken Robinson is killed in a car crash. Teammate John Rosengren is arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the alcohol-related accident.

March

March 2Orlando Cepeda‚ Frank Selee‚ Smoky Joe Williams‚ Nestor Chylak are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
March 3Houston OF Moises Alou undergoes surgery to repair ligaments in his left knee. He will be out for 5-6 months. Alou was injured when he fell while trying to adjust the speed of his treadmill while in the Dominican Republic.
March 4Delino DeShields‚ signed to a long-term contract by the Orioles‚ suffers a freak injury during an intersquad game and will be put on the disabled list.
March 7In a historic agreement‚ it is announced that the Baltimore Orioles will travel to Cuba for a March 28 exhibition game against the Cuban national team in Havana. The Cuban team will travel to the US for a return contest at a future date. It is the first time in 40 years that Americans will play a professional game in Cuba.
March 8Joe DiMaggio‚ baseball’s “Greatest Living Player‚” dies at the age of 84 following a long illness.

The Padres reach an agreement with relief ace Trevor Hoffman on a 4 year‚ $32 million contract‚ with a club option for a 5th year that would raise the total up to $40 million. The agreement makes Hoffman the highest paid reliever in history.

Diamondbacks OF Tony Womack is out for 6 weeks with a fractured bone in his right forearm. Womack‚ acquired from the Pirates over the winter‚ suffers the break when he is hit by a pitch from White Sox Jim Parque.
March 10Yankees manager Joe Torre is diagnosed with prostate cancer. While he is undergoing treatment‚ the team will be run by coach Don Zimmer.
March 11The Red Sox sign free agent P Ramon Martinez to a contract‚ uniting him with his brother‚ Pedro.
March 16NL Rookie of the Year Kerry Wood suffers a ligament tear in his right elbow. It will require surgery that will keep him out of action until 2000.
March 17The Blue Jays fire manager Tim Johnson and replace him with Jim Fregosi. Johnson had been under fire since admitting he had lied when he said he was a Vietnam veteran.
March 19The career of New York Mets righthander Paul Wilson is derailed again when he suffers a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow while warming up before a three-inning stint in a minor-league game. An MRI will show a partial tear of the MCL in his elbow‚ and on March 30 he will undergo “Tommy John” surgery which will sideline him for the year.
March 22The Cardinals announce that P Matt Morris‚ expected to be the ace of their staff‚ will miss the entire season because of a torn ligament in his right elbow.
March 25Angels P Jason Dickson undergoes surgery to repair torn tissue in his right shoulder. He is expected to miss at least 4 months of the season.

The Mets sign free agent P Orel Hershiser to a contract.
March 28The Baltimore Orioles make the 1st visit to Cuba by major leaguers since 1959‚ and defeat a team of Cuban League‚ 3-2 in 11 innings. P Jose Contreras hurls 8 innings of 2-hit‚ 10-K ball in relief for the Cubans‚ while C Charles Johnson hits a 2-run homer and DH Harold Baines drives in the winning run for the Orioles. The two teams will play a rematch at Camden Yards in Baltimore on May 3. As part of the arrangement with the Cubans‚ ML ships a reported 7‚500 wooden bats to Cuba‚ and the Cuban League immediately switches from metal bats.
March 29The Braves announce that P Kerry Ligtenberg will undergo reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and be out for the season. Ligtenberg was diagnosed with a partially torn ligament in his elbow on March 12.

The Padres obtain C-IF Phil Nevin and minor league P Keith Volkman from the Angels in exchange for IF Andy Sheets and minor league OF Gus Kennedy. Nevin will go on the DL in 3 days because of a strained muscle.

The Pirates acquire catcher Tim Laker from the Dodgers for a player to be named later. Much later-26 months. The deal will finally be completed in early July‚ 2001 when LA selects P Jason Ryan from Nashville (AAA)‚ Laker will be gone from the Bucs by then.
March 30The Players Association releases the results of a survey rating major league umpires in both leagues. Tim McClelland (AL) and Jerry Crawford (NL) receive the highest grades‚ while Ken Kaiser (AL) and Charlie Williams (NL) receive the lowest.

Mariners SS Alex Rodriguez is injured in spring training while doing an agility exercise which involves jumping over boxes. He’ll undergo surgery on April 8 that will keep him out of action for 6 weeks.

The Blue Jays obtain 3B Dave Hollins from the Angels for IF Tomas Perez.

The Yankees trade P Darren Holmes to the Diamondbacks for C Izzy Molina and P Ben Ford.

Pitcher Jay Witasick is traded by Oakland to Kansas City for a player to be named. The deal is completed June 9 when the A’s receive P Scott Chiasson.
March 31Commissioner Bud Selig confirms that discussions are underway which could lead to advertising space being sold on the sleeves of players uniforms

The Cubs obtain P Dan Serafini from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations.

April

April 1No joke. Enraged that P Hideki Irabu fails to cover 1B on a ground ball hit during an exhibition game‚ Yankees owner George Steinbrenner calls him a “fat pussy toad.” Steinbrenner will later apologize to Irabu.
April 2The Orioles obtain 1B-OF Jeff Conine from the Royals for minor league P Chris Fussell.
April 4In the first season opener ever played outside of the United States or Canada‚ the Rockies defeat the Padres‚ 8-2‚ before an overflow crowd of 27‚104 in Monterrey‚ Mexico. OF Dante Bichette has 4 hits‚ including a HR‚ and 4 RBIs for the winners. Local hero Vinny Castilla also has 4 hits for the Rockies‚ while Darryl Kile picks up the victory.
April 5OF Juan Encarnacion homers on the first pitch of the game and P Brian Moehler takes a no-hitter into the 7th inning as the Tigers defeat the Rangers‚ 11-5. Texas P Mike Morgan sets a major league record by appearing in a game for his 11th team. And Detroit P Masao Kida becomes the first Tokyo-born player to appear in a big league game when he pitches the 8th inning in relief.

OF Albert Belle hits a 3-run homer in his Baltimore debut‚ and Cal Ripken Jr. has to leave the game with a back injury‚ as the Orioles defeat the Devil Rays‚ 10-7. Ripken will not play tomorrow‚ marking the first time in 17 years that he is forced to miss a game because of an injury. Prior to today’s game‚ Ripken’s father is honored with his #7 painted into the 3rd base coach’s box. A former Oriole manager and coach‚ Ripken Sr. died of lung cancer on March 25 at age 63. Following the game‚ Baltimore P Doug Johns is arrested on drunk driving and marijuana possession charges.

The Giants defeat the Reds‚ 11-8‚ on third baseman Charlie Hayes’s go-ahead three-run homer in the 8th inning. Hayes replaced starter Bill Mueller‚ who broke his toe after being hit by a Brett Tomko pitch as the second batter up in the game. SF OF Bobby Bonds sets an NL record by receiving his 290th career intentional walk in the 4th inning. The old record was held by Hank Aaron.

Dodgers OF Raul Mondesi hits a 2-outs‚ 3-run HR in the bottom of the 9th to tie the score‚ then hits a 2-out‚ 2-run homer in the last of the 11th to win the game as LA defeats Arizona‚ 8-6. Mondesi drives in a total of 6 runs as Davey Johnson wins his managerial debut with the Dodgers.

The Expos defeat the Pirates‚ 9-2‚ behind the pitching of Dustin Hermanson. Jason Phillips makes his major league debut in the 6th inning for Pittsburgh and sees his first pitch hit over the centerfield wall for a HR by C Chris Widger.

In the Opener at Anaheim‚ the Angels rally to beat the Indians‚ 6-5. Salmon and Anderson hit homers on consecutive pitches off Jaret Wright in the 4th. But Mo Vaughn, signed to a team record-high contract as a free agent during the off-season, tumbles into the Cleveland dugout while chasing a foul ball and severely sprains his ankle. Mo plays five innings before leaving but he’ll miss 15 days. The injury will linger causing him problems at the plate and‚ he says later‚ causing the ligament damage that will curtail his 2000 season.
April 6The Braves defeat the Phillies‚ 11-3‚ behind Greg Maddux. Maddux hits a HR and 2-run single in Atlanta’s 8-run 4th inning‚ becoming the first pitcher since Todd Stottlemyre in 1996 to get 2 hits in the same inning.

The U.S. government garnishes Denny McLain‘s pension in order to reimburse the pension fund that he was convicted of laundering money from. McLain was recently divorced and under the terms of the settlement‚‚ all of the assets went to his wife‚ including his pension‚ while McLain got all of the debts. But‚ a federal judge overruled that and ordered that all of McLain’s pension benefits be used to reimburse his victims.
April 8The Expos defeat the Mets‚ 5-1‚ behind the pitching of Miguel Batista. Batista also dribbles a ball in front of the plate for his 1st major league hit after beginning his career 0-for-41 to tie Randy Tate’s big league record.

Philadelphia defeats Atlanta‚ 6-3‚ and the Phils tie an NL record by using 5 pitchers in the 8th inning. Only 1 runs scores in the frame as the Braves leave the bases loaded.
April 9Pirates rookie Kris Benson beats the Cubs in his first ML start. He’s just the second #1 draft pick to win his first start; David Clyde was the other‚ in 1973.
April 10The Diamondbacks defeat the Braves‚ 8-3‚ as P Randy Johnson strikes out 15 batters‚ including 6 in a row‚ to set an Arizona record. SS Tony Batista strokes 5 hits for Arizona‚ including a HR‚ and brings home 4 runs. Batista’s streak will reach 7‚ then he’ll have 17 at bats without a hit.

During a rundown play‚ Seattle rookie IF Carlos Guillen tears a ligament in his right knee in the Mariners 11-4 loss to Oakland. He will require surgery and be out for the season.
April 11The Tampa Bay Devil Rays defeat the Boston Red Sox‚ 5-4‚ as P Scott Aldred picks up the win in relief. The victory ends Aldred’s major league record streak of 50 appearances without a win‚ loss or save.

The Seattle Mariners defeats the Oakland Athletics‚ 11-8‚ as the Mariners score 8 runs in the 3rd inning.

The Pirates defeat the Cubs‚ 9-6‚ despite 5 hits by Chicago OF Glenallen Hill. Hill strokes 3 singles‚ a double and a HR‚ and drives home a pair of runs in the losing effort.

The Dodgers-Rockies game in Los Angeles is postponed due to rain. It is the first rainout in LA since April 21‚ 1988-a string of 856 games-and just the 16th in club history.
April 12The Rangers recall P Jeff Zimmerman from Oklahoma City (AAA)‚ making them the first team since the 1916 Chicago Cubs with three players whose last names begin with the letter “Z.” Zimmerman joins 3B Todd Zeile and C Gregg Zaun. The 1916 Cubs roster included IFs Rollie Zeider and Heine Zimmerman and OF Dutch Zwilling.

Joe McIlvaine‚ former Mets GM and currently an assistant to Minnesota GM Terry Ryan‚ is arrested for public nudity on a beach.
April 13The Rangers defeat the Mariners‚ 15-6‚ as Texas C Ivan Rodriguez drives in 9 runs. All of Rodriguez’s RBIs come on a 3-run HR in the 1st inning‚ a 2-run single in the 2nd‚ and a grand slam in the 3rd. Mike Morgan picks up the win in relief. It is his 1st victory over the Mariners since August 4‚ 1979. The 19 years‚ 8 months and 9 days is the longest a pitcher has ever gone between victories against one team.

The Dodgers score 2 runs in the top of the 16th inning to take a 6-4 lead over the Diamondbacks‚ but Arizona comes back with 3 in the bottom half to eke out a 7-6 win. 2B Jay Bell has 4 hits‚ including a pair of HRs‚ for the winners.
April 14The Yankees defeat the Orioles‚ 14-7‚ as Chuck Knoblauch gets 5 hits‚ including his 1st HR of the year‚ for the winners.

The Indians score 9 runs in the 6th inning on their way to an 11-4 win over the Royals.

The Mets down the Marlins‚ 4-1‚ as NY reliever John Franco records the 400th save of his career. Only Lee Smith has notched more‚ with 478.

Speaking of 400s. In the Devil Rays 7-6‚ 11 inning loss to Toronto‚ Jose Canseco hits his 400th HR. He is the 28th player to reach that mark‚ but the first born outside the US.

Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry is arrested in Tampa on charges of soliciting a prostitute and possession of cocaine. Strawberry has been at the Yankees’ extended training camp while he works himself back into shape following colon cancer surgery last October 3.
April 15The Blue Jays sign free agent 2B Pat Kelly.

Colorado manager Jim Leyland wins his 1‚000th game as the Rockies beat San Diego‚ 6-4.
April 16The Dodgers trade pitchers Dave Mlicki and Mel Rojas to the Tigers in exchange for minor league pitchers Rick Roberts‚ Robinson Checo and Apostol Garcia.

The Braves finally give up on wild-armed pitcher Mark Wohlers and ship him to the Reds in exchange for P John Hudek.
April 17Boston P Tom Gordon suffers an elbow injury and is forced to come out in the 9th inning of the Red Sox 8-5 win over Tampa Bay. Gordon‚ who is placed on the DL‚ had converted 46 consecutive save opportunities. He’ll spend 129 days on the DL.

Down 7-1 to the Indians‚ the Twins rally for 7 runs in the 8th inning to take the lead‚ then score 5 more in the 11th to defeat the Tribe‚ 13-8. OF Marcus Lawton‚ who entered the game in the 8th inning as a PH‚ drives home 6 runs.
April 18The Braves stroke 24 hits in pounding the Rockies‚ 20-5. Atlanta scores 10 runs in the 9th inning on the way to setting an Atlanta record for runs scored in a game. Andruw Jones has 5 hits‚ including a HR and triple‚ and drives home 6 runs‚ while Eddie Perez collects 5 singles. The Braves attack features at least one hit from everyone in the lineup except WP Greg Maddux.
April 19The Rockies blow a pair of 4-run leads before bouncing back to score 3 runs in the last half of the 9th inning and pull out an 11-10 win over the Expos..

Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr. is placed on the disabled list for the first time in his 19-year career because of irritation in his lower back. Ripken’s record consecutive game streak ended last September at 2‚632 games.
April 20The Rockies-Expos game in Denver is canceled after 15 people are killed in a massacre at Columbine high school near Denver. Tomorrow’s game will also be canceled and the team will subsequently wear a sleeve patch in memory of tragedy.

Giants star Barry Bonds undergoes surgery on his right arm‚ which will cause him to be out of action for at least 10 weeks.

Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott agrees to sell her controlling interest in the Reds to a group headed by Carl H. Lindner‚ ending her 14-year tenure. The group will pay a total of $67 million.

The Nolan Ryan Museum opens in Alvin‚ Texas.
April 21The Braves defeat the Dodgers‚ 11-4‚ by scoring 7 runs in the 12th inning‚ 2 short of the NL record for the frame.

The Yankees defeat the Rangers‚ 4-2‚ as Roger Clemens ties an AL record with his 17th consecutive win over 2 seasons. Johnny Allen (1936-37) and Dave McNally (1968-69) previously accomplished the feat for the Indians and Orioles‚ respectively.

The Astros defeat the Cubs‚ 10-3‚ as 1B Jeff Bagwell clouts 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs. It is Bagwell’s 2nd career 3-homer game. The 4-baggers give Bagwell 225 for his career with the Astros‚ surpassing Jimmy Wynn as the team’s career leader.

A Florida woman is awarded $2.7 million by a jury for an injury she received during a Phillies-Marlins game on August 8‚ 1993. Linda Postlethwaite had her nose broken by an errant pitch from former Phillies hurler Mitch Williams during a game at Joe Robbie Stadium.
April 22Tampa Bay defeats Baltimore‚ 1-0‚ as Ps Tony Saunders‚ Jim Mecir and Roberto Hernandez combine on a 1-hitter. SS Mike Bordick’s single with 2 outs in the 8th inning is the only hit Oriole hit.

Angels OF Jim Edmonds has surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. He will be sidelined for about 4 months.
April 23The Cardinals defeat the Dodgers‚ 12-5‚ as 3B Fernando Tatis sets a major league record by hitting 2 grand slams in a single inning. His 2 homers came in St. Louis’ 11-run 3rd inning. He also sets a record with 8 RBIs in the inning‚ while LA P Chan Ho Park becomes the 1st pitcher this century-and only the 2nd ever-to surrender 2 grand slams in a single frame. Bill Phillips of the Pirates did so in 1890. Park became the 36th major-leaguer to serve up two slams to the same player in his career.

At Fenway‚ ex-Red Sox hitter Wil Cordero hits a 2-run HR‚ off Jim Corsi‚ in the 6th to give the Indians a 7-6 win over Boston. His hit follows the 2nd bench clearing brawl of the game. Rheal Cormier plunks Jim Thome and Corsi relieves. The first brawl comes in the 5th after Jarret Wright allows a homer‚ walk and single‚ then hits Darren Lewis with a pitch. Both are tossed. Lofton‚ leading off‚ and Fryman homer for Cleveland. The AL will suspend Indians P Jaret Wright (5 games) and 1B Jim Thome (3 days)‚ and Red Sox OF Darren Lewis (3 days) and P Rheal Cormier (3 games) for participating in the brawls. All will appeal.

The Brewers sink the Pirates‚ 9-1‚ as P Steve Woodard hurls the complete game victory. The win ends Milwaukee’s NL record streak of 113 games without a complete game. 3B Jeff Cirillo leads the Brewer attack with 3 hits‚ including a double and HR‚ and 4 RBIs.

The Indians trade P Jerry Spradlin to the Giants for OF Dan McKinley and a player to be named.

Royals P Hipolito Pichardo undergoes right elbow surgery which will keep him out the rest of the season.

Wichita State University P Ben Christensen hits Evansville leadoff hitter Anthony Molina with a warm-up pitch while Molina is about 30 feet from the plate. Molina receives 23 stitches to close a gash. Christensen explains that he thought Molina was trying to time his pitches‚ and says pitching coach Brent Kemnitz has instructed pitchers to brush back the on-deck hitter if he’s standing too close to the plate. The Missouri Valley Conference suspends Christensen‚ and Kenmitz‚ for the rest of the season. Molina will file assault charges against the pitcher‚ which will result in an out-of-court settlement in 2002.
April 24In New York’s 2-0 loss to the Cubs‚ Mets’ leadoff man Rickey Henderson bats five times‚ going 2-for-4‚ and on each occasion he leads off the inning. The Mets strand 12 as Chicago reliever Terry Mulholland throws 6 2/3 scoreless innings. Sammy Sosa hits his 4th homer for Chicago.
April 25Oakland scores 6 runs in the 2nd inning‚ but has a 6-2 lead erased when the Orioles come back to score 8 in the 7th. Down 10-6‚ the Athletics proceed to plate 2 in the 8th and 3 more in the 9th to defeat Baltimore‚ 11-10.

The A’s Tony Phillips celebrates his 40th birthday by hitting a game-winning home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles‚ 11-10. Phillips becomes just the fifth major-leaguer to crank one out on his 40th or later birthday: the last 2 were Darrell Evans and Wade Boggs‚ in 1988. The big-leaguer who hit the most birthday blasts over his career was Al Simmons with five.
April 27The Padres defeat the Mets‚ 6-2‚ despite Met OF Rickey Henderson‘s 1‚300th career SB.

The Orioles defeat the Royals‚ 8-4‚ as Baltimore LF B.J. Surhoff strokes 5 hits‚ including 2 doubles and a homer‚ and drives in 3 runs.
April 28Marlins P Archie Corbin ties the major league record with 4 strikeouts in the 7th inning against the Cubs. Tyler Houston, who was his 2nd K victim, reaches 1st on a wild pitch. Wilson Alvarez, on July 21, 1997, is the last to strike out 4 in an inning. But the Cubs win, 6–1 behind Steve Trachsel (1–2) and Mark Grace‘s 4 hits. Grace will finish the 1990s with 1,754 hits, the ML leader for the decade.

The Mets defeat the Padres‚ 4-3‚ on a 9th inning HR by C Mike Piazza. It is the 1st time that SD has lost a game it was leading after 8 innings since July 24‚ 1996. They were 181-0 in games in which they led after 8 in that time.

The Angels defeat the Blue Jays‚ 12-10‚ after blowing a 10-0 lead. Mo Vaughn‘s 2nd 2-run homer of the game‚ in the 8th inning‚ is the deciding blow. Green has a pair of homers for Toronto‚ as 7 balls leave the park.

The Rockies defeat the Cardinals‚ 9-7‚ as OF Larry Walker hits 3 HRs and a single‚ and drives home 8 runs for Colorado. The 8 ribbies ties a team record.

In the middle of their series with Seattle‚ the Tigers trade OF Brian Hunter to the Mariners in exchange for a pair of players to be named. Hunter was on the winning side in the first 2 games with Detroit‚ and Seattle will win the next 2 to split the series.

The Phillies got 3 consecutive HRs from Scott Rolen‚ Rico Brogna and Ron Gant in the bottom of the 1st off Bret Tomko‚ the 1st time the Phillies have 3 consecutive HRs since July 26‚ 1987. But the Reds‚ down 7-1 after 4 innings‚ score 4 runs in the 9th to win‚ 12-8.
April 29Down 6-1‚ the Mariners score 11 runs in the 5th inning and 6 more in the 6th on the way to a 22-6 pasting of Detroit. Ken Griffey Jr. hits 2 HRs and drives in 6 in the inning. Tiger P Mel Rojas is pounded for 8 hits and 11 earned runs in 1 and 2/3 innings of relief. It is the first time in 40 years that Detroit has given up 11 runs in a frame. By not committing an error in the contest‚ Mariner 1B David Segui becomes baseball’s all-time leader in fielding percentage among first basemen (1‚000 games minimum)‚ moving slightly ahead of Steve Garvey.

It is a day for one-sided scoring as the Angels also win by 16 runs‚ winning 17-1 over Toronto. Blue Jay rookie starter Roy Halladay enters the game with no earned runs in 20 innings‚ but the Angels score 7 in the 1st to end that. Andy Sheets has 5 RBI in the game.

The Devil Rays defeat the White Sox‚ 4-1. Tampa Bay 1B Fred McGriff homers in the contest at Comiskey Park‚ tying the record held by Ellis Burks and Gary Gaetti for hitting HRs in 33 different major league parks.

Phillies P Jeff Brantley goes on the DL‚ facing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. He will be out the rest of the season.
April 30The Braves defeat the Reds‚ 3-0‚ on John Smoltz‘s one-hitter. C Ed Taubensee’s 5th-inning single is Cincinnati’s only safety.

In a slugfest featuring 9 homeruns‚ Seattle emerges with a 11-9 victory over Toronto. Carlos Delgado has a pair for the Jays‚ while Ken Griffey‚ Jr. has 5 RBIs‚ 4 on a grand slam in the 8th to put Seattle ahead. It is the 2nd game in a row that he has hit grand slams to tie a ML record.

The Royals defeat the Yankees‚ 13-6‚ as 2‚500 KC fans protest the wide disparity in baseball payrolls by turning their backs during Yankee at bats‚ and walking out early.

May

May 1Detroit hurler Brian Moehler is ejected in the 7th inning for having a piece of sandpaper on his thumb against the Devil Rays. Two batters later‚ Randy Winn’s sacrifice fly gives Tampa Bay the 4-3 win for Bobby Witt. Moehler will receive a 10-game suspension for his actions. Roberto Hernandez gets the save for the Devil Rays. It is the 200th of his career‚ making him the 1st Latin pitcher to reach the mark.

The Cardinals defeat the Expos‚ 16-5‚ as rookie Outfielder J.D. Drew scores 5 runs for St. Louis‚ and 3B Fernando Tatis hits his 8th HR and drives home 3.

The Brewers signed P Hideo Nomo. Nomo will make 1 start for the Brewers Double-A team‚ which will be on Sunday‚ and then he’ll join the team.

Tom Schieffer resigned as the President of the Rangers in order to spend more time developing real estate around the Ballpark in Arlington. Schieffer also says he may help Texas Gov. George W. Bush run for the White House.
May 2Texas DH Rafael Palmeiro has 3 hits‚ including his 2‚000th‚ and Juan Gonzales hits his 3rd HR in 3 games as the Rangers beat the Indians‚ 8-6.

With a 2-run single by Gary Gaetti in the 8th‚ the Cubs push their win streak to 5 games with a 3-2 win over the Padres. The Pads go the other way extending their losing to 5 games and losing a series for the first time after 73 consecutive series without being swept. According to the Elias Sports Bureau‚ the streak is the 4th longest in this century. The three longer sweepless streaks were posted by the 1904-06 Philadelphia A’s with 76 consecutive series without a sweep‚ the 1903-05 New York Giants with 97 straight and the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals with a amazing 132 consecutive series without a sweep.
May 3The Pirates score 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat the Giants‚ 9-8. Jeff Kent gets 5 hits for the Giants‚ and hits for the cycle‚ just the 2nd player to do so in Three Rivers Stadium. Joe Torre did it on June 27‚ 1973. Jason Kendall goes 5-for-5‚ with 2 doubles‚ in a losing cause for Pittsburgh.

The Blue Jays outslug the Mariners‚ 16-10. Carlos Delgado goes 3-for-3 for Toronto‚ with 2 HRs‚ 5 runs scored‚ and 5 RBIs.

Boston blows a 7-0 lead‚ as the Athletics rally to edge the Red Sox‚ 12-11‚ in 10 innings. Boston rookie C Creighton Gubanich hits a grand slam in the 1st inning‚ becoming just the 4th major leaguer to swat one for his 1st major league hit.

In the 2nd game of their home-and-home series‚ the Cuban All-Star team handily defeats the Baltimore Orioles‚ 12-6‚ in an exhibition game played in Baltimore. Afterwards‚ Cuban pitching coach Rigoberto Herrera requests asylum in the U.S.

Tigers P Brian Moehler is suspended for 10 games for scuffing the ball 2 days ago. Moehler denies having sandpaper attached to his thumb and instead says it was dirt. But Moehler says he won’t appeal.

Reds P Mark Wohlers has another disastrous outing in a minor league rehab appearance. Wohlers walks 5 out of the 7 batters he faces‚ fires 4 wild pitches in 1/3 IP.
May 4The Cubs blow an early 8-2 lead‚ as the Rockies score 3 in the 6th‚ 3 in the 7th‚ and 3 in the 8th to take an 11-8 lead. Chicago bounces back with 2 in the bottom of the 9th‚ however‚ to defeat Colorado‚ 12-11. Cub 1B Mark Grace hits a bases-loaded homer in the 3rd inning‚ relinquishing his title as the active player with the most at bats without a grand slam (6‚136 at bats). Cincinnati SS Barry Larkin is the new leader with 5‚817 at bats.

Mark McGwire hit a grand slam off Greg Maddux. It is the 12th grand slam of McGwire’s career and just the 2nd regular season grand slam that Maddux has allowed (the 1st was to Benito Santiago in 1996). The Cardinals scored 6 runs in the 2nd off Maddux‚ which was the 1st time he’s allowed 6 runs in an inning. For McGwire‚ it is also his 100th HR with the Cardinals‚ becoming the 24th player to hit 100+ HR with more than 1 franchise and the 14th player to hit 100+ HR in both leagues.
May 5The Rockies defeat the Cubs‚ 13-6‚ and become the 1st team in 35 years-and only the 3rd this century-to score in all 9 innings. The last team to do so was the St. Louis Cardinals‚ on September 13‚ 1964‚ against the Cubs.

The Dodgers defeat the Expos‚ 8-2‚ as LA P Jamie Arnold makes his major league debut by hurling 1-hit ball for 6 2/3 innings. Orlando Cabrera’s single leading off the 6th is the only hit allowed by Arnold.

The Blue Jays trade P Robert Person to the Phillies in exchange for P Paul Spoljaric.

Chatham Glenwood High (IL) junior Bill Clayton hits three homers in the 2nd inning and fires a no-hitter in the Redskins’ 27-2 victory Tuesday over Taylorville High. According to the National High School Sports Record Book‚ Clayton become the first high school baseball player to hit three homers in one inning. Clayton knocks in 8 of Glenwood’s 22 runs in the second.

There are no games in either league scheduled west of Kansas City; all games are in the Eastern or Central time zone. All the West Coast teams are on the road.
May 7Pedro Martinez fans 15 Angels‚ including Mo Vaughn twice‚ as Boston defeats visiting Anaheim‚ 6-0. Wakefield K’s 2 in the 9th in relief. Mo gets a standing O from the Fenway fans.

At Jacobs Field‚ the Indians overcome a 9-1 deficit by scoring 4 runs in the 6th‚ 7 runs in the 7th‚ and 7 more in the 8th‚ to defeat the Devil Rays‚ 20-11. Down 8 and winning by 9 is the biggest swing since July 8‚ 1990‚ according to historian Tom Ruane: The Rays will nearly match it on June 22‚ 2005‚ blowing a 9-2 lead to the Yankees and also losing 20-11. Roberto Alomar‚ with a grand slam‚ and David Justice‚ with 2 HRs‚ each drive home 5 runs for the Tribe‚ who have 5 players get 3 or more hits. Tampa Bay’s Fred McGriff hits a 2-run shot off another Tampa native‚ Dwight Gooden. For McGriff‚ it is the 34th ML park he has homered in‚ a new ML record. He was tied with Gary Gaetti and Ellis Burks.

The Blue Jays defeat the Rangers‚ 9-6‚ as 3B Tony Fernandez strokes 5 hits‚ including 3 doubles. Texas takes the lead as their first two batters‚ Tom Goodwin and Mark McLemore‚ hit homers off Pat Hentgen‚ the eventual winner. Bill Koch pitches 2 scoreless innings for his first save.

The White Sox top the Athletics‚ 7-1‚ as rookie OF Carlos Lee shows why he is the Sox top prospect by hitting a homer in his first at bat. Lee is the first Sox player to ever hit a HR in his 1st big league at bat.

The Rockies defeat the Phillies‚ 8-1. In the process‚ they tie an NL record by extending their scoring streak to 14 straight innings before Curt Schilling stops them in the 2nd frame.

The Cubs fall to the Reds‚ 3-2. By holding Cincinnati scoreless in the 1st inning‚ Chicago P Kevin Tapani ends the Cubs’ record for allowing runs in 13 consecutive innings.

The Padres edge the Braves‚ 4-3‚ as umpire Wally Bell returns to action 11 weeks after undergoing quintuple heart bypass surgery.
May 8The Mariners defeat the Yankees‚ 14-5‚ as 3B John Mabry gets 5 hits.
May 9The Yankees defeat the Mariners‚ 6-1. Relief P Mike Stanton makes his 1st major league start for NY‚ ending his major league record streak of 552 consecutive relief appearances prior to his 1st start. the previous record of 443 was set by Gary Lavelle of the Giants.

The Pirates defeat the Cardinals‚ 12-9‚ as SS Pat Meares gets 5 hits‚ including a double. Brant Brown adds a 3-run inside-the-park homer.

Florida St. junior 2B Marshall McDougall goes 7-7‚ with an NCAA record 6 consecutive HRs and 16 RBIs‚ as the Seminoles defeat Maryland‚ 26-2. McDougall opens the game with a single. His mark breaks the HR record set by Henry Rochelle of Campbell‚ who hit 5 homers in a game in 1985. The RBI mark was held by Jim LaFountain of Louisville who drove in 14 against Western Kentucky in 1976.
May 10The Red Sox pound the Mariners‚ 12-4‚ as SS Nomar Garciaparra leads the way with 3 HRs‚ including 2 grand slams. Garciaparra drives home 10 of Boston’s runs as he clouts a bases loaded homer in the 1st‚ a 2-run shot in the 3rd‚ and another grand slam in the 8th. Nomar is the first Bosox since Rudy York‚ in 1946‚ to slam 2 slams in a game and the second player to accomplish it this year.
May 11The Rockies beat the Mets‚ 10-3‚ as Bobby M. Jones of Colorado bests Bobby J. Jones of NY. It is the 1st time this century that two pitchers with the same name have started against one another. In 1876‚ George H. Bradley of Boston and George W. Bradley of St. Louis started against each other twice. On April 16‚ 1899‚ John B. Taylor of Cincinnati matched up with John W. Taylor of Chicago. In 1876‚ George H. Bradley of Boston and George W. Bradley of St. Louis started against each other twice: G.W. Bradley started all 64 of St. Louis’ games that year.

The Astros pound out 18 hits in defeating the Pirates‚ 19-8. CF Carl Everett drives home 5 runs for Houston‚ while 1B Jeff Bagwell and 3B Ken Caminiti plate 4 apiece. Pirate backup catcher Keith Osik takes one for the team when manager Gene Lamont puts him on the mound in relief instead of his overworked relief corp. With the Pirates down 15-8 in the 8th‚ Osik walks two‚ strikes out one‚ hits a batter and gives up two hits. He allows four runs in his inning of work.
May 12The Red Sox sink the Mariners‚ 9-2‚ as Boston hurler Pedro Martinez fans 15 batters for the 2nd consecutive game.

The Angels edge the Yankees‚ 1-0‚ behind the combined 3-hit pitching of Chuck Finley and Troy Percival. Finley fans 11 Yankees in his 8 innings of work‚ including 4 in the 3rd inning to become the 33rd pitcher in history to strike out 4 in a single frame.

Tampa Bay P Jim Mecir suffers a broken elbow when he and P Rick White get tangled while shagging batting practice balls before the Devil Ray’s game against the Twins. He will be out the rest of the season. Minnesota defeats Tampa Bay‚ 9-4. Mecir had a 0-1 record with a 2.61 ERA in 17 games.
May 13The Rangers score 8 runs in the 4th inning on their way to a 15-7 victory over the Orioles. OFs Rusty Greer and Roberto Kelly drive home 4 runs each.

Cleveland Indians owner Richard Jacobs announces that he is putting the team up for sale.
May 14Tampa Bay P Alan Newman makes his big league debut‚ after 11+ seasons in the minors‚ in the Devil Rays’ 8-3 loss to the Angels at Anaheim. Entering the game with the bases loaded in the 7th inning‚ he balks home a run before making his 1st big league pitch. 1B Mo Vaughn hits his 8th career grand slam‚ and drives home 6 runs for Anaheim.
May 15Rangers P Esteban Loaiza breaks his hand when a car slams on it. He’s out indefinitely.

When SS Alex Arias of the Philadelphia Phillies snags Mike Piazza‘s line drive in the sixth inning he starts the Phillies’ 30th franchise triple play and their 10th against a team from New York City. It was just the second triple play turned in Veterans Stadium and the 237th in the National League since 1901. Arias has participated in two triple plays for the Phils‚ he initiated one last season against the San Francisco Giants. The Mets still win‚ 9-7.
May 16The Orioles outslug the Rangers‚ 16-5‚ pounding out 24 hits in the process. All 9 Baltimore starters have 2 or more hits for the Orioles‚ with Mike Bordick leading the way with 4. Albert Belle hits a pair of homers and knocks home 5 runs for the Orioles.

Mark Sweeney must wonder what you have to do as Cincinnati sends him to the minors and calls up pitcher Brett Tomko. Sweeney is hitting .357 with an .857 slugging average and a .471 OBA.
May 17The Devil Rays outgun the Rangers‚ 13-3‚ as 1B Fred McGriff extends his major league record by hitting a HR in his 35th big league stadium-The Ballpark in Arlington.

The Mariners defeat the Twins‚ 15-5‚ as LF Butch Huskey gets 4 hits‚ including 2 homers‚ and drives home 7 runs. DH Edgar Martinez also hits a pair of 4-baggers for Seattle and scores 5 runs.
May 18The Yankees lose to the Red Sox‚ 6-3‚ as Joe Torre returns as Yankee manager after being treated for prostate cancer.

The Mariners defeat the Twins‚ 10-1‚ as Seattle DH Edgar Martinez clouts 3 HRs and drives home 4 runs.

1B Mark Grace‘s 3-run HR in the 11th inning gives the Cubs a 4-1 victory over the Marlins. SS Alex Gonzalez has all 3 of Florida’s hits.

In Boston‚ Joseph Schnabel pleads guilty to stealing wills signed by baseball Hall of Famers George Wright and 1920s umpire Tom Connolly and selling them for more than $15‚000. The discovery of the missing documents led authorities in other parts of the country to realize they had experienced similar thefts.
May 19In a record-setting outing‚ the Reds outslug the Rockies‚ 24-12‚ stroking 28 hits in the process. The 36 runs sets a Coors Field record. Jeffrey Hammonds hits 3 HRs for Cincinnati‚ as 7 players in the Reds lineup get 3 or more hits apiece. Teammate Sean Casey hits a pair of 3-run homers to drive in 6 runs and reaches base in all 7 plate appearances‚ tying a 20th century record. Jeffrey Hammonds hit 3 HRs in game as he and Casey score 5 times. The 36 runs scored in the contest is the 3rd-highest total in the major leagues since the turn of the century‚ while the 81 total bases sets a new major league standard. OF Mike Cameron ties a major league mark with 8 plate appearances in a 9-inning game. With 28 hits‚ the Reds tie a mark originally set on May 13‚ 1902 and tie the NL record with 7 players with 3+ hits‚ Pirates‚ June 12‚ 1928‚ and Reds‚ August 3‚ 1989). The Rockies became the 1st team to score 12+ runs in a game and lose by 12+ runs in the same game since the Giants beat the Reds‚ 25-13 in 1901. Larry Walker extends his hitting streak to 20 games and raises his average to .431.

The Rangers top the Devil Rays‚ 7-6‚ as Texas gets 3 consecutive HRs in the 5th inning by C Ivan Rodriguez‚ DH Rafael Palmeiro‚ and 3B Todd Zeile.

The Giants beat the Diamondbacks‚ 8-3‚ and stop Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez‘ 30-game hitting streak. It is the longest streak in the NL since Jerome Walton of the Cubs also hit in 30 in a row in 1989.
May 20The Mets sweep the Brewers in a DH‚ winning the 1st game‚ 11-10‚ and the 2nd‚ 10-1. 3B Robin Ventura slugs a grand slam in each contest‚ becoming the 1st player in history to do so in both ends of a DH. Ventura also becomes the 1st player to hit a pair of grand slams on the same day on 2 separate occasions.
May 21In a long rumored move‚ the Twins finally trade Rick Aguilera‚ along with minor league P Scott Downs‚ to the Cubs for minor league pitchers Jason Ryan and Kyle Lohse. Tomorrow‚ Cubs reliever Rod Beck undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his elbow.

At Coors Field, Larry Walker’s third hit of the game is an 11th inning walkoff homer off of John Frascatore to give the Rockies an 8-7 win over the Diamondbacks. Todd Helton has 4 hits for the Rocks.  Walker’s 21-game hit streak will end tomorrow but he bats .506 (41-for-81) during the streak, the first .500 average during a 20-game hit streak since Bob “Fats” Fothergill, in 1927 (as noted by Trent McCotter).
May 22Mo Vaughn’s single in the 8th snaps a tie and rescues Steve Sparks wild knuckler as the Angels beat the Devil Rays‚ 8-6. In the 3rd inning‚ Sparks hits Paul Sorrento to load the bases‚ then plunks the next 2 batters with a knuckler. He is the 4th pitcher to hit 3 batters in a row‚ joining Houston’s C.J. Nitkowski (1998)‚ White Sox Wilbur Wood (1977) and Pittsburgh’s Dock Ellis (1974). He also plunks Jose Canseco in the 1st inning to tie the ML mark for HBP. Sparks only allows 5 hits‚ but walks 6 in addition to hitting 4.

The Yankees defeat the White Sox‚ 10-2‚ in the 1st game of a DH. Roger Clemens gets the win for NY‚ giving him an AL record 18 consecutive victories over the course of 2 seasons. The White Sox come back to take the 2nd game by a score of 2-1.

Reds P Pete Harnisch hits his 1st ML HR and hurls his 2nd shutout of the season‚ 3-0‚ over San Diego.
May 23Down 4-1 going into the 8th inning‚ the Milwaukee Brewers score 5 runs in the 8th and 7 runs in the 9th to defeat the Expos‚ 13-4.

The Red Sox defeat the Blue Jays‚ 10-8‚ as Tom Gordon extends his major league record to 50 consecutive saves in 50 chances.

Tampa Bay rookie P Ryan Rupe holds the Angels to one hit in 9 innings‚ but leaves the game in a scoreless tie. Anaheim scores 4 runs in the 10th off Roberto Hernandez to win the game by a score of 4-0. Chuck Finley hurls 9 scoreless frames for Anaheim as Troy Percival gets the win in relief.

The Orioles defeat the Rangers‚ 15-6‚ scoring 10 runs in the 1st inning. Baltimore OF Brady Anderson is hit by a pitch twice in the 1st to set an AL record, and tie the ML record. Anderson joins Willard Schmidt (1959) and Frank Thomas (1961) as the only batters hit by a pitch twice in one inning.

Kansas City 1B Jeff King announces his retirement‚ suggesting that his heart is no longer in the game.

The Mets rally for 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Phillies and Curt Schilling‚ 5-4.
May 24Toronto scores 10 runs in the 7th inning and goes on to outlast Detroit‚ 12-6.

The Brewers light up Tom Glavine for 9 runs‚ the first time in his career the Atlanta ace has allowed that many. Milwaukee wins‚ 10-9.
May 25The Mariners score 8 runs in the 4th inning and go on to defeat the Twins by a score of 15-5.

In Arizona’s 5-4 win over San Diego‚ the D’backs Damian Miller becomes only the 8th ML catcher to participate in three double plays in a 9-inning game‚ tying the NL record for DPs and tying the ML record for DPs started by a catcher. The last N.L. catcher to participate in 3 DPs was Ebba St. Claire of the Boston Braves in 1950. Chris Hoiles was part of 4 double plays for the Orioles on April 9‚ 1998.

The Braves hit 3 solo homers in the 9th to beat the Braves‚ 5-2. Two of the homers are back to back pinch homers by Keith Lockhart and Javy Lopez‚ off Bob Wickman‚ and two outs later Walt Weiss homers. The win goes to Rudy Seanez‚ in relief of starter Greg Maddux‚ who throws 7 shutout innings.
May 26In the Devil Rays 8-6 loss to Texas‚ Rays P Tony Saunders breaks the humerus bone in his left arm while throwing a pitch in the 3rd inning. It is the same injury that Dave Dravecky suffered to end his career and Saunders is out for at least the rest of the season. Saunders gets a no decision as he allows 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk in 2 2/3 IP.
May 27The Tigers defeat the White Sox‚ 10-5‚ as Detroit DH Luis Polonia strokes 5 hits‚ including a pair of doubles. Polonia was called up from the minors yesterday.
May 28The Red Sox defeat the Indians‚ 12-5‚ despite 5 passed ball by C Jason Varitek‚ who has trouble catching Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball. Varitek‚ who has 3 PBs in the 1st inning‚ falls one short of the ML record for a single game. He atones for his fielding sins by stroking 3 hits‚ including a HR.

Yankee OF Darryl Strawberry pleads no contest to cocaine possession and solicitation charges‚ and is sentenced to 18 months probation.
May 29The Padres score 8 runs in the 3rd inning on the way to a 12-3 win over the Brewers.

Arizona’s Byung-Hyun Kim. 20-year-old Korean‚ makes his ML debut against the Mets‚ Relieving in the 9th‚ he strikes out Mike Piazza to end the game and preserve the 8-7 win.
May 30The Devil Rays score 8 runs in the 4th inning on the way to a 15-7 victory over the Mariners.
May 31Seattle defeats Baltimore‚ 10-6‚ hitting 4 HRs in the process. With the 4-baggers‚ the Mariners tie the ML record for most homers in a month with 58 for May.

The Cardinals defeat the Marlins‚ 5-2. With St. Louis leading 4-1 in the 5th inning‚ Marlin OF Cliff Floyd doubles off the scoreboard. When Florida argues that the ball cleared the wall‚ the umpires change and rule the hit a HR. The Cardinals then protest and the game is delayed for 5 minutes while umpires Frank Pulli and Greg Bonin study replays of the hit on videotape. The call is eventually reversed and ruled a double. The Marlins play the game under protest‚ though there is no mention of replay in the rule books.

George Brett and his brothers purchase half ownership of TriDiamond Sports‚ a bat company‚ which will be renamed Brett Brothers Bat Co. The company makes bats of composite wood which is supposed to be stronger than the traditional woods.

June

June 1At Yankee Stadium‚ Roger Clemens and New York overpower the Indians‚ 11-5. Derek Jeter has 2 hits‚ 3 runs‚ and has now reached base in all 50 Yankee games (a record going back to 1961). Reliever Steve Reed plunks Jeter in the 8th‚ then Paul O’Neill hits 2-run HR.

Montreal’s Shane Andrews has 2 HRs and a double to drive in 5 runs in Montreal’s 10-8 win over 1st-place Arizona. The DBacks Steve Finley tops him with 6 RBIs on 2 HRs.

AL President Gene Budig interviews Jaret Wright regarding the Cleveland starter’s proclivity for hitting batters. Wright has hit batters in the head twice this season precipitating a brawl each time and a fine and suspension for himself. The right-hander maintains that he’s not aiming to hit batters but only to move them off the plate.
June 2AL president Gene Budig meets with Indians P Jaret Wright to discuss head-hunting accusations‚ due to pitches he has thrown near the heads of Boston’s Darren Lewis and Detroit’s Tony Clark‚ which have precipitated fights this season.

The Devil Rays make Josh Hamilton the 1st HS player in 6 years to be selected No. 1 in major league baseball’s amateur draft. He’ll sign for $3.96 million. The Marlins take another Josh-Beckett-with the 2nd pick and sign him for $3.625 million‚ while C Eric Munson‚ a Braves 2nd round pick in ’96‚ goes to Detroit at number 3 and signs for $3.65 million. In a spending glut that will have scouts brushing up on their Latin American geography‚ 34 players‚ including all but one first rounder‚ will sign for $1 million or more; 76 players in the 1st ten rounds get $500‚000 or more; 127 players sign for $200‚000+. The Pirates ink 39th round pick Patrick O’Brien for $500‚000. The Baltimore Orioles are the first team in the 35-year history of Baseball’s amateur draft to have four first round picks. Only 2 pitchers will make it as far as AAA this year-A’s Barry Zito‚ a first rounder‚ and Diamondbacks Jeremy Ward‚ a 2nd round pick. Other first rounders include Jason Jennings (Rockeis)‚ Kurt Ainsworth (Giants)‚ Ben Sheets (Marlins)‚ and Matt Ginter (Chicago). The Cardinals take Albert Pujols on the 13th round (402nd overall).

Arizona sets a team record with 20 hits in beating the Expos‚ 15-2.
June 3Tampa Bay OF Quinton McCracken undergoes surgery for a torn ACL in his right knee and will be out the rest of the season. McCracken caught his cleats in the wall trying to catch what turned out to be a HR by Juan Gonzalez.
June 4In a battle of East Division leaders‚ the Red Sox defeat the Braves‚ 5-1‚ behind the 3-hit pitching of Pedro Martinez. The Boston righthander fans 16 batters in notching his 11th victory of the year.

Randy Johnson (7-2) wins his 3rd start in a row‚ beating Texas‚ 11-3. Johnson allows 3 hits and K’s 11 in 8 innings.

The KC-Cincinnati game at Kauffman Stadium is postponed when an electrical outage knocks out the lights on the 3rd base side. Workers attempt to fix the situation‚ but a switch gear explodes‚ causing a small fire. The game will be made up as part of a DH tomorrow.

Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr. sparks a controversy after allegedly making derogatory comments regarding Hispanics to the general manager of television station KTMD. McLane denies the story‚ saying remarks he made were taken out of context.
June 5Dodgers P Chan Ho Park, tagged out after a bunt, aims a kick at Angels P Tim Belcher during a scuffle in the Dodgers’ 7-4 victory. Park will be fined $3,000 for his actions and suspended for 7 games. An inning after the kick boxing incident Devon White hits a grand slam off Belcher.

The Braves score 2 runs in the top of the 9th inning to defeat the Red Sox‚ 6-5. Boston P Tom Gordon blows the save opportunity‚ ending his major league record consecutive save streak at 54 games.

The Rockies defeat the Brewers‚ 12-11‚ as 3B Vinny Castilla hits 3 HRs and drives home 5. Castilla also strokes a single in his 5 trips to the plate.

Mets manager Valentine reads in a newspaper report that pitching coach Bob Apodaca is out‚ and‚ arriving at the park‚ discovers that‚ along with Apodaca‚ GM Phillips has fired coaches Tom Robson and Randy Niemann. Phillips names replacement coaches Dave Wallace‚ Al Jackson‚ and Mickey Brantley.
June 6The Reds defeat the Royals‚ 14-3‚ as 1B Sean Casey strokes 5 of Cincinnati’s 22 hits‚ including a double.

The Rockies hit a team-record 4 HRs in an 8-run 7th inning in rallying to defeat the Brewers‚ 10-5. Henry Blanco‚ Neifi Perez‚ Dante Bichette and Angel Echevarria all connect in the inning.

The Mets defeat the Yankees‚ 7-2 to end Roger Clemens‘ 20-game winning streak. The Mets also end SS Derek Jeter‘s streak of reaching base in 53 consecutive games as they snap an 8-game losing streak of their own.

The Twins defeat the Astros‚ 13-6‚ as every member of Minnesota’s starting lineup gets at least 2 hits. The Twins pound out a total of 21 safeties.
June 7The Braves defeat the Devil Rays‚ 9-5‚ as P John Smoltz records his 2000th strikeout. He becomes the 53rd pitcher-and 3rd Brave-to reach that level.

The hot Cubs pound the White Sox‚ 13-7‚ as Sammy Sosa and Jose Hernandez each hit 3-run homers and collect 5 RBIs. The Cubs sweep their South Side rivals completing their 3rd consecutive 3-game sweep‚ something the Cubs have not done since 1918.
June 8The Phillies score 9 runs in the 7th inning in defeating the Yankees‚ 11-5.

The Expos defeat the Red Sox‚ 5-1‚ as P Dan Smith wins his major league debut. After allowing 3 hits to the first 4 batters he faces‚ Smith retires his last 20 batters in a row before being replaced after 7 innings.

The Padres defeat the Athletics‚ 5-3‚ spoiling the major league debut of Oakland hurler‚ Tim Hudson. Hudson fans 11 batters in only 5 innings of work‚ as he falls 1 shy of the AL record for most strikeouts in a pitcher’s 1st game. The rookie surrenders 3 runs on 7 hits and leaves the game with a no decision.

Kansas City overcomes Mark McGwire‘s 475th career homer and beat the Cards‚ 11-10. Big Mac ties for 17th place on the HR list with Stargell and Musial.
June 9The Pirates defeat the Tigers‚ 15-3‚ as OF Brant Brown strokes 5 hits‚ including a double and HR. Brown scores 4 runs and drives home 5 for Pittsburgh.

The Mets lose to the Red Sox‚ 3-2‚ in 12 innings. NY manager Bobby Valentine is ejected in the 12th inning for arguing a call. He later returns to the dugout wearing dark glasses and a lampblack mustache. For his indiscretion‚ he will be suspended for 2 games and fined $5‚000.

In a game featuring 10 HRs‚ the Rockies defeat the Mariners by a score of 16-11. Butch Huskey‚ Ken Griffey Jr.‚ David Bell‚ and David Segui homer for Seattle. Angel Echevarria homers twice for the Rockies‚ who also get round-trippers from Edgard Clemente‚ Kurt Abbott‚ Dante Bichette‚ and P Curtis Leskanic.

The Dodgers defeat the Rangers‚ 7-2. Prior to the game‚ the national anthem is sung by 3-year-old Rex Spjute of Meridian‚ Idaho‚ who becomes the youngest person ever to perform the song before a game.

The Expos pound the Red Sox‚ 13-1‚ handing Pedro Martinez (11-2) his first loss in 2 months. Pedro still fans 10. Mike Thurman gets win pitching into the 8th inning. Montreal scores 8 in the 8th‚ including a 3-run HR by rookie relief P Guillermo Mota in his 1st major league at bat. He’ll have a sac in his only other plate appearance this year.

In the finale of the I-70 series‚ Kansas City defeats the Cardinals‚ 17-13‚ scoring 8 runs in the 8th inning. 3B Joe Randa strokes 5 hits‚ including a pair of doubles‚ for the Royals‚ while Beltran‚ sweeney and Febles each have 3 RBIs. The loss goes to Scott Radinskey‚ the middle of 5 pitchers‚ who allows just 2 runs.

Arizona defeats the Cubs‚ 8-7‚ as 1B Travis Lee gets 5 hits‚ including a double and triple. Diamondbacks P Byung-Hyun Kim is ejected from the game after a bandage containing heat balm flies out of his shirt sleeve. Kim claims he used such a bandage during games in Korea‚ but forgot to take it off when he entered the contest.

Houston defeats the White Sox‚ 13-4‚ as 1B Jeff Bagwell hits 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs for the Astros. In doing so‚ Bagwell joins Johnny Mize and Ralph Kiner as the only players in history to hit 3 homers in a game twice in the same city in the same season. Bagwell is the 1st to perform the feat in a city on the road.

Jerrod Wong of Atlanta’s Myrtle Beach farm team‚ hits for the cycle while going 5-for-6 in Class A game. Tomorrow‚ Jerrod’s younger brother‚ Travis‚ drafted earlier this month by the Cincinnati Reds‚ will hit for a HR cycle in an American Legion game. Travis strokes a solo‚ 2-run‚ 3-run‚ and grand slam HR in a contest for the Boise Gems.
June 10San Diego defeats Oakland‚ 2-1‚ as P Trevor Hoffman records his 200th career save. Hoffman‚ who strikes out the side in order in the 9th‚ becomes the 25th pitcher in history to reach the mark.

It sounds like football. At Denver‚ the Rockies and Mariners combine for 10 HRs in a 16-11 Rockies win.
June 11The Brewers retire Paul Molitor‘s uniform before taking the field to lose to the Twins‚ 9-7.

Oakland defeats the Dodgers‚ 12-6‚ as SS Miguel Tejada strokes 3 HRs and drives home 5 runs. He becomes just the 10th player to have a 3-homer game while playing shortstop throughout.

The Orioles defeat the Braves‚ 6-2‚ as Albert Belle‘s streak of 392 consecutive games (the longest active streak) is ended. Belle is benched by Baltimore manager Ray Miller for failing to run out a ground ball.
June 12The Pirates defeat the Royals‚ 9-8‚ as KC 3B Joe Randa has his consecutive hit streak stopped at 10-two short of the ML record.

The Giants win a slugfest against the Mariners‚ topping Seattle by a score of 15-11. 2B Jeff Kent has 5 hits for the Giants‚ including a HR‚ and brings home 4 runs. The Giants stroke 22 hits in the contest.

Brady Anderson and Mike Bordick‚ the first two Oriole batters‚ homer off Kevin Millwood. Will Clark also homers in the 1st off Millwood and that is enough for Jose Guzman who shuts out the Braves‚ 5-0.

The Diamondbacks obtain veteran lefty Dan Plesac from the Blue Jays in exchange for SS Tony Batista and P John Frascatore.
June 13Astros manager Larry Dierker is taken to the hospital after suffering a grand mal seizure during the 8th inning of Houston’s game against the Padres. The contest is suspended with the Astros leading‚ 4-1. Dierker will undergo surgery on the 15th to remove two masses of tangled blood vessels in his brain that caused the seizure. Coach Matt Galante takes over as temporary manager in Dierker’s absence. Dierker later tells GM Gerry Hunsicker he doesn’t remember anything after the second inning.

The Orioles set a franchise record for runs scored‚ defeating the Braves‚ 22-1. 3B Cal Ripken Jr. goes 6-for-6 for Baltimore‚ hitting 2 homers‚ driving home 6 runs and scoring 5 runs. His 6 hits in a 9-inning game ties the AL record. 1B Will Clark goes 4-for-4 with 5 RBIs. Mike Mussina earns the win as he allows 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings. He also joins in with 2 hits and 3 RBI. John Smoltz takes the loss as he allows 7 runs on 7 hits in 2 1/3 IP. The Baltimore scoring record was 19‚ set in August 28‚ 1967‚ and the franchise record was the Browns 20 runs on August 18‚ 1950.
June 14With a 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th‚ Todd Helton leads the Rockies to a 5-4 win over the Giants. In the 5th‚ the Giants turned a 5-4-3 triple play-the 1st triple play in Coors Field history.
June 15The Cubs defeat the Brewers‚ 7-4. During the game‚ Losing P Jim Abbott‚ born without a right hand‚ records his 1st major league hit for Milwaukee.

The Blue Jays score 9 runs in the 6th inning on the way to a 13-2 win over the Angels.

The Marlins trade 2B Craig Counsell to the Dodgers in exchange for a player to be named.
June 17Calling it “a bad biorhythm day‚” Chili Davis lines into a triple play and a double play as the Yanks go down to the Rangers‚ 4-2. New York wastes a 12-strikeout performance by Roger Clemens.
June 18Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry is suspended for 120 days‚ retroactive to April 14‚ for violating baseball’s drug policy and aftercare program. He will be eligible to return on August 11.

The Mets trade P Allen Watson to the Mariners in exchange for P Mac Suzuki.
June 19Colorado defeats Florida‚ 10-2‚ as 1B Todd Helton hits for the cycle.

The Padres defeat the Pirates‚ 5-4‚ as San Diego P Trevor Hoffman records the save. He becomes just the 2nd P in NL history to post 200 saves with 1 team (John Franco has done so with the Mets).

Miami wins the college WS by defeating Florida St.‚ 6-5‚ in the final game. It is the school’s 1st championship since 1985 and it’s 3rd overall.

Kissimmee Cobras SS David Matranga walks in 8 consecutive plate appearances in a doubleheader against the Port St. Lucie Mets. He only gets credit for 5 in a row‚ however‚ since the 1st game of the twinbill was the completion of a suspended game played on May 7. Matranga drew the 1st 2 walks before the contest was suspended‚ but was given credit for 5 in a row since the records for the game are considered to have occurred on the original date on which the game was played.
June 20The Mariners trade OF Matt Mieske to the Astros for P Kevin Hodges.
June 22Cincinnati defeats Arizona‚ 8-7‚ as 2B Pokey Reese goes 5-for-6‚ including a double and triple.

In Atlanta’s 2-1 loss to Montreal‚ Brian Jordan is hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Mike Thurman‚ and his batting will be hampered for the remainder of the season.

At Denver‚ the Cubs overcome an 8-run deficit to trip the Rockies‚ 13-12. The two teams combine for 8 homeruns.
June 24The Angels defeat the Mariners‚ 12-7‚ as 2B Randy Velarde and DH Mo Vaughn both go 5-for-6. Velarde homers and drives home 4 runs‚ while Vaughn homers twice and brings home 6.

The Reds defeat the Astros‚ 3-0‚ as Ron Villone and Danny Graves combine to toss a 1-hitter. A single by C Tony Eusebio is Houston’s only safety.
June 25Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez each hit 2 homers and drive home 5 runs. to lead Texas to a 14-4 win over Seattle.

St. Louis defeats Arizona‚ 1-0‚ as rookie P Jose Jimenez hurls the 1st no-hitter of the season. The Cards score the lone run on a broken bat single with 2 outs in the 9th. Jimenez strikes out 8 in the contest‚ while losing P Randy Johnson fans 14‚ including the 2500th of his career. Jimenez walks 2 and hits a batter in becoming the 1st rookie to toss a no-no since Wilson Alvarez in 1991.

The Devil Rays beat Toronto‚ 11-4 and stop their streak of allowing 7 or more runs. They tied the AL record (the 1930 White Sox and 1938 Browns) by allowing 7+ runs in 9 consecutive home games.

In Baltimore’s 9-8 loss to the Yankees‚ O’s Jesse Orosco makes his 1‚051th relief appearance to break Kent Tekulve‘s major league record. He’s succeeded by Mike Tomlin‚ who takes the loss when he serves up a 9th inning HR to Shane Spencer. Baines has a pair of homers for the O’s‚ while Tino Martinez has 4 hits for NY.

The Dodgers lose Cuban prospects-Juan Carlos Diaz and Josue Perez-to free agency when Major League Baseball decides they were signed in violation of MLB rules.
June 26Shortstop Pat Meares of the Pittsburgh Pirates‚ on the disabled list recovering from surgery on his left hand‚ participates in a sausage race at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Meares‚ dressed as a 10-foot bratwurst‚ wins the race defeating a giant hot dog and a polish sausage. Two days ago‚ Meares was caught on videotape sunbathing in the upper deck of Philadelphia’s Veteran Stadium for the first six innings of game.

KC scores 10 runs in the 8th inning to defeat the Indians‚ 11-7. The Royals total 8 hits in the game and their only HR is a 2-out solo shot by Damon in the big frame.

Boston scores 11 runs in the 1st inning on the way to a 17-1 victory over the White Sox. Pedro Martinez (14-2) goes 5 innings with Wasdin pitching the last 4. Daubach and Garciaparra homer in the 1st with Nomar adding another in the 3rd. Stanley and Varitek also homer in the game for Boston.

In San Francisco‚ Todd Hundley has a pair of homers‚ including a 9th inning 3-run HR off Robb Nen‚ to lift the Dodgers to a 7-6 win over the Giants. Hundley’s HR in the 9th offsets a 3-run HR by Ellis Burks in the 8th. 1B J.T. Snow nabs pitcher Carlos Perez with a hidden ball trick‚ the last successful hidden ball trick this century‚ according to historian Bill Deane.
June 27Minnesota defeats Detroit‚ 12-7‚ as Denny Hocking gets 5 hits‚ including 3 doubles‚ for the Twins.

The Mariners defeat the Rangers‚ 5-2‚ in the last game played at the Kingdome as Ken Griffey‚ Jr. fittingly clouts the last homer. Griffey hit 198 of his 377 homers at the Dome. The Mariners will open their new home-Safeco Field-on July 15th.
June 28Hack Wilson ups his RBI total for the 1930 season to 191. 69 years after the season‚ an RBI is added by the commissioner’s office‚ which also gives Babe Ruth six additional walks‚ raising his career-record total to 2‚062. “There is no doubt that Hack Wilson’s RBI total should be 191‚” commissioner Bud Selig said. “I am sensitive to the historical significance that accompanies the correction of such a prestigious record‚ especially after so many years have passed‚ but it is important to get it right.” The missing RBI came from the 2nd game of a doubleheader between Wilson’s Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds on July 28‚ 1930 where Charlie Grimm was credited with 2 RBIs in the game and Wilson with none. Ruth’s walks total is now 2‚062. Ted Williams is second‚ trailing by 43‚ and Rickey Henderson of the New York Mets is third‚ 134 behind Ruth.

The San Diego Padres edge the visiting Colorado Rockies, 8-7, as Padres shortstop Damian Jackson steals five bases, including home.
June 29Texas defeats Anaheim‚ 5-0‚ as John Burkett‚ Jeff Zimmerman‚ and John Wetteland combine on a 1-hitter. A double by Matt Walbeck off Burkett is the Angels’ only hit.

The Giants defeat the Rockies‚ 10-1‚ as OF Ellis Burks drives home 7 runs against his old teammates on a double and 2 HRs.
June 30The Athletics defeat the Mariners‚ 14-5. Seattle P Damaso Marta makes his major league debut in the 8th inning‚ and surrenders a HR to DH John Jaha on his 1st big league pitch.

The Blue Jays defeat the Orioles‚ 10-9 in 10 innings‚ as Willie Greene ties an AL record by hitting a PH HR in 2 consecutive at bats. His previous pinch HR came against the Royals on June 20th. Greene’s HR in the bottom of the 9th ties the score at 7-7. The Orioles score 2 in the top half of the 10th‚ but the Blue Jays come back with 3 runs in their half of the inning to win.

Texas defeats Anaheim‚ 18-4‚ as both DH Rafael Palmeiro and 3B Todd Zeile get 4 hits and drive home 4 runs.

Cincinnati defeats Arizona‚ 2-0‚ as Ron Villone and Scott Williamson combine on a 1-hitter. The Diamondbacks only his is a single by OF Tony Womack. Randy Johnson strikes out 17 in a magnificent but losing effort; in his last start he struck out 14 in losing to a no-hitter by Jimenez.

President Bill Clinton shows up in time to see Sammy Sosa blast his NL-leading 30th homer as the Cubs edge the Brewers‚ 5-4. Sosa has 9 homers in his last 13 hits.

The Pirates score 8 runs in the 4th inning on their way to a 9-1 victory over Philadelphia.

July

July 1The Brewers defeat the Cubs‚ 19-12‚ as SS Jose Valentin hits 2-run HRs from each side of the plate. 2B Ron Belliard and C Dave Nilsson each get 4 hits for Milwaukee‚ while Belliard drives home 5 runs. The Brewer light up Steve Trachsel for 10 runs in 3.2 innings pitched‚ hanging his NL high 11th loss on him. The Brew Crew collects 21 hits for the 2nd times in 3 nights. There are 8 homers in the game‚ including a pair by Cubs Mickey Morandini. Not homering after 4 straight games in which he went deep is Sosa‚ who singles twice.

In Toronto’s 8-6 win over Baltimore‚ Blue Jays P John Frascatore ties a major league mark with his 3rd win in 3 consecutive appearances in 3 days.

Tom Glavine wins his 13th straight game over the Expos‚ 4-1‚ a streak that stretches back to 1994. He takes no chances with the Braves bullpen‚ which had blown 2 leads in the last 2 games‚ pitching a complete game. Curiously‚ before his winning streak‚ Glavine was 3-13 against the Expos.
July 2Houston defeats Cincinnati‚ 7-5‚ ending the Reds’ 10-game winning streak. Cincinnati’s streak consisted of an unprecedented 10 straight victories over division-leading clubs.

The Padres use back-to-back book ends for a win. John Vander Wal and Reggie Sanders hit back to back homers in the 1st inning and Phil Nevin and Carlos Baerga hit back-to-back pinch homers in the 9th inning‚ tying the mark for most pinch HRs (2) in a game by a team. as San Diego defeats Colorado‚ 15-3. Jeffy Barry hits a pinch HR in the 8th for the Rockies to tie the mark (3) of pinch homers by 2 teams.

Hey Mom! Texas righty pitcher Jeff Zimmerman defeats his brother Jordan‚ a lefty for Seattle‚ 7-6.

In the Cards 9-5 loss to the Diamondbacks‚ Mark McGwire belts a pair of homers‚ his 56th multi-homer game‚ which moves him into 4th place on this list ahead of Foxx.

Umpire Tom Hallion is suspended for 3 games for his actions during an argument with Colorado catcher Jeff Reed and pitching coach Milt May on June 26th. The dispute began when Rockies pitcher Mike DeJean‚ while walking to his dugout complained to third base umpire Terry Tata about a check-swing call‚ and home plate ump Hallion‚ told DeJean to get in the dugout. Officials couldn’t recall another suspension of an umpire for an on-field dispute. In 1990‚ NL president Bill White was prepared to suspend umpire Joe West for slamming Philadelphia pitcher Dennis Cook to the field‚ but commissioner Fay Vincent intervened and no discipline was imposed.
July 3The Phillies defeat the Cubs‚ 21-8‚ scoring 8 runs in the 1st inning and 7 more with 2 outs in the 4th. 2B Marlon Anderson gets 5 hits for Philadelphia‚ including a HR off 3B Gary Gaetti‚ who is forced into mound duty for Chicago.

The Rockies defeat the Padres‚ 12-10‚ in the 1st game of a DH‚ ending San Diego’s 14-game winning streak. The win also stops Colorado’s 9-game losing streak. The Rockies also take the 2nd game‚ 8-6.

After winning the first game of a DH against Kansas City by a score of 9-8‚ Cleveland takes the nightcap‚ 9-5‚ scoring 8 runs in the 2nd inning.

Milwaukee defeats Pittsburgh‚ 9-4‚ as 3B Jeff Cirillo strokes 5 hits‚ including a double and HR‚ and drives home 3 runs.

Before the game against San Francisco‚ Dodgers players gather in their bullpen and burn the white caps the club adopted in spring training along with other equipment. It doesn’t work as Los Angeles loses 9-1‚ for their 6th straight loss.
July 4The Pirates lose to the Brewers‚ 4-3‚ losing C Jason Kendall to a severely dislocated ankle in the process. Trying to break up Steve Woodard’s perfect game‚ Kendall drags a bunt in the 5th inning and hits the 1B bag awkwardly‚ ripping the ankle bone from the joint. He will be out for the rest of the season.

The Royals defeat the Indians‚ 10-9‚ as C Mike Sweeney ties an AL record by recording an RBI in his 13th straight game. Taffy Wright of the White Sox set the mark in 1941. The major league standard is 17 games‚ set by Oscar Grimes of the Chicago Cubs in 1922. OF Jermaine Dye brings home 6 of Kansas City’s runs with 4 hits‚ including a pair of homers.

The Blue Jays defeat the Devil Rays‚ 6-3‚ despite Jose Canseco‘s 30th HR of the season. Canseco becomes the first player in history to reach the 30 mark with 4 different teams‚ having previously done so with Oakland‚ Texas‚ and Toronto. Pat Hentgen wins his 100th career game and Sean Green reaches the 100-HR mark with a pair of homers.
July 5The Cardinals defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 1-0‚ as Jose Jimenez hurls a 2-hitter to defeat Randy Johnson. Jimenez no-hit the Diamondbacks in his last appearance against them. Randy Johnson loses his 3rd game in a row‚ during which Arizona has not scored a run and only made 3 hits. He K’s 12 Cardinals to tie Dwight Gooden‘s NL mark of 43 strikeouts over 3 starts. He also reaches 200 strikeouts for the year and ends St. Louis rookie Joe McEwing’s 25-game hitting streak‚ the 5th longest ever for a rookie.
July 6The White Sox lose to the Royals‚ 8-7. Chicago OF Chris Singleton hits for the cycle‚ becoming the first rookie to do so since Odibe McDowell in 1985 and just the 16th since 1900. Singleton goes 5-for-6 and drives home 4 of Chicago’s runs.
July 9The Royals lose to the Astros‚ 6-5‚ despite 5 hits‚ including a double‚ by 3B Joe Randa.

The Diamondbacks acquire P Matt Mantei from the Marlins in exchange for pitchers Vladimir Nunez and Brad Penny‚ and a player to be named.

The uniform Lou Gehrig wore when he made his famous “luckiest man on earth” speech on July 4‚ 1939 is sold for $451‚541 at auction. Leland’s spokesman Marty Appel says the flannel pinstripe uniform worn by the Hall of Fame first baseman was purchased by a south Florida man who did not want his name made public. The winning bid was made over the phone. Yesterday Carlton Fisk‘s home run ball that won Game 6 of the 1975 World Series for the Boston Red Sox sold for $113‚273.
July 10The Tigers defeat the Brewers‚ 9-3‚ before 25‚374 fans in Detroit. This enables the club to top the 1 million mark in attendance for the 35th consecutive season for the longest streak in AL history. The Dodgers hold the record of 55 consecutive years.

Matt Franco’s 2-out PH single in the bottom of the 9th drives home 2 runs and gives the Mets a 9-8 win over the Yankees in a thrilling interleague battle. By doing so‚ the Mets end the Yankees streak of 125 consecutive victories when leading after 8 innings.

Was it something I said‚ fellas? For his 4th loss in a row‚ the Diamondbacks fail to score for Randy Johnson‚ this time falling 2-0 to Tim Hudson and the Oakland A’s.
July 11The Diamondbacks defeat the A’s‚ 7-4‚ as Jay Bell hits a grand slam‚ which wins Gylene Hoyle $1 million. She is the fan who wins the prize for picking the player who would hit a grand slam and the inning in which it would be done.

The Cardinals score all their runs in the 1st inning and go on to defeat the Giants‚ 5-4‚ in a game in San Francisco. Prior to the contest‚ the Giants retire Orlando Cepeda‘s uniform No. 30‚ making him the 9th Giant player so honored.
July 13The AL defeats the NL‚ 4-1‚ to win the All-Star Game at Fenway Park in Boston. Red Sox P Pedro Martinez is named the game’s MVP as he strikes out the 1st 4 hitters to bat against him‚ and 5 of the 6 he faces in his 2 innings of work. The game begins 15 minutes late as Hall of Fame OF Ted Williams rides out in a cart for the first-pitch ceremony. Players from both teams surround the former Red Sox star in a spontaneous display of homage.
July 14In an ill-conceived move‚ umpires union-chief Richie Phillips announces that 57 umpires will resign on September 2. Among other things‚ the umps reportedly are upset at the 3-day suspension Tom Hallion received for bumping Rockies C Jeff Reed on July 2.

In Milwaukee‚ 3 people die when a 480-foot crane‚ nicknamed Big Blue‚ collapses while lifting a section of Miller Park’s retractable roof. The roof of the Brewers’ new home was expected to be completed in November. Milwaukee will cancel tomorrow’s game against KC.
July 15The Athletics defeat the Giants‚ 11-9‚ in a game in which San Francisco OF Barry Bonds sets an all-time major league record by receiving his 294th intentional walk. Henry Aaron held the previous mark.

The Rangers tie the major league record with walks by 3 consecutive pinch hitters (Rusty Greer‚ Rafael Palmeiro‚ Lee Stevens) in the bottom of the 9th against the Diamondbacks. The Rangers win‚ 3-2.

The opener at Seattle’s Safeco Field is spoiled by the Padres‚ who score 2 in the 9th to win‚ 3-2. A crowd of 44‚607 is on hand.
July 17The Brewers defeat the Royals‚ 11-3‚ as 1B Mark Loretta strokes 5 hits‚ including a double and HR‚ brings home 4 runs‚ and scores 3 himself.
July 18Don Larsen‚ who hurled a perfect game for the New Yorkers in the 1956 WS‚ throws out the first pitch prior to New York’s game against the Expos. The Yankees then defeat the Expos‚ 6-0‚ as David Cone caps an emotional day by hurling a perfect game. Cone fans 10 batters as not a single Montreal player reaches base.

In their first regular-season game ever in Cincinnati‚ the Tigers edge the Reds‚ 9-8 in 10 innings.

Oakland rookie Olmedo Saenz hits a 2-run homer‚ Jimmy Haynes continued his strong pitching and Billy Taylor bounced back from taking a batted ball off his head on Saturday as the hot Oakland Athletics defeated the Colorado Rockies‚ 3-2. A’s vet Tim Raines is 0-for-1 before leaving the game for the hospital because of dizziness. He first felt a pain 2 days ago and tests will show he has Lupus. Raines will sit out a year and make a remarkable comeback in 2001 with the Expos.
July 19The White Sox defeat the Brewers‚ 10-8 in 12 innings. The 18-hit Chicago attack is led by rookie OF Chris Singleton’s 5 safeties‚ including a 12th inning HR. It is the rookie’s 2nd 5-hit game in less than 2 weeks.

In the Tigers 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds‚ pitcher Jeff Weaver hits a double‚ the first by a Tiger pitcher in 27 years.
July 21The Reds defeat the Cardinals‚ 1-0‚ behind the one-hit pitching of Ron Villone (8 innings) and Scott Williamson (1 inning) Outfielder J.D. Drew’s double is the only hit for St. Louis and Pokey Reese’s HR provides the only score.
July 22Toronto defeats Cleveland‚ 4-3. Indians manager Mike Hargrove accidentally hands in an incorrect lineup card‚ forcing Cleveland to forfeit the DH and bat P Charles Nagy in the 7th spot in the batting order. Nagy fails to get a hit in his 2 at bats.

The Rockies sweep a doubleheader from the Dodgers‚ winning the 1st game‚ 4-1‚ and the 2nd‚ 12-11. In the nightcap‚ Dodger SS Mark Grudzielanek collects 5 hits and scores 4 runs.

The Padres defeat the Giants‚ 8-7. OF Barry Bonds fans 4 times for the Giants‚ while SF P Jerry Spradlin strikes out 4 Padres in the 7th inning. Spradlin becomes the 1st pitcher in SF history to perform the feat‚ which has been turned 32 previous times.
July 23The Mets obtain P Kenny Rogers from the Athletics for OF Terrence Long and P Leoner Vasquez.

The Pirates obtain C Joe Oliver and C Humberto Cota from the Devil Rays for OF Jose Guillen and P Jeff Sparks. Guillen‚ who drove in 154 runs in his first 2 seasons‚ has been sub-par this year after arriving at spring training a month late due to visa problems.
July 24The Red Sox defeat the Tigers‚ 11-4‚ as OF Trot Nixon blasts 3 HRs and drives home 5 runs. Boston collects 7 HRs‚ one shy of the club record.

The Yankees pound the Indians‚ 21-1. The Bronx Bombers are led by DH Chili Davis‚ who bangs out 5 hits‚ including a double and homer‚ while driving home 6 runs.

Oakland hits 4 homeruns‚ including a pair of 3-run homers by Jason Giambi‚ to overpower the Kansas City Royals‚ 12-2. John Jaha scores 4 runs on no hits for the A’s: he reaches base on 3 walks and a HBP.

The Giants obtain P Livan Hernandez from the Marlins in exchange for minor league pitchers Jason Grilli and Nate Bump.
July 25The Orioles defeat the Angels‚ 8-7‚ behind 3 HRs and 6 RBI from slugger Albert Belle.

The Tigers defeat the Red Sox‚ 9-1‚ as 1B Tony Clark homers from both sides of the plate for the 2nd time this season.

In their last game at Candlestick Park (3Com Park)‚ the Reds beat the Giants‚ 2-1‚ in 14 innings when Michael Tucker homers. The Giants collect just two hits in the last 9 innings.

George Brett‚ Robin Yount‚ Nolan Ryan‚ Orlando Cepeda‚ are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
July 26Major league umpires file suit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia for the right to withdraw their mass resignations. So far‚ 14 of the 56 umps who “resigned” have withdrawn their resignations. Resignations from 9 of the AL umps are accepted by the league.

The Red Sox obtain OF Butch Huskey from the Mariners for minor league P Robert Ramsey.

Braves C Javy Lopez is put on the DL after injuring his right knee. He will miss the remainder of the season.

The Diamondbacks bring up Mexican star Erubiel Durazo‚ 25‚ to replace slumping 1B Travis Lee. Durazo‚ whose contract was purchase from the Monterrey Sultans last December after he hit .350‚ tore up the minors (AA El Paso‚ .403‚ 14 HR in 64 games; AAA Tucson‚ .407‚ 10 HR‚ 30 G). He’ll do the same in the majors hitting .329‚ 11 homers‚ in 52 games.
July 27The Pirates defeat the Mets‚ 5-1‚ in the first of Major League Baseball’s “Turn Ahead the Clock Nights.” Each team wears futuristic uniforms‚ with the home town squad becoming the “Mercury” Mets for the night. The futuristic theme is carried out throughout the evening‚ with the scoreboard flashing computerized photos of the players as each comes to the plate. Rickey Henderson‚ for example‚ is given three eyes and pointy ears‚ and plays “left quadrant.” Al Martin hits the 1st of his 2 HRs in the 1st “sector‚” and rookie Kris Benson goes the distance for the win.

The Angels’ 11-game losing streak ends as they defeat the Devil Rays‚ 10-5.
July 28The Blue Jays obtain 1B David Segui from the Mariners in exchange for pitchers Tom Davey and Steve Sinclair. Segui’s refusal of the Mariners’ 3-year‚ $17 million offer prompted the trade. Segui will settle for a one-year arbitrated contract with the Jays.
July 29Thirteen NL umpires lose their jobs as the resignations they tendered on July 14 are accepted.

The Athletics obtain P Omar Olivares and IF Randy Velarde from the Angels in exchange for P Elvin Nina and outfielders Jeff DaVanon and Nathan Haynes.
July 30The Yankees defeat the Red Sox‚ 13-3‚ as 2B Chuck Knoblauch raps out 5 hits‚ including a double and leadoff HR‚ and drives home 4 runs. Knoblauch’s leadoff homer is followed by Derke Jeter’s homer.
July 31With the wind blowing out at Wrigley the Cubs spot 7 runs to the visiting Mets before coming back to win‚ 17-10. Gary Gaetti hits his 11th career grand slam and Sammy Sosa clubs his 39th and 40th homers to take the ML lead. Sosa adds an RBI single and a stolen base. Robin Ventura paces the Mets going 4-for-5 with 2 homers and 6 RBI. Both starters‚ Dotel (in 2 IP) and Lieber (in 4 1/3 IP) give up 9 runs each. Despite making an unassisted DP on a botched squeeze bunt‚ Jason Isringhausen is the losing pitcher‚ allowing 5 runs in 3 innings. His reward is a trade today as the Mets send him to Oakland for Greg McMichael.

For the second game in a row‚ Barry Bonds hits homers in his first two at-bats. Today he clubs a 3-run homer in the first and a 2-run homer in the 3rd to pace the Giants to an 11-1 victory over the Reds.

The Athletics nab sought-after ace Kevin Appier from the Royals for pitchers Brad Rigby‚ Blake Stein and Jeff D’Amico.

The Reds obtain P Juan Guzman and cash from the Orioles in exchange for pitchers B.J. Ryan and Jacobo Sequea.

The Yankees bring back C Jim Leyritz from the Padres for P Geraldo Padua. Padua was 25-4 in 3 seasons in Class A‚ including a run of 20 straight wins. Mysteriously‚ Padua will lose 14 straight in the minors in 2000 and earn a release from Altoona (AA) in May‚ 2001‚ after serving up 3 straight homers.

The Braves obtain well-traveled P Terry Mulholland and IF Jose Hernandez from the Cubs in exchange for pitchers Micah Bowie and Ruben Quevedo and a player to be named. Hernandez‚ a free agent to be‚ turned down a 3-year $9 million offer from the Cubs. Bowie will post a 9.96 ERA for the Cubs and an overall 10.24 ERA in 11 games‚ a ML record worst for 10+ appearances.

The Rockies obtain outfielders Brian McRae and Thomas Johnson and P Rigo Beltran from the Mets for OF Darryl Hamilton and P Chuck McElroy. McRae will last less than a week before moving on to Milwaukee.

The Cardinals trade vet IF-OF Shawon Dunston to the Mets for IF Craig Paquette.

August

August 1The Rangers score 8 runs in the 3rd inning and go on to defeat the Royals‚ 12-5. The Texas attack is led by C Ivan Rodriguez‚ who strokes 5 hits‚ including a HR‚ and drives in 4 runs.
August 2Commissioner Bud Selig announces that Darryl Strawberry’s reinstatement has been moved up from August 11th to August 4th.
August 3The major league baseball umpires union files unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations board to block the AL and NL from using minor league replacements.
August 4Prior to a game with the Royals‚ with his team in the midst of a slump‚ Angels’ batting coach Rod Carew suggests the club use a single bat through the starting lineup as a way of loosening up the players. When leadoff hitter Orlando Palmeiro strikes out in bottom half of the first inning‚ he drops the bat for the next hitter to use. Umpire Tim Tschida sees this as an act of defiance and ejects Palmeiro from the game. Anaheim manager Terry Collins eventually convinces Tschida that Palmeiro wasn’t trying to show him up‚ and the umpire changes his decision and allows him to stay in the game. The Angels go on to defeat the Royals‚ 4-3.

The Mariners send vet Butch Huskey to Boston for AAA pitcher Roberto Ramsey. Tomorrow‚ the send vet 1B David Segui to Toronto for minor leaguers Tom Davey and Steve Sinclair.
August 5The Padres defeat the Cardinals‚ 10-3‚ despite a pair of HRs by Mark McGwire‚ including the 500th of his career. McGwire becomes the first player in history to hit his 400th and 500th homers in successive seasons.
August 6The Padres defeat the Expos‚ 12-10‚ as SD OF Tony Gwynn records the 3000th hit of his big league career. Gwynn goes 4-for-5 to lead the Padres to victory. Quilvio Veras ties a Pads record by scoring 4 runs.

Indian OF Jacob Cruz‚ filling in for the hobbled Lofton‚ tears ligaments in his right thumb and is out for season. Tampa Bay beats the Tribe‚ 4-2.
August 7Just one day after Tony Gwynn reaches the historic milestone‚ Devil Rays’ 3B Wade Boggs also gets the 3000th hit of his career in Tampa Bay’s 15-10 loss to Cleveland. Boggs goes 3-for-4 in the contest‚ reaching the 3000 mark with a 6th inning HR off Chris Haney.

The Braves infielders looks inept when they let an infield pop-up drop between them in the 9th inning of a 15-4 victory over the Giants. But SS Ozzie Guillen turned the miscue into an unusual foul ball. The towering pop by J.T. Snow falls on the pitcher’s mound when second baseman Bret Boone called off the other infielders‚ then can’t reach the ball. Guillen lets it bounce toward the third-base line. As soon as it is in foul territory‚ he grabs the ball‚ turning it into a foul. Snow then flies out.
August 8The Diamondbacks defeat the Phillies‚ 7-4‚ despite 5 hits‚ including a double‚ by OF Bobby Abreu. Arizona P Armando Reynoso wins his 7th consecutive decision. He has not lost in 17 starts‚ dating back to April 27.
August 9The Blue Jays defeat the Rangers‚ 19-4‚ setting a team record by recording 25 hits. OF Jacob Brumfeld and 2B Homer Bush get 4 hits apiece for Toronto while 4 other players record 3 safeties each. P Doug Davis enters the game in the 6th inning for Texas‚ making his major league debut. In 2 1/3 innings of work‚ he allows 11 hits‚ including 3 HRs‚ while surrendering 10 earned runs. He’ll return to the minors tomorrow.

A total of 5 grand slams are hit on the day‚ marking the first time it has happened in 129 years of major league baseball. The bases loaded pokes are hit by Fernando Tatis of St. Louis (against the Phillies)‚ Jose Vidro of Montreal (against the Padres)‚ Mike Lowell of Florida (against the Giants)‚ Bernie Williams of the Yankees (against the Athletics)‚ and Jay Buhner of Seattle (against the White Sox).

Umpires union chief Richie Powers announces that he is considering seeking an injunction from the National Labor Relations Board to stop Major League Baseball from firing 22 umpires on September 2.

The Blue Jays obtain OF Brian McRae from the Rockies for a player to be named.
August 10The Orioles defeat the Devil Rays‚ 17-1. All 9 Baltimore starters score at least 1 run and reach base at least twice. SS Mike Bordick leads the attack with 4 hits‚ including 2 doubles‚ and 5 RBI.

The Red Sox defeat the Royals‚ 9-6‚ as Boston P Tim Wakefield ties a major league record by striking out 4 batters in the 9th inning. KC C Chad Kreuter gets 2 hits in the game‚ his first breaking a streak of 38 consecutive at bats without a hit. It is the longest hitless streak in the majors since Dan Howitt of Oakland and Seattle went 0-for-43 in 1992

Major league umpires drop the federal lawsuit which they filed July 26.
August 12Rockies P Pedro Astacio is arrested on assault and domestic violence charges after allegedly punching his estranged wife in the face.

Manager Jim Garner is fired by the Brewers and replaced by batting coach Jim Lefebvre. Garner had 7 straight losing seasons in Milwaukee.
August 13In the first game of a DH‚ the Expos defeat the Rockies‚ 14-13 after the score is tied at 1 apiece after 4 innings. Each team scores 5 runs in the 5th‚ then Montreal scores 6 and Colorado 5 in the 6th. The Expos finally win the game by scoring a run in the 10th inning. Montreal also takes the second game by an 8-6 count.

At Fenway‚ the Red Sox beat the Mariners‚ 11-6. Brian Daubach has 2 doubles and a homer‚ good for 5 RBIs‚ and Darren Lewis scores 5 runs.
August 14Oakland scores 8 runs in the 1st inning on their way to a 13-5 win over Toronto.

Boston defeats Seattle‚ 13-2‚ as rookie DH Brian Daubach goes 5-for-5‚ including a HR‚ and drives home 6 runs. In yesterday’s 11-6 win‚ he was 3-for-5 with a HR and two doubles. Pedro Martinez (17-3) is the winner‚ pitching the last 4 innings and giving up one run‚ Alex Rodriguez‘s 30th HR.

The Rockies and Expos combine to hit 10 HRs in Colorado’s 11-8 victory. Four players-Montreal’s Geoff Blum and Colorado’s Edgard Clemente‚ Todd Helton‚ and Dante Bichette-each hit a pair‚ while Jose Vidro and Rondell White also connect. It is only the 3rd time in major league history that 4 players have each hit 2 HRs in the same game.
August 15The Angels defeat the Tigers‚ 10-2‚ as Chuck Finley becomes the first pitcher in history to strike out 4 batters in an inning twice in his career. Finley previously fanned 4 Yankees in Anaheim’s game with the New Yorkers on May 12. Both instances occurred in the 1st inning.

The Mets defeat the Giants‚ 12-5‚ behind Kenny Rogers’ complete game victory. It is the 1st complete game of the year for the Mets‚ who had gone 139 consecutive games without a complete game. They fall one short of the ML record of 140 set by the Angels earlier this season.
August 16The Reds Juan Guzman has to leave his start in Pittsburgh after 7 innings because his shoes are too small. After he was traded to the Reds‚ he arrived with only his size 10 1/2 orange and black Orioles shoes. Puma sent him a size 9 1/2 in red‚ which he wore today until blisters developed. The Reds still win‚ 9-2.

Alex Rodriguez homers for the 5th straight game to pace the Mariners to a 7-5 win over Toronto. He’ll go homerless tomorrow.

The Indians obtain 2B Carlos Baerga from the Padres in exchange for a player to be named.
August 17The Expos defeat the Giants‚ 2-1‚ as Montreal P Steve Kline ties a major league mark by fanning 4 batters in the 7th inning.

The A’s score 8 runs in 7th inning on their way to a 12-1 victory over the Red Sox.

Sic transit gloria. The Cards send Jose Jimenez to AAA Memphis less than two months after his no-hitter against Phoenix. He joins Bobo Holloman as the only pitcher to go to the minors in the same year he pitched a no hitter.
August 18Tampa Bay defeats Detroit‚ 4-0‚ as Wilson Alvarez (6 innings) and Albie Lopez (3 innings) combine on a 1-hitter. OF Gabe Kapler’s triple is the only Tiger hit.

1B Dale Sveum hits HRs from both sides of plate to power Pittsburgh to a 12-6 win over Cincinnati.

The A’s obtain OF Rich Becker from the Brewers in exchange for a player to be named.
August 19Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh‚ 1-0‚ as P Pete Harnisch hurls a 1-hitter. Harnisch fans 12 in his 8 innings of work (Scott Williamson pitches the hitless 9th)‚ allowing only a 7th-inning single to SS Mike Benjamin.
August 20This’ll give managers grey hairs. Houston defeats Florida‚ 6-4‚ in 16 innings‚ despite blowing a 4-0 lead‚ striking out 17 times‚ and stranding 20 runners. Astros 1B Jeff Bagwell walks 6 times to tie a major league mark held by Jimmie Foxx and Andre Thornton.

The Giants defeat the Brewers‚ 10-3 as Ramon Martinez‚ Barry Bonds‚ and Ellis Burks hit homers.

Diamondback’s P Todd Stottlemyre makes his first start since tearing the rotary cuff in his right arm on May 17. Stottlemyre‚ who eschewed surgery in favor of a strengthening program‚ gives up 7 hits to the Pirates in 4 2/3 innings‚ including a pair of homers by Brian Giles. He will go 2-1 the rest of the year.

Colorado GM Bob Gebhard announces his resignation.
August 21In a doubleheader with the White Sox‚ Orioles Brady Anderson leads off each game with a homer. This is the 3rd time in ML history and the first since Rickey Henderson on July 5‚ 1993. It’s little help‚ however‚ as the Sox win both‚ 4-3 and 8-5.

The Reds use a pair of grand slams to beat the Montreal Expos‚ 9-2 at Cynergy Field. Aaron Boone hits one in the 6th and Eddie Taubensee in the next inning.

In their current 4-game series against the Giants‚ the Dodgers start pitchers from four different countries‚ something they have done before‚ but this time‚ the Dodgers have three continents covered. In yesterday’s 6-5 win it was Eric Gagne of Canada; In today’s 9-4 win it is Jeff Williams of Australia; In tomorrow’s 5-4 loss it will be Ismael Valdes of Mexico; and the next day it will be Chan Ho Park from Korea‚ in a 5-3 win.
August 22The Giants defeat the Brewers‚ 7-3. LF Barry Bonds‚ 2B Jeff Kent‚ and RF Ellis Burks hit consecutive HRs for SF in the 1st inning. It is the 2nd time the Giants have performed the feat in 3 days.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Pirates‚ 7-5. Luis Gonzalez‚ Matt Williams‚ and Erubiel Durazo hit consecutive HRs for Arizona in the 1st inning.

At Shea‚ the Mets and Cardinals split a DH‚ with NY winning the opener‚ 8-7‚ and St. Louis taking the nightcap‚ 7-5. Mark McGwire hits 2 HRs in the 1st game‚ his 49th and 50th of the season. Number 49 breaks a light bulb in the scoreboard‚ 502 feet away. This gives him a major league record 50 or more HRs for 4 straight seasons.
August 23The Padres edge the Phillies‚ 7-6. Philadelphia 3B Scott Rolen strikes out 5 times in the game.

The Yankees score 6 runs in the 1st inning on their way to a 21-3 victory over the Rangers. 3B Scott Brosius (6) and C Joe Girardi (7)-the 8th and 9th batters in the NY lineup-drive in 13 of the Yankee runs. Jeter scores his 100th run of the year‚ the 1st Yank to string together 4 straight seasons of 100+ runs since Mantle did it in 9 straight seasons (1953-61).

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announces that Pete Rose will be invited to the World Series if he is elected to the All-Century Team. Rose has been banned from baseball since 1989.
August 24The Phillies wallop the Padres‚ 18-2‚ as CF Rob Ducey gets 5 of Philadelphia’s 22 hits. Bobby Abreu has 2 homers and 6 RBIs‚ and Sanders scores both runs for the Padres‚ one on a HR.

The Cards lose to the Expos‚ 8-4‚ despite Mark McGwire‘s 508th career homer and his 51st of the year. He has hit 493 of these while playing 1B‚ equaling Lou Gehrig‘s mark for the position.

The Braves score 4 runs in the 6th inning to rally for a 6-4 win over the Reds. John Smoltz is the victor‚ running his string of consecutive wins over Cincinnati to 11.

The Red Sox acquire P Kent Mercker from the Cardinals in exchange for C David Benham and P Mike Matthews.
August 25The Indians defeat the Athletics‚ 12-4. Manny Ramirez hits a double and 3 HRs for the Tribe.

The Royals defeat the Orioles‚ 8-6‚ as KC P Jeff Montgomery becomes the 10th hurler to notch 300 saves. In doing so‚ he becomes the first to record all of them with the same team.

The Phillies follow yesterday’s scoring feast with another‚ defeating the Padres‚ 15-1. Rico Brogna goes 4-for-5‚ with 2 doubles and 2 homers‚ and drives home 7 runs for Philadelphia. The Pads finally turn to infielder Ed Giovanola who pitches 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Giovanola last pitched in Little League.
August 26Arizona defeats Florida‚ 12-2‚ as Randy Johnson wins his 14th game. Johnson fans 9 Marlin batters in becoming the fastest pitcher to reach 300 Ks in a season.

The Cubs put Kevin Tapani on the DL for the rest of the season. In the first year of a 2-year contract‚ Tapani is 0-9 in his last 10 starts. They don’t need him today as they edge the Giants‚ 11-10 behind Sammy Sosa‘s 53rd home run.
August 27The Reds defeat the Expos‚ 4-1. In the process‚ Cincinnati P Ron Villone stops OF Vladimir Guerrero’s 31-game hitting streak‚ the longest in the majors in 12 years. Guerrero grounds to short‚ is intentionally walked‚ and fouls out in his 3 at bats.

The Padres edge the Brewers‚ 8-7‚ despite 5 hits‚ including a double‚ by 3B Jeff Cirillo.

The Indians take out some insurance‚ picking up DH Harold Baines from the Orioles for P Juan Aracena and a player to be named.

Desperate for lefty pitching‚ the Rangers acquire Jeff Fassero from the Mariners for a player to be named later. Fassero‚ his mechanics shaky after off-season surgery‚ will win his first start‚ September 6‚ against Chicago.

Major league umpires are warned by the league presidents that they will be fired if they strike next week. There has been talk of a strike over baseball’s refusal to allow 22 umpires to withdraw their resignations‚ which are effective on September 2.
August 28The Red Sox defeat the Angels‚ 7-6. With Tim Wakefield and Steve Sparks as the starting pitchers‚ the game is believed to be the 27th matchup of knuckleballers in major league history.

Charles Nagy (14-9) allows 4 hits as the Indians beat Tampa Bay‚ 3-0‚ pinning the loss on Bobby Witt. For Witt it is his 12th straight loss to Cleveland stretching back to 1991.
August 29Albert Belle clubs 4 doubles‚ tying a ML and club record‚ to lead the Orioles to an 11-4 win at Detroit. It’s the Birds last game at Tiger Stadium.
August 30The Mets roll over the Astros‚ 17-1‚ as 2B Edgardo Alfonzo goes 6-for-6‚ a club record‚ with a double‚ 3 homers‚ 5 RBI‚ and 6 runs scored. The 6 runs scored ties the modern major league mark. Alfonzo is the only the 5th player ever to hit 3 HRs while going 6-for-6.

Barry Bonds belts a pair of homers‚ including a 2-run no out game-winner in the 10th‚ to give the Giants a 6-4 win over the Phillies. The win goes to Rich Rodriguez‚ who has won 7 straight since losing June 13‚ 1997. The 2nd-place Giants have now won 10 of 12.

In an article in The New York Times‚ former major league OF Billy Bean reveals his fears as a gay man in the world of major league baseball. Former Dodgers Glenn Burke‚ who died of AIDS in 1995‚ is the only other ex-player to have acknowledged his homosexuality.
August 31Down 12-4‚ the Indians rally for 10 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the Angels‚ 14-12. 1B Richie Sexson gets 4 hits and drives home 5 runs for the Tribe. This is the 3rd time this season that the Indians have rallied from an 8-run deficit to win‚ a ML record.

The Tigers break a 6-6 tie by scoring 8 runs in the 7th inning to defeat the Rangers‚ 14-6.

The Red Sox obtain beefy closer Rod Beck from the Cubs for P Mark Guthrie and a player to be named.

In three pennant insurance moves‚ the Astros obtain vet Stan Javier from the Giants for P Joe Messman; the Diamondbacks get IF-OF Lenny Harris from the Rockies in exchange for IF Belvani Martinez; and the Indians pick up the once highly touted Tyler Houston from the Cubs for P Richard Negrette. Houston will prove valuable at 3B.

September

September 1Sammy Sosa hits his 56th homer‚ off Sterling Hitchcock‚ to give the Cubs a 1-0 win over San Diego. Steve Trachsel is the winner with 7 shutout innings. Glenallen Hill’s single is the only other Cub hit.

Mark McGwire powers his 52nd homer in the Cards 9-3 win over Florida. It is his 590th career dinger and his 494th as a first basemen‚ surpassing Lou Gehrig.

Albert Belle‘s 30th HR of the year helps the Orioles beat Tampa Bay‚ 3-1. Belle has now hit 30 homers in 8 straight seasons.

Atlanta gets a 3-run HR from Brian Hunter and a 2-run homer from Bret Boone to edge the Reds‚ 8-7. Bret’s brother Aaron homers for the Reds‚ as does Sean Casey as the Reds lose for the 8th time in 9 meetings with Atlanta. Their victory 2 days ago ended the Braves 10-game win streak.
September 2The Orioles defeat the Devil Rays‚ 11-6‚ as 3B Cal Ripken hits the 400th HR of his big league career‚ a 3-run shot in the 3rd off Rolando Arroyo.

Well drilling in Toronto. Starter David Wells of the Blue Jays is opposed by Bob Wells of the Minnesota Twins who strikes out Jays rookie Vernon Wells. Toronto wins‚ 6-1.
September 3Terry Collins resigns as Angels manager and Joe Maddon is named interim for the remainder of the season. The Angels were 51-82 under Collins in 1999‚ with a 220-237 record since he took over in 1997. Maddon also served as interim manager at the end of the 1996 season‚ with a 8-14 record.

The Rangers beat the White Sox‚ 10-4 and now have 5 players with 20+ HR for the 1st time in team history: Rafael Palmeiro (41)‚ Juan Gonzalez (32)‚ Ivan Rodriguez (31)‚ Lee Stevens (22)‚ Todd Zeile (20). Rusty Greer (18) will join them.

The U.S. District Court upholds the resignations of 22 ML umpires that they made in the aboritive negotiations with their union on July 14‚ 1999.
September 4Down 2-0 after the first inning‚ Cincinnati scores 9 runs in the 5th inning on the way to a 22-3 blowout over Philadelphia. The Reds set a NL record by hitting 9 HRs in the contest-2 by C Eddie Taubensee and 1 apiece by Aaron Boone‚ Dmitri Young‚ Jeffrey Hammonds‚ Greg Vaughn‚ Pokey Reese‚ Brian Johnson‚ and Mark Lewis. The 8 different players going deep is a ML record. Chad Ogea‚ in 2 2/3 innings‚ allows 3 dingers; he has now served up a league high 35. Stan Belinda of the Reds earns a save for Pete Harnisch (14-8); he benefits from the rule that mandates a save be awarded if a pitcher works three innings in relief.

The Red Sox defeat the Mariners‚ 4-0‚ as Pedro Martinez wins his 20th game‚ striking out 15 batters in 8 innings of work.
September 5The Reds defeat the Phillies‚ 9-7. They hit 5 HRs in the contest‚ giving them a ML record 14 over the course of 2 games.
September 6Sammy Sosa hits his 58th homer but his Cubs lose to the Reds‚ 6-3.
September 7After losing the first game of a doubleheader to the Cubs‚ 2-1‚ the Reds come back to take the nightcap by a score of 10-3. Cincinnati slugs 6 HRs in the contest‚ including 3 by OF Greg Vaughn.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Brewers‚ 11-9‚ in a game which sees the two teams tie a major league record by using a total of 15 pitchers. Arizona uses 8 hurlers‚ while 7 take the hill for Milwaukee.

Two native Canadian pitchers oppose each other as starters for the first time in 26 years. Florida Marlin pitcher Ryan Dempster from British Columbia faces off against Dodger Eric Gagne who hails from Quebec. The two roomed together while competing on Canada’s national baseball team. The battle is a draw with neither pitcher getting the decision‚ but the Marlins win‚ 2-1.

Colorado manager Jim Leyland confirms rumors that he will retire at the end of the season.

Mike Lieberthal’s streak of 100 games without an error ends when he makes 2 against the Astros. Houston beats the Phils‚ 8-6.

The Cubs and Reds split a pair with Chicago taking game 1‚ 2-1 and the Reds coming back‚ 10-3. When the Cubs Brian McNichol pitches in game 2‚ he is the 25th pitcher the Cubs have used this season.
September 8Arizona defeats Milwaukee‚ 9-1‚ as OF Steve Finley strokes 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs.

The Astros score 9 runs in the 6th inning on their way to a 10-2 victory over the Phillies.
September 9The Padres defeat the Expos‚ 10-3‚ in a game where they are nearly allowed 4 outs in the 7th inning. When Pads Reggie Sanders strikes out for the 3rd out‚ the umpires don’t notice and the players do not leave the field. Phil Nevin comes to the plate and runs the count to 2-1 against the Expos P Ted Lilly before someone in the Montreal dugout points out the problem to home plate ump Jerry Layne.

In the Cubs 5-3 loss to the Reds‚ Sammy Sosa hits his 59th homer. Sosa has more homers than the Cubs have wins: 56. They’velost 31 of their last 39 games.

In Baltimore’s 6-5 win over the Twns‚ Albert Belle drives in his 100th run‚ the 9th season in a row he’s had 100+ RBIs. On the minus side‚ Cal Ripken‚ Jr. grounds into his 324th double play to top Carl Yastrzemski for the all-time lead.
September 10The Red Sox trip the Yankees‚ 3-1‚ as Pedro Martinez hurls an impressive one-hitter for his 21st victory of the year. Martinez strikes out 17 batters‚‚ the most Yankees ever fanned in a single game. DH Chili Davis‘ 2nd inning HR is NY’s only safety. Chuck Knoblauch leading off the game gave the Yankees their only other baserunner he was caught stealing‚ so Martinez faces just 1 over the minimum.

The Indians score 12 runs in the 4th inning-one short of the AL record for the inning-on their way to a 14-6 win over the White Sox.

Umpires opposed to union chief Richie Phillips announce plans to form a new union and seek certification to represent all umpires.

The Rockies call up John Cangelosi from Sky Sox‚ where he has played the past month. The vet needs 12 days of ML service to reach his 10-year pension.
September 11The Twins defeat the Angels‚ 7-0‚ as Eric Milton hurls the 3rd no-hitter of the season. The young lefthander fans 13 and allows just 2 walks in his masterpiece. There are just 11‚222 fans to see the game‚ the third smallest crowd to witness a no-hitter in the majors since 1986. The 11:05 a.m. start time is to accommodate a University of Minnesota football game at the Metrodome and the Twins offer free admission to anyone attending the game in their pajamas.

The Athletics defeat the Devil Rays‚ 5-4‚ as Doug Jones records the 300th save of his career.

The Astros defeat the Cubs‚ 5-3‚ as Jose Lima becomes the 1st 20-game winner in the NL.
September 12Before a crowd of 50‚027‚ the Red Sox finish their 3-game series at Yankee Stadium with a 4-1 win for a sweep. It is the first 3-game sweep at Yankee Stadium for the Red Sox since 1986.
September 13Mike Hampton (203) wins his 20th game‚ 13-2‚ over the Phils and Astros win their club-record 11th straight game.
September 14The Expos defeat the Dodgers‚ 3-0‚ behind Javier Vazquez’ 1-hitter. Vazquez allows just a leadoff single to Mark Grudzielanek in the 4th inning‚ and a walk to Gary Sheffield in the same frame‚ while fanning 10.

The Royals lose a doubleheader to the Angels‚ 8-6 in the opener and 6-5 in the nightcap. In the second game‚ KC OF Mark Quinn makes a memorable major league debut. After making out in his 1st trip to the plate‚ Quinn doubles in his next at bat‚ then hits homers in his last 2 times up. He becomes just the 3rd player in history to hit 2 HRs in his 1st big league game. Bob Nieman (1951) and Bert Campaneris (1964) are the only others to accomplish the feat.

The Yankees rally with a pair of grand slams‚ just the 3rd time in club history‚ to beat the Blue Jays‚ 10-6. Bernie Williams ties the game with a slam in the 8th inning‚ and Paul O’Neill wins it in the 9th with a walkoff grand slam.
September 15The Phillies defeat the Astros‚ 8-6‚ as OF Doug Glanville gets 5 hits‚ including a double and HR‚ for the victors. The loss snaps the Astros 12-game win streak‚ a club record.

Baseball approves the sale of the Cincinnati Reds to Carl Lindner for $67 million‚ ending Marge Schott’s 15-year reign as owner.

Baseball owners vote to merge the administrative operations of the American and National leagues. NL President Leonard Coleman‚ concluding his job had become irrelevant‚ announces his resignation effective after the World Series. He will become a senior adviser to Commissioner Bud Selig.
September 16In a 7-1 Kansas City win over Anaheim‚ Carlos Beltran collects his 100th RBI. He’s the first rookie since McGwire‚ in 1987‚ to reach that level.
September 17The Rockies pound out 20 hits on their way to an 18-10 victory over the Dodgers. OF Dante Bichette drives home 7 runs for Colorado on a pair of HRs.

The Cardinals score 9 runs in the 4th inning on their way to an 11-8 win over the Astros. Mark McGwire hits HR #56 on the season‚ and the 513th of his career. Big Mac passes Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews on the all-time list.

In a 9-3 win over Oakland‚ KC’s prize rookie Carlos Beltran passes the 100 RBI and 100 runs scored mark‚ the first rookie to do so since Fred Lynn in 1975.

Seattle GM Woody Woodward announces his retirement.

An incident that will help speed the firing of Orioles GM Wren occurs as the Orioles to travel. Cal Ripken is delayed in traffic and calls the team’s traveling secretary to assure him that he’d be arriving at the airport within the next 10 minutes. At Wren’s order‚ however‚ the plane takes off without Cal‚ who arrives at the gate a few minutes later and has to make his own travel arrangements. When Wren is fired after the season‚ part of the announcement reads: “In the opinion of management‚ there was no need for such an arbitrary and inflexible decision. In the meeting‚ Wren defiantly dismissed our concerns‚ characterized them as `silly’ and insisted he would invoke the same takeoff order no matter what the extenuating circumstances. The Orioles management cannot and will not abide having a GM operate in such an unreasonable‚ authoritarian manner and treat anyone this way‚ especially someone such as Cal who has done so much for the Orioles and for baseball.” The O’s defeat the Twins‚ 8-3‚ as Jesse Orosco preserves Mike Mussina‘s 15th win. For Orosco‚ it is ML record 1‚072 appearance. He had been tied with Eckersley.
September 18The Brewers beat the Cubs‚ 7-4‚ as Sammy Sosa hits his 60th HR of the year. He becomes the 1st major leaguer to hit 60 homers in 2 seasons.

The Rangers defeat the Devil Rays‚ 6-1. Tampa Bay P Jimmy Morris makes his ML debut by fanning Royce Clayton in the 8th inning. At 36‚ he becomes the oldest rookie pitcher since Diomedes Olivo (age 40) with Pittsburgh in 1960. Morris was a high school baseball coach and science teacher just 4 months ago when he tried out at the urging of his team.
September 20The Angels defeat the Devil Rays‚ 10-5‚ in a game marked by a confrontation between umpire John Shulock and TB C Mike DiFelice in the 3rd inning. Shulock was on his way out to the mound after being hit with a pitch from Devil Rays P Wilson Alvarez when he was intercepted by DiFelice. AL president Gene Budig will suspend Shulock for 3 games and fine him an undisclosed amount for his “overly aggressive behavior‚ display of temper‚ inappropriate remarks and physical contact.”
September 21The Red Sox defeat the Blue Jays‚ 3-0‚ as Pedro Martinez fans 12 for his 22nd win. He joins Randy Johnson as the only pitchers to strike out at least 300 in both leagues‚ and breaks Roger Clemens club mark of 291 strikeouts.
September 22The Phillies score 11 runs in the 8th inning‚ with Rico Brogna driving in 3‚ on their way to a 12-3 win over the Brewers. The 10 hits and 11 runs in the frame tie the Milwaukee club record.

In Toronto’s 14-9 win over Boston‚ Carlos Delgado fouls a ball off his right leg in the 8th inning resulting in a season ending fracture of the leg. Delgado has 44 HR‚ 134 RBI and tied George Bell’s Blue Jays record for RBI in a season.

Mariners GM Woody Woodward announces his retirement. With more than a decade as GM‚ he had the longest tenure in the ML.
September 23The Athletics beat the Orioles‚ 9-6‚ in the 1st game of a doubleheader‚ ending Baltimore’s 13-game winning streak. The Orioles take the nightcap‚ 12-4‚ as OF Albert Belle gets 4 doubles in a game for the 2nd time this season.
September 24The Astros defeat the Brewers‚ 9-4. Astros OF Bill Spiers is attacked by a fan in the 6th inning of the contest. His teammates leave the bench and bullpen to aid Spiers‚ who suffers a welt under his left eye and a bloody nose. He remains in the game‚ however. His assailant is charged with two counts of assault after being taken into custody.

The Indians swamp the Blue Jays‚ 18-4. OF Manny Ramirez hits 2 grand slams for Cleveland to offset four homers by the Jays.

The Rangers beat the Athletics‚ 12-4‚ as Texas OF Juan Gonzalez strokes 3 HRs. Gonzalez adds a single and drives home 5 runs for the Rangers.
September 25Its payback time as the Rangers score 8 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to beating the Athletics‚ 10-4.
September 26The Cardinals lose to the Reds‚ 7-5‚ despite Mark McGwire‘s 60th HR of the season. McGwire joins Sammy Sosa as the only players in history to reach the 60 homer mark twice. Big Mac will end the season with 147 RBIs on 145 hits‚ the only player in ML history (with 100 hits in a season) to have more ribbies than hits. Jay Buhner‚ in 1995‚ came closest with 121 RBIs and 123 hits (.984)
September 27With each of the Tigers wearing the uniform numbers of all-time Detroit players at their position (OF Gabe Kapler‚ standing in for Ty Cobb‚ wears no number) the Tigers defeat the Royals‚ 8-2‚ in the last game ever played at Tiger Stadium. Rob Fick’s grand slam in the 8th brings the capacity crowd of 43‚356 to its feet. Luis Polonia and Karim Caria also homer as Brian Moehler beats Jeff Suppan.

In the 2nd game of doubleheader with Milwaukee‚ the first 3 batters for Pittsburgh are: A Brown CF‚ E Brown‚ LF‚ and B Brown 1B. It’s brown ‘n serve as far as the Brewers go‚ downing the Bucs‚ 5-2.
September 29The Red Sox clinch the wild card in the AL‚ beating the White Sox‚ 6-2. Damon Buford has 2 RBI and Nomar Garciaparra hits a 2-run homer‚ while Nomar ends the game with a unassisted DP. Chicago takes the nitecap‚ 4-2‚ as most of the Boston regulars sit.

The Phils down the Cubs, 5-0, holding Sammy Sosa homerless while Doug Glanville hits a three-run homer. Glanville reaches 200 hits, the first Phillie to do so in 20 years (Pete Rose, 1979). Carlton Loewer, out with a stress fracture the last 4 months, makes his first start since June 5 and pitches 4 scoreless innings.

The Cards sweep the Padres, winning 4-3 and 6-5, as Mark Mcgwire hits a pair of homers (#62 and #63) to take over the lead from Sammy Sosa.
September 30The Dodgers defeat the Giants‚ 9-4‚ in the final game ever played at Candlestick Park.

October

October 2The Giants beat on the Rockies‚ 16-7‚ as OF Marvin Benard strokes 5 hits‚ including a double.

The Expos defeat the Phillies‚ 13-3‚ as the Guerrero brothers combine to drive home 10 of the runs. Vladimir hits a pair of 3-run homers‚ while Wilton slugs a grand slam.

In a 3-2 Yankee win by David Cone over Tampa Bay‚ Bernie Williams draws his 100th walk of the year. He is the first player since Stan Musial (1948‚ 1953) to reach 200 hits‚ 100 runs‚ 100 RBI‚ and 100 walks in a season. Bernie finishes with 202: 116: 115: 100 respectively.
October 3The Blue Jays beat the Indians‚ 9-2. Cleveland finishes the year with 1‚009 runs‚ making them the 7th team in history to reach the 1‚000 mark.

The Diamondbacks whip the Padres‚ 10-3‚ for their 100th victory of the season. Arizona becomes the 1st team to reach the playoffs in its second year of existence. It also sets a record for the largest turnaround in a single season (35 games)‚ going from 65-97 last year to 100-62 this season.

The Braves belt 21 hits in defeating the Marlins‚ 18-0‚ a Braves franchise record for their largest shutout win in 114 years. Fifteen players score for the Braves‚ a new NL record and ML record.

The Mets outlast the Pirates‚ 2-1‚ and after a 6-hour rain delay‚ With the bases loaded‚ Bucs reliever Brad Clontz bounces his 1st pitch past the catcher to allow the winning run to score.

The Reds trim the Brewers‚ 7-1‚ to finish the year in a tie for the NL wild card spot. They will play a one-game playoff tomorrow in Cincinnati.

It lasts just 5 innings‚ but the Cardinals (74-88) defeat the Cubs (67-95)‚ 9-5‚ as both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa homer in their last game of the season. McGwire takes Steve Trachsel deep in the 1st and finishes with 65 HRs‚ with Sosa next in line with 63‚ homering in the 3rd. McGwire’s HR is his 522nd moving him past Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 10th place on the All-time list finishes with 147 RBIs on 145 hits‚ the first player ever to have more ribbies than hits; Jay Buhner‚ in 1995‚ came closest with 121 RBI on 123 hits. Last year McGwire drove in 147 runs on 152 hits. Starter Luebbers earns the win for the Cards with just 4 innings of work‚ a rarity. Rick Ankiel saves it after Luebbers pitches to 3 batters in the 5th. More than 145‚000 fans watched the 3-game set with the cubs‚ giving the Cards a franchise-record 3‚230‚356 for 79 dates.

Houston defeats Los Angeles‚ 9-4‚ in the last regular season game ever played in the Astrodome.
October 4The Mets whitewashes the Reds‚ 5-0‚ to become the NL’s wild card team. Al Leiter hurls a complete game 2-hitter for the win. NY SS Rey Ordonez plays his 100th consecutive game without an error‚ setting a new major league mark.

The Cubs fire manager Jim Riggleman after 5 seasons at the helm.
October 5The Astros defeat the Braves‚ 6-1‚ in the opener of their division series. Shane Reynolds gets the win for Houston‚ as 3B Ken Caminiti notches 3 hits‚ including a 3-run HR.

The Mets defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 8-4‚ to take the 1st game of their division series. Edgardo Alfonzo hits 2 homers for NY‚ including a game-winning grand slam with 2-outs in the 9th inning. Randy Johnson takes the loss for Arizona‚ his 6th consecutive defeat in postseason play.

The Yankees whitewash the Rangers‚ 8-0‚ in the opener of their AL division series. Orlando Hernandez hurls a 2-hitter for NY‚ while OF Bernie Williams gets a single‚ double‚ and HR‚ and drives home 6 runs.
October 6The Braves defeat the Astros‚ 5-1‚ to even their series at 1 game apiece. Kevin Millwood hurls a 1-hitter for the victory‚ the only Houston safety being a 2nd-inning HR by 3B Ken Caminiti. It is the 1st complete game 1-hitter hurled in postseason play in 32 years.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Mets‚ 7-1‚ to even their NL division series at 1 game each. Todd Stottlemyre gets the win for Arizona‚ while OF Steve Finley drives home 5 of his team’s runs.

The Indians score a run in the last half of the 9th inning to edge the Red Sox‚ 3-2‚ in the opener of their AL division series. Boston’s starting pitcher‚ Pedro Martinez‚ is forced to leave the game in the 4th inning with a pulled muscle in his back.
October 7The Yankees defeat the Rangers‚ 3-1‚ behind the pitching of Andy Pettitte‚ with relief help from Mariano Rivera. NY leads the best-of-5 series‚ 2-games-to-0.

The Indians slug the Red Sox‚ 11-1‚ to take a 2 game lead in their division series. Charles Nagy gets the win for Cleveland‚ as Harold Baines hits a 3-run homer and Jim Thome‚ a grand slam.

The Orioles fire manager Ray Miller and GM Frank Wren. Among the reasons for firing Wren was his decision to refuse to allow Cal Ripken being late to the airport to hold up a team plane. According to a member of the front office‚ Wren was fired for “season-long series of incidents involving a variety of personnel matters‚ both with front office staff and players.”

Major league baseball announces that the Mets and Cubs will play the 1st regular season game outside of North America when the open next season in Tokyo‚ Japan. The 2-game series will by played on March 29 and 30.

Continuing the Asian theme‚ the Rockies sign Taiwan pitcher Tsao Chin-Hui. Last January‚ the Dodgers signed a Taiwan prospect‚ outielder Chin-Feng Chen for a bonus of $680‚000. Chen had been the rightfielder on the 1990 team that won the Little League WS.
October 8The Mets score 6 runs in the 6th inning‚ to tie a division series record‚ on their way to a 9-2 victory over the Diamondbacks. The win gives them a 2-games-to-1 lead over Arizona in the division series. NY OF Rickey Henderson steals his 6th base‚ also a record for a division series.

The Braves defeat the Astros‚ 5-3 in 12 innings‚ to take a 2-games-to-1 lead in their division series. OF Brian Jordan drives home all 5 Atlanta runs on a 3-run HR in the 6th inning and a 2-run double in the 12th.

Cubs P Kerry Wood reveals that he has a dime-size hole in his heart. The condition‚ known as atria septal defect‚ will eventually have to be treated‚ but his baseball career should not be affected. He will be throwing off a mound in December.

Orioles P Doug Johns is arrested near Baltimore on a charge of driving under the influence of marijuana. It is his second arrest on drug charges since April.
October 9The Mets defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 4-3‚ on backup catcher Todd Pratt’s 10th inning HR. Pratt is in the game for starter Mike Piazza‚ who is unable to play because of a thumb injury. The win puts NY into the NLCS against the Braves. John Franco gets the victory in relief for the Mets.

The Braves jump out to a 7-0 lead‚ then hold on to defeat the Astros‚ 7-5‚ to win their division series‚ 3-games-to-1. John Smoltz gets the win for Atlanta‚ while 3B Ken Caminiti hits his 3rd HR of the series for Houston.

The Yankees defeat the Rangers‚ 3-0‚ to sweep their league division series. Roger Clemens hurls 7 shutout innings for the win‚ as Darryl Strawberry’s 3-run homer in the 1st provides all the runs in the game.

The Red Sox score 6 runs in the 7th inning and defeat the Indians‚ 9-3‚ to stay alive in their division series. Derek Lowe gets the win in relief‚ as Brian Daubach and John Valentin hit HRs for Boston.
October 10The Red Sox set an all-time postseason play record by scoring 23 runs in defeating the Indians‚ 23-7. The win ties their league division series at 2 games apiece. Boston gets 24 hits in the contest‚ including 5 by Mike Stanley and 4 each by John Valentin and Jason Varitek. Valentin hits a pair of HRs and drives home 7 runs‚ while Jose Offerman and Trot Nixon bring home 5 runs apiece.
October 11The Red Sox defeat the Indians‚ 12-8‚ to win their league division series‚ 3-games-to-2. Troy O’Leary’s 2 HRs‚ including a grand slam‚ power the Sox to the victory‚ as the outfielder drives home 7 of Boston’s runs. Nomar Garciaparra draws 2 intentional walks and both times O’Leary follows with a homer. Pedro Martinez picks up the win by hurling 6 hitless innings in relief of Derek Lowe for the Sox. Bret Saberhagen and Charles Nagy‚ both pitching on three days rest‚ start.

The NL announces Mets coach Cookie Rojas is suspended for 5 games for pushing umpire Charlie Williams during Saturday’s win over the Diamondbacks.
October 12The Braves defeat the Mets‚ 4-2‚ in the opening game of the NLCS. Greg Maddux gets the win for Atlanta‚ as C Eddie Perez hits a HR.
October 13Atlanta takes a 2-game lead over NY in the NLCS with a 4-3 victory. The Braves score all 4 of their runs in the 6th inning on a pair of HRs by Brian Jordan and Eddie Perez off Mets starter Kenny Rogers. Kevin Millwood gets the win for Atlanta‚ with John Smoltz making his 1st relief appearance ever to get the save.

The Yankees defeat the Red Sox in the opener of the ALCS‚ 4-3‚ in 10 innings. Boston blows a 3-0 lead‚ as Bernie Williams‘ HR off Rod Beck leading off the bottom of the 10th is the game-winner.
October 14The Yankees go 2 games up on the Red Sox with a 3-2 win in the 2nd game of the ALCS. David Cone gets the win for NY‚ with help from a Tino Martinez HR. Nomar Garciaparra accounts for both Boston runs with a 2-run roundtripper.

The Tigers fire manager Larry Parrish and hire former Brewer manager Phil Garner to take his place‚ handing the former Brewers manager a 4-year contract at $1.4 million a year. Detroit ignores Selig’s directive to interview minority candidates for the job‚ and hires Garner even before firing Parrish.
October 15Behind the pitching of Tom Glavine‚ the Braves defeat the Mets‚ 1-0 for their 3rd win in a row. Atlanta scores an unearned run in the 1st inning with the help of 2 NY errors. It is the 1st time all year the Mets make 2 errors in the same inning. With Gerald Williams on 2nd & Bret Boone on 1st‚ with one out‚ the Braves pulled off a double steal. Williams scores when Mets C Mike Piazza fires the ball into center field trying to throw out Boone.

The Indians fire manager Mike Hargrove‚ who guided the team to 5 consecutive Central Division titles.
October 16The Mets trip the Braves‚ 3-2‚ to stay alive in the NLCS. John Olerud drives home all 3 NY runs with a solo HR in the 6th inning‚ and a 2-run single off John Rocker in the 8th. Brian Jordan and Ryan Klesko hit back-to-back homers in the 8th for the Braves’ 2 runs. P Rick Reed shuts out Atlanta over the first 7 innings on a single hit.

The Red Sox roll over the Yankees‚ 13-1‚ behind the pitching of Pedro Martinez. Nomar Garciaparra gets 4 hits for Boston‚ while John Valentin drives home 5 runs. Garciaparra‚ Valentin‚ and Brian Daubach all homer for the Sox. New York now leads the ALCS‚ 2-games-to-1.
October 17The Mets edge the Braves in a 15-inning thriller‚ 4-3‚ to move within 1 game of Atlanta in their NLCS. Robin Ventura’s grand slam in the bottom half of the 15th wins it for NY‚ but his Met teammates mob him before he can reach 2nd base. He never completes his round of the bases and gets credit for a single instead of a grand slam. The Braves leave a postseason-record 19 players on base in the contest. The Mets use 9 pitchers in the game‚ with rookie Octavio Dotel getting the win.

The Yankees defeat the Red Sox‚ 9-2‚ to take a 3-games-to-1 lead in the ALCS. Andy Pettitte gets the victory for NY‚ with HR support from Darryl Strawberry and Ricky Ledee.
October 18The Yankees defeat the Red Sox‚ 6-1‚ to win the ALCS and their 36th AL pennant. Orlando Hernandez wins the clincher for NY‚ and is named MVP of the LCS. Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada homer for the Yanks.
October 19The Braves defeat the Mets‚ 10-9 in 11 innings‚ to take the NLCS‚ 4-games-to-2. Atlanta blew leads of 5-0 and 7-3‚ as NY eventually tied the score on a HR by Mike Piazza. A bases loaded walk by Kenny Rogers with 1 out in the last half of the 11th brings home the winning run. Braves C Eddie Perez is voted MVP of the LCS.
October 20The Rockies hire Buddy Bell as their new manager.

Boston eye doctor Carmen Puliafito offers free surgery for ML umpires during the postseason after umpires blew three calls against the Red Sox during the ALCS. Puliafito‚ who chairs the ophthalmology department at the Tufts University School of Medicine‚ suspects some umpires are secretly nearsighted. “That’s the only explanation I have for these 3 horrible calls.”
October 23The Yankees 2-hit the Braves‚ 4-1‚ to take the opening game of the World Series. Orlando Hernandez holds Atlanta to 1 hit in 7 innings for the victory. The Braves’ only run comes on a 4th inning homer by Chipper Jones. Scott Brosius has 3 hits for NY‚ while Paul O’Neill drives home 2 runs.
October 24The Yankees defeat Braves‚ 7-2‚ to take a 2-games-to-0 lead in the Series. David Cone holds Atlanta to one hit and no runs in 7 innings. Bernie Williams gets 3 hits for NY‚ while 5 of his teammates get 2 apiece. Braves’ starter Kevin Millwood gets battered for 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) in 2 innings of work.
October 26Down 5-1 in Game 3 of the World Series‚ the Yankees bounce back to defeat the Braves‚ 6-5 in 10 innings. OF Chad Curtis’ leadoff HR in the bottom half of the inning-his 2nd of the game-is the game-winner. Tino Martinez and Chuck Knoblauch also homer for NY‚ with Knoblauch’s 2-run blast in the 8th tying the score at 5-5. Mariano Rivera picks up the win for the Yankees‚ hurling 2 scoreless inning of relief.
October 27The Yankees defeat the Braves‚ 4-1‚ to win their 25th world championship. Roger Clemens gets the win‚ hurling 4-hit ball before leaving the game in the 8th inning. Mariano Rivera gets the save‚ his 2nd of the Series. Jim Leyritz hits a solo HR in the 8th inning to finish the NY scoring. Rivera wins the Series MVP award.
October 30The Rockies trade long-time favorite Dante Bichette to the Reds in exchange for OF Jeffrey Hammonds‚ P Stan Belinda‚ and cash. No word on the fate of Dante’s Denver restaurant.

November

November 1The Cubs hire Atlanta Braves coach Don Baylor as their new manager.

The Indians hire hitting coach Charlie Manuel as their new manager.
November 2The Rangers trade OF Juan Gonzalez‚ P Danny Patterson and C Gregg Zaun to the Tigers in exchange for pitchers Justin Thompson‚ Alan Webb and Francisco Cordero‚ OF Gabe Kapler‚ C Bill Haselman‚ and IF Frank Catalanotto.

Seattle announces that superstar Ken Griffey Jr. is requesting a trade closer to his home. The Mariners agree to try to trade him during the off season.

The St. Paul voters reject a referendum on a sales tax increase to cover 1/3 of the $325 million needed for the stadium. The plan called for the Twins to pay 1/3 and the legislature would provide the funding for the other 1/3.
November 4The Brewers hire Davey Lopes as their new manager.

Larry Dolan agrees to buy the Cleveland Indians from Richard Jacobs for $320 million. The sale is subject to approval by major league owners. If approved‚ the deal will be a record for a baseball franchise. The O’Malley family sold the Dodgers to the Fox division of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation for $311 in 1998.
November 5After 2 days of play in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup tourney in Sydney‚ Australia‚ the USA has a 2-0 record. Yesterday‚ they won 4-0 over Japan by scoring 4 runs in the 9th‚ 3 on Dan Held’s HR. Cuba beats Taiwan‚ 1-0‚ to avenge a loss yesterday to Cuba. Australia beats Italy after winning yesterday‚ 4-3 over the Netherlands‚ behind Shayne Bennett of the Expos.
November 8Cincinnati Reds relief P Scott Williamson is named the NL Rookie of the Year. Williamson was not on the Reds roster at the beginning of the year‚ but ended with a 12-7 record.

The Dodgers trade disgruntled OF Raul Mondesi and P Pedro Borbon to the Blue Jays for All-star OF Shawn Green and IF Jorge Nunez. Green said he wanted to play in a metropolitan city with a large Jewish population‚ but apparently the California native didn’t include Toronto in that.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for Shoeless Joe Jackson to be honored. The resolution stops short of calling for his induction into the Hall of Fame. “It is worthy for this body to take a few minutes to stand up for fairness and right an old wrong‚” said Rep. Jim DeMint‚ the author of the resolution who represents Jackson’s hometown of Greenville‚ S.C. Jackson was eligible for the Hall of Fame until 1991 but was never voted in either by the Baseball Writers’ Association of American or the veterans committee. In 1991‚ the Hall’s board adopted a resolution prohibiting players on the permanently banned list. The resolution now goes to the Senate.
November 9Kansas City Royals OF Carlos Beltran is named the AL Rookie of the Year. Beltran was the 1st rookie with 100+ RBI since Mike Piazza had 112 in 1993 and the 1st in the AL since Mark McGwire had 118 in 1987. He is the first rookie with 100 runs /100 RBI since Fred Lynn in 75.
November 10Cincinnati Reds skipper Jack McKeon is named the NL Manager of the Year.

The Padres trade P Andy Ashby to the Phillies for RHPs Carlton Loewer‚ Steve Montgomery‚ and Adam Eaton. Loewer will break his leg in January while hunting and not pitch in the majors till June of 2001.
November 11Boston Red Sox skipper Jimy Williams is named the AL Manager of the Year.

The Blue Jays trade pitchers Pat Hentgen and Paul Spoljaric to the Cardinals in exchange for P Lance Painter‚ C Alberto Castillo‚ and OF Matt DeWitt.
November 12In the 1999 Intercontinental Cup tourney in Sydney‚ Australia.‚ Cuban righthander Ciro Licea shuts out Team USA‚ 7-0 striking out 13. Team USA will play for the bronze medal against either Australia or Japan while Cuba‚ with its second win against the Americans in the tournament‚ will play the winner of that game for the gold medal.
November 15Arizona Diamondbacks P Randy Johnson is named the NL Cy Young Award winner. He is the 2nd pitcher to win the award in both leagues.

As reported by Pete Bjarkman‚ the one place Cuba seems less than invincible is in the Intercontinental Cup tournament‚ where the international powerhouse team loses in a second straight upset‚ this time to Australia‚ 4-3 in 11 innings. Cuba‚ which did not send its best team‚ also lost the Intercontinental Cup Gold Medal game two years ago in Barcelona‚ falling to Japan‚ this year’s Bronze medal winner. The USA finishes 4th.
November 16Surprise! Boston Red Sox P Pedro Martinez is named the unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young Award. He led the AL in wins‚ strikeouts and ERA. Martinez also won the Cy Young in the NL‚ just the 3rd pitcher to do so.

The Cardinals obtain Ps Darryl Kile‚ Dave Veres‚ and Luther Hackman from the Rockies in exchange for Ps Jose Jimenez‚ Manny Aybar and Rick Croushore‚ and INF Brent Butler.
November 17Atlanta Braves 3B Chipper Jones is named the NL Most Valuable Player.

The Angels hire Mike Scioscia as their new manager.

The Rockies trade P Curtis Leskanic to the Brewers in exchange for P Mike Myers.

The Orioles sign free agent P Mike Trombley to a 3-year contract.
November 18Texas Rangers C Ivan Rodriguez is named the AL Most Valuable Player. Rodriguez was runnerup for team MVP to Rafael Palmeiro.
November 23The Diamondbacks sign free agent P Russ Springer to a 2-year contract.
November 26Arbitrator Alan Symonette rejects the owners’ attempt to dismiss the umpires grievance dismissed‚ giving the 22 booted umps a chance to get their jobs back. Symonette will hear the grievance beginning December 13.
November 30Members of the umpires association vote 57-35 to form a new union‚ with 1 vote voided because the umpire signed his ballot. The NLRB will certify the election results in 7 days‚ if there are no objections. But‚ Jerry Crawford‚ the president of the old union‚ said objections are likely to be filed.

Braves minor leaguer Roger Blanco is killed by robbers in Ctia La Mar‚ Venezuela. Blanco‚ 30‚ was traded to the Braves in 1996 for Mark Whiten.

Pete Rose launches a new web site‚ allowing fans to add their names to a petition to vote for his reinstatement. He was banned from the game for gambling in August of 1989.

December

December 1The Phillies sign free agent P Mike Jackson to a contract.
December 2The Indians sign free agent P Scott Kamieniecki to a 2-year contract.
December 5Major league baseball and ESPN agreed to settle their lawsuit by signing a new 6-year‚ $800 million deal. The suit involved ESPN’s decision to give NFL football games priority over late-season Sunday night baseball games on its main channel.
December 7In a disappointment to the Mets‚ the Mariners sign free agent 1B John Olerud to a 3-year contract.
December 8The Rockies sign free agent OF Tom Goodwin to a 3-year contract and tomorrow they ink free agent C Brent Mayne to a 2-year contract.
December 9The Orioles sign free agent DH Harold Baines to a contract.
December 10The Mets obtain P Jesse Orosco from the Orioles in exchange for P Chuck McElroy. The 43-year-old Orosco last played for the Mets in 1987.

The Cubs sign free agent C Joe Girardi‚ late of the Yankees‚ to a 3-year contract.

Babe Ruth is voted Player of the Century by an Associated Press panel. Willie Mays comes in second.
December 11The Cubs obtain OF Damon Buford from the Red Sox in exchange for IF Manny Alexander.

The Mets sign free agent 1B-3B Todd Zeile to a 3-year contract.
December 12The Cubs obtain P Ismael Valdes (9-14) and 2B Eric Young from the Dodgers for pitchers Terry Adams and Chad Ricketts‚ and a player to be named. Despite missing 40 games‚ Young swiped 51 bases in 1999.

The Phillies obtain P Chris Brock from the Giants in exchange for C Bobby Estalella.

The Royals obtain IF Jeff Reboulet from the Orioles for a player to be named. Tomorrow they trade a player to be named later to the Giants for P Jerry Spradlin.
December 13The Diamondbacks obtain P Brad Clontz from the Pirates for a player to be named.

The Rangers obtain OF Chad Curtis from the Yankees in exchange for minor league pitchers Sam Marsonek and Brandon Knight.

The Devil Rays sign free agent OF Greg Vaughn to a 4-year contract.

In what is believed to be baseball’s first 4-team swap since 1985‚ the Rockies obtain 3B Jeff Cirillo‚ Ps Rolando Arrojo and Scott Karl‚ and IF Aaron Ledesma‚ the Devil Rays obtain 3B Vinny Castilla‚ the Brewers obtain Ps Jamey Wright and Jimmy Haynes‚ and C Henry Blanco‚ and the Athletics obtain P Justin Miller.

The Marlins obtain OF Brant Brown from the Pirates in exchange for OF Bruce Aven.

Red Sox P Tom Gordon has ligament reconstruction surgery on his right elbow‚ and will miss the 2000 season. According to the Red Sox‚ there is only a 15% to 20% chance that he will ever pitch again.
December 14The Pirates sign free agent OF Wil Cordero to a 3-year contract worth $9 million.

The Royals sign free agent C Brian Johnson to a contract.
December 15In a swap of unrelated Everetts‚ the Red Sox obtain OF Carl Everett from the Astros in exchange for SS Adam Everett and P Greg Miller.

The Royals obtain OF Todd Dunwoody from the Marlins in exchange for 1B Sean McNally.
December 16The Indians sign free agent P Chuck Finley to a 3-year contract.

The Brewers sign free agent IF Jose Hernandez to a 3-year contract.

The Cardinals sign free agent C Mike Matheny to a contract.
December 17The Dodgers sign free agent and former Dodger star P Orel Hershiser to a contract.

The Orioles sign free agent C Greg Myers to a 2-year contract.

The Mariners sign all-time Japanese League saves leader Kazuhiro Sasaki to a 2-year contract.
December 20The Brewers trade 2B Fernando Vina to the Cardinals for P Juan Acevedo and 2 minor leaguers to be named.

The Devil Rays sign free agent OF Gerald Williams to a 2-year contract.

The Expos sign free agent P Graeme Lloyd to a 3-year contract.

The Cubs sign SS Ricky Gutierrez to a 2-year contract.

The Mariners sign free agent 2B Mark McLemore and OF Stan Javier to contracts.
December 21The Mariners sign free agent P Arthur Rhodes to a 4-year contract.

The Dodgers are fined $50‚000 and banned from scouting any Dominican Republic players for one year as a penalty for having signed 3B Adrian Beltre as a 15-year-old. Beltre is not given his free agency‚ according to Commissioner Bud Selig‚ because he participated in the scheme‚ and because the claim for free agency was made too late. The players’ association is expected to file a grievance in the matter.
December 22The Braves obtain 2B Quilvio Veras‚ 1B Wally Joyner‚ and OF Reggie Sanders from the Padres in exchange for 1B Ryan Klesko‚ 2B Bret Boone‚ and P Jason Shiell.

Kip Wells‚ drafted in the first round by the Chicago White Sox‚ finally signs for $1.495 million plus an invite to the White Sox spring camp.

The Expos obtain inconsistent P Hideki Irabu from the Yankees in exchange for P Jake Westbrook and 2 players to be named. P Christian Parker will be one of those named.

The Red Sox sign free agent P Jeff Fassero to a contract.

The Orioles promote Syd Thrift to GM replacing Frank Wren‚ and sign free agent P Buddy Groom to a 2-year contract.

In an interview in Sports Illustrated magazine‚ Atlanta Braves P John Rocker offends virtually every race and ethnic group in a hateful outburst. Community leaders‚ media‚ management‚ coaches and teammates alike call for action to be taken against the lefty who had 38 saves for Atlanta this past season.
December 23The Mets obtain P Mike Hampton and OF Derek Bell from the Astros for OF Roger Cedeno and pitchers Octavio Dotel and Kyle Kessel.
December 29The Rangers sign free agent P Kenny Rogers to a 3-year contract.

The Athletics sign free agent OF Rich Becker to a contract.