Baseball – 2000

Baseball in 2000

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January

January 4Padres P Carlton Loewer‚ recently acquired by the San Diego Padres, suffers a broken leg after falling from a tree while hunting. He’ll not pitch in 2000 and will appear in just 2 games in 2001. Loewer is apparently snakebit. While pitching for the Phillies last year, he missed almost 4 months due to a stress fracture in his arm. Doctors say that injury left the arm so fragile, if undetected the bone might have broken more extensively while Loewer was throwing a pitch.
January 5The Dodgers sign free agent P Gregg Olson to a 2-year contract.
January 6Major league baseball officials order Atlanta Braves P John Rocker to undergo psychological testing following derogatory remarks he made in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig says he will listen to what the doctors say before deciding what punishment-if any-will be handed down to the pitcher.

Gene Budig resigns as American League president and is appointed a senior adviser to baseball commissioner Bud Selig. The American and National leagues will be disbanded as legal entities later this month‚ with their functions consolidated in the commissioner’s office.
January 7The Cardinals sign free agent P Andy Benes to a 3-year contract.

The Angels sign free agent 2B Scott Spiezio.

The Dodgers sign free agent outfielder F.P. Santangelo to a 2-year contract.
January 8The Devil Rays sign free agent P Juan Guzman to a 2-year contract.
January 10The Mariners sign free agent P Aaron Sele to a two-year $15 million contract after Orioles owner Peter Angelos nixes a negotiated four-year $29 million (one report says three year 21-million dollars) because of questions concernting Sele’s physical condition. The Rangers had offered Sele a four-year‚ $28 million deal that was never consummated. “Sele fell out of the sky‚” marvels M’s GM Pat Gillick. Sele will win 17 during the 2000 season to become one of just seven pitchers to win 15 or more games in each of the past three seasons (Pedro Martinez‚ Greg Maddux‚ Randy Johnson‚ David Wells‚ Dave Burba‚ and Charles Nagy).
January 11The baseball writers elect catcher Carlton Fisk and 1B Tony Perez to the Hall of Fame. Fisk is chosen in his second year on the ballot‚ while Perez is picked on his ninth try.
January 12The Brewers obtain P Jaime Navarro and John Snyder from the White Sox for SS Jose Valentin and P Cal Eldred. Navarro‚ the majors loss leader (43) the past 3 seasons‚ was disgruntled with the Sox. Valentin will compete with Mike Caruso for the SS job.

With Sele signing with the Mariners‚ the Rangers ink free agent pitcher Darren Oliver to a 3-year deal worth $19 million.
January 13The Devil Rays sign free agent P Steve Trachsel to a one-year contract. Trachsel (8-18) led the Cubs in innings pitched (206) and was expected to ink a multi-year contract.
January 14The Mets stock up in Joneses‚ acquiring their 2nd Bobby Jones‚ along with P Lariel Gonzalez‚ from the Rockies for P Masato Yoshii.

The Brewers trade OF Alex Ochoa to the Reds for OF Mark Sweeney and a player to be named.

The Royals sign free agent P Ricky Bottalico. Bottalico had 34 saves for the Phils in 1996-97‚ but in the past 2 seasons has not fully recovered from elbow surgery.
January 17Free agent C Dave Nilsson signs a contract to play with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League. This will allow him to play for Australia in the upcoming Olympics in Sydney.
January 19Major league baseball owners vote to approve the $320 million sale of the Indians to Larry Dolan and his family trusts. They also vote to give Commissioner Bud Selig power “without limitation” to ensure “there is an appropriate level of long-term competitive balance among the clubs.” He can override all of baseball’s rules‚ and even attempt to impose a salary cap if he thinks it necessary to reach an agreement with the players following the 2001 season.
January 20Baseball owners vote to give all their internet rights to the commissioner’s office. Selig is expected to parcel out monies in 30 equal amounts.
January 21The National Labor Relations Board refuses to overturn the election which removed Richie Phillips and the Major League Umpires Association from power. A new union will represent the arbiters.

The Tigers sign free agent P Hideo Nomo to a one-year contract. Nomo’s agent had declined a multi-year contract with the Brewers‚ expecting more on the open market.

The Mets sign free agent P Rich Rodriguez to a 2-year contract and reacquire Bill Pulsipher from the Brewers in exchange for IF Luis Lopez.
January 24The Rockies sign free agent closer Billy Taylor.

Yankee prospect D’Angelo Jimenez suffers a broken neck when a car he is driving in the Dominican Republic collides with a bus. Jimenez is not paralyzed but will miss the 2000 season. He figured to be the Yankee reserve infielder‚ taking over the role that Luis Sojo‚ now with the Pirates‚ filled last season.
January 27The Indians sign free agent P Scott Sanders after his agent had spurned a multi-year contract with the Brewers.
January 28The Orioles sign free agent P Pat Rapp to a contract.
January 29The Mets announce that singer Garth Brooks will participate in spring training with the team. The 37-year-old singer worked out last spring with the Padres going 1-for-22.
January 31Braves reliever John Rocker is suspended from baseball until May 1 by Commissioner Bud Selig for his racial and ethnic remarks in an article published in Sports Illustrated last month. He’s also fined an undisclosed amount and ordered to undergo sensitivity training.

February

February 2The Rockies sign free agent OF Darren Bragg to a contract.

The Milwaukee Brewers sign pitcher Juan Acevedo to a two-year contract.
February 3The St. Louis Cardinals take out insurance signing veterans Shawon Dunston‚ OF Brian McRae‚ 1B Eduardo Perez‚ and C Rick Wilkins.
February 4The Mets sign free agent vet Dennis Springer to a contract.
February 10The Mariners accommodate OF Ken Griffey Jr. trading him to his hometown Reds in exchange for P Brett Tomko‚ OF Mike Cameron‚ IF Antonio Perez‚ and P Jake Meyer. The Reds resisted giving up INF Pokey Reese.
February 15The Boston Red Sox sign outfielder Carl Everett to a three-year contract.
February 18The Athletics obtain OF Jeremy Giambi from the Royals for P Brett Laxton. Giambi joins his brother‚ Jason‚ in Oakland‚ becoming the 6th brother combo to play for the team.
February 22A Florida Department of Corrections report says Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry tested positive for cocaine on January 19.
February 23The San Diego Padres obtain OF Al Martin from the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF John Vander Wal‚ and pitchers Jim Sak and Geraldo Padua. San Diego also shells out for one of its own, signing pitcher Matt Clement to a 4 year agreement.
February 24The National Labor Relations Board certifies the results of the November election that kicked out the Major League Umpires Association and replaced it with the newly-formed World Umpires Association. About 50 of the 71 major league umpires have joined the new union. The decision ends Richie Phillips’ 21-year reign as union chief.
February 25Hall of Fame OF Frank Robinson is hired by major league baseball to handle on-field disciplinary matters. Previously‚ such matters were handled by the individual league offices.
February 28Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announces the Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry is suspended for one year for having tested positive for cocaine last month. It is Strawberry’s 3rd cocaine-related suspension.

AL umpire John Hirschbeck is elected as the 1st president of the World Umpires Association‚ which was certified last week by the NLRB.
February 29Manager Sparky Anderson‚ 19th century star Bid McPhee‚ and Negro League player Norman “Turkey” Stearnes are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

March

March 1Independent arbitrator Shyam Das cuts Braves P John Rocker‘s suspension from 28 days to 14 days. Rocker‚ who is allowed to report to spring training with the team‚ also has his fine cut.
March 4The Red Sox sign Cuban 1B Juan Diaz‚ who was declared a free agent after the Dodgers illegally signed him.
March 8The Braves announce that P John Smoltz will undergo elbow surgery to repair a torn medial collateral ligament. He is expected to miss the entire season.
March 16In a 3-team deal‚ the Toronto Blue Jays‚ Texas Rangers‚ and Montreal Expos all exchanged first basemen. Toronto trades David Segui to Texas. The Rangers then send Lee Stevens to the Expos. Montreal then swaps Brad Fullmer to the Blue Jays.

Marlins pitcher A. J. Burnett ruptures a ligament in his right thumb during a fielding practice drill. He will be sidelined for 10-12 weeks.
March 18The Mets trade P Jesse Orosco to the Cardinals in exchange for IF/OF Joe McEwing.
March 20The new World Umpires Association agrees to consolidate all umpires as part of an interim agreement with the commissioner’s office. The umps will merge beginning with this season.
March 21Padres OF Al Martin is arrested on charges that he exchanged punches with a woman who claims to be his wife. Shawn Haggerty-Martin said the couple were married in Las Vegas two years ago. Martin said the couple had the ceremony‚ but that he didn’t think it was real. Haggerty-Martin contends that the outfielder is a bigamist.
March 23The Cardinals obtain All-star OF Jim Edmonds from the Angels in exchange for P Kent Bottenfield and 2B Adam Kennedy.

Yankees OF Tim Raines announces his retirement after 21 major league seasons.

The Cubs send busted-arm pitcher Rodney Myers to the Padres for Gary Mathews‚ Jr.‚ whom they option to Iowa (AAA).
March 25Boston pitcher Juan Pena is hit on the right wrist by a ball off the bat of the Reds Sean Casey during a spring training game. According to the Sox‚ he suffers a torn MCL in his right elbow and will be out the year.
March 27The Blue Jays sign former Rookie of the Year OF Marty Cordova to a contract.

The White Sox obtain SS Jose Olmedo from the Indians for future considerations. Tomorrow‚ they option SS Mike Caruso to Charlotte.
March 28The Phillies obtain 2B Mickey Morandini from the Expos in exchange for cash.
March 29The Cubs open the major league season in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo‚ Japan‚ by defeating the Mets‚ 5-3‚ in the first big league game ever played outside of North America. Jon Lieber gets the victory and new ace Mike Hampton takes the loss. Shane Andrews hits the first HR of the new millennium. Mark Grace and Mike Piazza also homer.

The Astros and Phils swap lefty pitchers‚ with Houston getting Yorkis Perez and the Phils receiving Trever Miller.

Diamondbacks slugger Matt Williams breaks a bone in his right foot in the D’Backs last exhibition game in Tucson versus the Mariners when the All-star 3B fouls a Frankie Rodriguez pitch off his foot. Williams broke the same bone in 1995 and missed 68 games.
March 30The Mets defeat the Cubs in the Tokyo Dome‚ 5-1‚ in 11 innings on Benny Agbayani’s pinch hit grand slam. Rey Ordoñez commits an error in the game‚ ending his major league record streak of 101 consecutive errorless games at SS. With a swipe of 2B‚ Rickey Henderson joins Ted Williams as the only players to steal a base in each of 4 decades.

The Rockies sign AL stolen base champ Brian Hunter to a contract.

April

April 3a href=”../ballplayers/player.php?name=Ken_Griffey_Jr_1969″>Ken Griffey, Jr. makes his regular season debut in a Cincinnati Reds uniform. The Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers play to a 3-3 tie in a game the umpires call due to rain in the sixth inning. It is the first tie game on Opening Day in 35 years.

In their opener‚ the Texas Rangers defeat the Chicago White Sox‚ 10-4‚ as OF Gabe Kapler becomes the first player to homer in his first two at-bats as a Ranger. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez also hits two homers for Texas before the largest regular-season crowd in the team’s history. Ranger starter Kenny Rogers ties Frank Viola for third place in consecutive home wins with the victory over Mike Sirotka. Rogers has won 19 consecutive home games and hasn’t lost on his own turf since June 28‚ 1997‚ a span of 1‚012 days (through April 4). Ray Kremer of the Pittsburgh Pirates holds the record of 22 consecutive home wins set in 1926-27: Lefty Grove of Boston (1938-41) is 2nd with 20 straight home wins.

The Blue Jays defeat the Royals‚ 5-4‚ as SS Tony Batista and OF Shannon Stewart each homer twice.

The Braves defeat the Rockies‚ 2-0. Andres Galarraga homers in his 1st game back after missing the entire 1999 season following cancer surgery.

The Dodgers defeat the Expos‚ 10-4‚ behind a grand slam by first baseman Eric Karros. OF Vladimir Guerrero hits a pair of homers for Montreal as a new major league record for opening day is set with 5 players having multiple HR games.
April 4The Rockies defeat the Braves‚ 5-3. Atlanta SS Rafael Furcal goes 2-for-4 in his major league debut‚ becoming the 1st big league player born in the 1980s. It will come out later that Furcal shaved 2 years off his birth year‚ which was really 1978.

Ugueth Urbina strikes out the Dodgers in the top of the ninth on nine pitches tying the ML record. Since it comes in the ninth inning of a 10-4 Expos loss before a small crowd‚ nobody seems to notice this particular feat.

At the Opener in Pittsburgh‚ Houston’s Richard Hidalgo drives in all 5 runs‚ 4 on a grand slam‚ to lead the Astros to a 5-2 win. Shane Reynolds is the winning pitcher. John Vader Wal has a 2-run pinch HR for the Bucs in the 7th‚ his 14th career pinch HR.
April 5The Diamondbacks bite the Phillies‚ 11-3‚ with Mike Morgan picking up the save. Arizona is his 12th major league team‚ an ML record. (though Bobo Newsom switched teams more often). He also becomes the 25th player‚ and 9th pitcher‚ to appear in 4 decades. Earlier today‚ Jesse Orosco of the Cardinals became the 24th player‚ and 8th pitcher‚ to do so. (See also Elmer Valo‚ September 30‚ 1939).

The Reds sign Ron Villone‚ released 3 days ago by the Indians.
April 6The Pirates defeat the Astros‚ 10-1‚ as OF Brian Giles goes 5-5‚ including 2 homers and a triple. Pittsburgh P Francisco Cordova does not give up a hit to Houston until 1 man out in the 8th inning.

The Royals defeat the Blue Jays‚ 9-3‚ as rookie P Chad Durbin allows just 1 hit in 6 innings in his 1st big league start‚ and 2nd big league appearance. The Royals score all 9 of their runs in the 6th inning.
April 741‚583 fans‚ including George W. Bush‚ are on hand for the opener at brand-new Enron Field. Enron president Kenneth Lay throws out the first ball. Led by Randy Wolf’s 7 strong innings‚ the Phillies top the Astros‚ 4-1. Octavio Dotel gives up 2 runs before leaving in the 7th with the loss. Scott Rolen and Ron Gant homer for the Phillies‚ while Richard Hidalgo goes deep for the Astros.

The Orioles defeat the Tigers‚ 14-10. The two teams combine to hit 5 HRs in the 5th inning‚ tying the major league mark.

The Indians defeat the Devil Rays‚ 14-5‚ in Tampa Bay’s home opener‚ scoring 9 runs in the 2nd inning. Wade Boggs‘ uniform #12 is retired by the Devil Rays prior to the game.

A total of 57 home runs are hit in the 15 games played‚ for a new major league record. The previous mark of 55 was set in 17 games last August 13. There were 36 homers hit in the AL‚ smashing the previous mark for a single league.

Berley W. Visgar is sentenced to 90 days in jail‚ and fined $1‚000‚ for jumping OF Bill Spiers in a game played last September 24.

Andrew Klein suffered permanent brain damage as the result of an injury, which occurred during batting practice while he and 100 other youngsters participated in a pregame `”Bullpen Buddies” program at Pro Player Stadium. Ray Lankford hit a line drive into the stands that struck Andrew in the left temple.

The Reds obtain P Manny Aybar from the Rockies for P Gabe White.
April 8Toronto’s David Wells allows 9 hits in shutting out the Rangers‚ 4-0. Kenny Rogers loses at home ending his 19-game home winning streak‚ the 3rd longest in ML history. The streak dates to June 28‚ 1997 when Rogers was with the Yankees. Since then he’s pitched for Oakland and the Mets.

The Dodgers score 4 runs in the 9th and 1 in the 10th to defeat the Mets‚ 6-5. Dodger P Kevin Brown breaks the pinkie on his throwing hand during the game and will be out 3-to-4 weeks.

The Cardinals announce plans for a new $370 million ballpark‚ possibly to open in time for the 2004 season.
April 9The Twins defeat the Royals‚ 13-7. In the process‚ they become the 1st teams in history to each hit back-to-back-to-back HRs in the same game. Ron Coomer‚ Jacque Jones‚ and Matt LeCroy hit consecutive blasts for Minnesota in the 6th inning‚ followed by 3 in a row by Carlos Beltran‚ Jermaine Dye‚ and Mike Sweeney of Kansas City an inning later.
April 10The Colorado Rockies beat the Cincinnati Reds‚ 7-5‚ despite Ken Griffey, Jr.’s 400th career HR. Griffey is the youngest in history to reach that milestone.
April 11The Dodgers edge the Giants‚ 6-5‚ in the first game played at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. SS Kevin Elster leads the Dodger attack with 3 HRs.

The Tigers sink the Mariners‚ 5-2‚ in the first game played at Comerica Park in Detroit.

The Red Sox defeat the Twins‚ 13-4‚ scoring 8 runs in the 2nd inning.
April 12Richard Hidalgo has 3 hits‚ 3 RBI‚ 2 doubles and a HR to lead the Astros to a 7-5 win over the Cardinals. The game is tied‚ 5-5 in the bottom of the 7th‚ before Hidalgo gives the Astros the lead with a 2-RBI double. Jim Edmonds ties Chick Hafey‘s club record by reaching base safely 12 consecutive times. Hafey set the record in 1929.
April 13The Rockies defeat the Cardinals‚ 12-6‚ scoring 10 runs in the 2nd inning.

The Devil Rays obtain P Dwight Gooden from the Astros in exchange for cash.
April 14The Mets outlast the Pirates‚ 8-5‚ in 12 innings. C Mike Piazza gets 5 hits for NY‚ including a double and 2 HRs.

Adam Kennedy ties a ML record in pacing Anaheim to a 16-10 win at Toronto. Kennedy hits a HR and triple‚ both with the bases loaded‚ to tie a record held by 8 National Leaguers and 2 in the AL. His hits come in consecutive innings.
April 15The Orioles defeat the Twins‚ 6-4‚ as Cal Ripken Jr. gets the 3‚000th hit of his illustrious career. Ripken goes 3-for-5 in becoming the 24th player to reach the milestone‚ and the 7th to get 3‚000 hits and 400 HRs.

Pedro Martinez (7 IP‚ 5 H‚ 2 R/ER‚ 1 BB‚ 9 SO) paces the Red Sox to a 14-2 win over the A’s Tim Hudson. Carl Everett had 3 hits‚ including 2 doubles‚ and 4 RBI. Three sons of former major-league umpires work the game: Jerry (son of Shag) Crawford‚ Mike (son of Lou) DiMuro and Brian (son of Tom) Gorman.
April 16The Mariners rout the Blue Jays‚ 19-7‚ as SS Alex Rodriguez strokes 3 HRs‚ drives in 7 runs‚ and scores 5 runs.

The Padres defeat the Astros‚ 13-3‚ as OF Al Martin sets a team record by scoring 5 runs in the contest.

The Indians defeat the Rangers‚ 2-1‚ behind Chuck Finley. Finley‚ the only pitcher in history to fan 4 batters in an inning on 2 occasions‚ performs the feat for a 3rd time‚ fanning 4 Texas batters in the 3rd inning.

The Cardinals and Rockies split a doubleheader‚ with St. Louis winning the 1st game‚ 9-3‚ and the Rockies taking the 2nd‚ 14-13. Colorado scores 8 runs in the 6th inning of the nightcap‚ while St. Louis 2B Fernando Vina strokes 5 hits for the Cards.

Texas Rangers OF Rusty Greer has surgery to remove bone chips from his right ankle. He will be out of action from 4-6 weeks.
April 17Major league owners vote to approve the $96 million sale of the Kansas City Royals to team chairman‚ David Glass.
April 18The Angels defeat the Blue Jays‚ 16-10‚ as 2B Adam Kennedy drives home 8 runs for Anaheim. Kennedy hits a grand slam and a bases-loaded triple‚ the first time a player has done that since Luis Olmo in 1945. Craig Grebeck‚ Raul Mondesi‚ and Carlos Delgado hit back-to-back-to-back homers for the Blue Jays in the 6th inning.

The White Sox outslug the Mariners‚ 18-11‚ scoring 11 runs in the 4th inning.

The Giants defeat the Reds‚ 13-9‚ as OF Barry Bonds scores 5 runs for San Francisco.
April 19The Astros top the Dodgers‚ 10-3‚ as LA starting P Orel Hershiser ties a modern major league record by hitting four batters in only 1 1/3 innings of work. OF Richard Hidalgo is hit by 2 of Hershiser’s pitches‚ and is also plunked by reliever Matt Herges‚ to tie another ML mark. The 5 HPB also ties another 20th century mark by both pitchers and batters‚ done by Atlanta and Cincinnati on July 2‚ 1969.
April 20The Reds defeat the Giants‚ 11-1‚ as Pokey Reese gets 5 hits‚ including a double. Ken Griffey Jr. hits a pair of HRs for Cincinnati.

The Marlins defeat the Pirates‚ 3-2 in 14 innings‚ with P Vic Darensbourg getting the win in relief. It is Darensbourg’s 1st major league win‚ ending the longest streak of winless appearances at the start of a career at 123. His career record in the majors before today was 0-8.

The Indians defeat the A’s‚ 9-5. John Jaha strikes out 5 times for Oakland to tie a major league mark‚ last done by Jim Thome on April 9.

The Blue Jays come back to beat the Angels‚ 12-11. Anaheim‚ down 11-2‚ scores 8 runs in the 6th inning.
April 21The Twins defeat the Rangers‚ 10-5‚ as Ron Coomer slugs 2 HRs and drives home 7 runs for Minnesota.

The Angels down the Devil Rays‚ 9-6. Mo Vaughn and Tim Salmon hit back-to-back homers for Anaheim in the 4th inning‚ then repeat the feat in the 9th. Troy Glaus also homers in those same 2 innings‚ marking the 1st time in major league history that 3 players homer in the same inning twice in the same game. The 3 players with 2 HRs in the game ties another ML record.
April 22The White Sox defeat the Tigers‚ 14-6‚ in a game marked by two brawls and 11 ejections. Chicago OF Chris Singleton goes 5-for-5‚ including a double and HR‚ and drives home 5 runs for the White Sox.

The Rockies clip the Cardinals‚ 7-6. Mark McGwire and Fernando Tatis homer for St. Louis as the Cards set an NL mark for most HRs in the month of April (42).
April 23The Yankees score 7 runs in the 4th inning on their way to a 10-7 win over the Blue Jays. NY OF Bernie Williams and C Jorge Posada each hit HRs from both sides of the plate‚ marking the 1st time in major league history that a pair of teammates switch hit homers in the same game. Jose Cruz hits a leadoff homer for Toronto for the second straight game. He had 2 homers yesterday.

The Dodgers beat the Reds‚ 11-3‚ scoring 8 runs in the 6th inning.

The Giants defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 12-7‚ scoring 8 runs in the 1st inning.
April 25Several players and coaches skip Tuesday’s games to join the work stoppage begun by Miami’s Cuban-American community to protest Elian Gonzalez’s removal from his relative’s Miami home. Gonzalez was reunited with his father in Cuba.

The Expos obtain P Brad Rigby from the Royals in exchange for P Miguel Batista.
April 26The Cardinals whitewash the Brewers‚ 7-0‚ as Rich Ankiel‚ Jim Edmonds‚ and Fernando Tatis all hit HRs. This gives St. Louis 50 homers for April‚ setting a new ML mark.
April 27The Cubs defeat the Astros‚ 12-3‚ as they hit 4 HRs in the 1st inning of their game at Houston’s Enron Field. Jose Lima serves up all 4 dingers to tie the ML record for an inning.

The White Sox trip the Orioles‚ 13-4‚ as Chicago SS Jose Valentin hits for the cycle doing it in order. Valentin singles in the 1st inning‚ doubles in the 2nd‚ triples in the 3rd‚ and homers in the 7th.

Major league baseball announces what is believed to be a record 16 suspensions for a total of 82 games to members of the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers for their parts in two brawls in last Saturday’s game between the teams. Managers Phil Garner and Jerry Manuel were suspended for 8 games apiece‚ Detroit coach Juan Samuel for 15 games‚ and Tigers 3B Dean Palmer for 8 games.
April 28The Astros whitewash the Brewers‚ 7-0‚ behind Chris Holt’s 1-hitter. Ron Belliard‘s single is the only Milwaukee hit.
April 29The Giants finally win‚ beating the Expos‚ 2-1‚ for their 1st victory at Pacific Bell Park. They are the 1st team to lose 6 straight game to begin play in a newly constructed home park.
April 30The Diamondbacks defeat the Cubs‚ 6-0‚ as Randy Johnson becomes just the 3rd pitcher in modern history to win 6 games in April.

The Cardinals defeat the Phillies‚ 4-3‚ as Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds hit HRs. St. Louis finishes the month with 55 homers‚ a new record for April. It also ties the NL mark for homers in any month.

Getting 2-run homers from Mark Quinn and Joe Randa‚ Kansas City beats Seattle‚ 6-3. After getting rocked in his last 2 outings‚ Jose Rosado (2-2) goes 5 2/3 innings before a 50-minute rain delay ends his day. He gets the win‚ but this is his last ML appearance as a torn shoulder cartilage‚ suffered on opening day‚ sidelines him.

Going deep. Major league batters set a record for most homers in a month by hitting 931 in April. The total is 140 more than the number hit last season.

May

May 1The Rockies defeat the Expos‚ 15-8‚ as OF Todd Helton slams 3 HRs for Colorado. The two teams combined for a Coors Field record 10 homers in the game.

The Giants defeat the Mets‚ 10-3‚ as Barry Bonds hits the first splashdown homer in Pacific Bell Park history. His 11th HR of the year drops into McCovey Cove just past the right field wall.
May 2The Royals score 3 runs in the 10th inning to defeat the A’s‚ 8-7. Oakland P Jason Isringhausen‚ who was 14-for-14 in career saves‚ was 2 outs away from tying the major league mark for consecutive saves to start a career.

The Braves defeat the Dodgers‚ 5-3‚ to become the first NL team in 49 years to win 15 consecutive games. The last team to do so was the 1951 NY Giants. While pitching the 9th inning‚ Atlanta P John Rocker is approached by a fan who ran out of the stands. Before security can get to him‚ the man turns his back to Rocker‚ drops his pants‚ and moons the pitcher. The Braves’ streak will end tomorrow.

In Kerry Wood‘s comeback game following surgery‚ the fireballer sets down Houston for 6 innings‚ allowing 3 hits and one run. The Cubs make it easy‚ scoring 10 runs in the first 5 innings. Wood helps himself with one of 3 Cubs homers.
May 3The Rockies bash the Expos‚ 16-7‚ setting a team record in the process by stroking 24 hits. OF Todd Helton goes 5-for-5 in the contest‚ while all 9 Colorado starters get at least 1 hit and 1 RBI each.

The A’s defeat the Royals‚ 14-5‚ scoring 8 runs in the 7th inning. Oakland gets a team record 10 hits in the inning‚ sending 13 men to the plate.

The Major League Baseball Players Association again denies several major-leaguers admission to the union. The players crossed picket lines during the 1994-95 strike becoming replacement players. These players don’t pay union dues‚ receive full pension benefits‚ and can to use the Association’s grievance procedure. However‚ they do not receive a share of royalties from the sale of baseball merchandise. Historian Stuart Shea notes the players are the only ex-replacements currently on major-league rosters : Benny Agbayani and Rick Reed‚ Mets; Trinidad Hubbard‚ Kerry Ligtenberg‚ Keith Lockhart of the Braves; Cory Lidle and Damien Miller‚ Diamondbacks; Keith Osik and Rich Loiselle‚ Pirates; Matt Herges‚ Dodgers; Joe Slusarski‚ Astros; Shane Spencer‚ Yankees; Jeff Tam‚ A’s; Donne Wall‚ Padres.
May 4The Phillies bash the Reds‚ 14-1‚ as OF Doug Glanville gets 5 hits. The Phils tie the ML record by hitting 4 consecutive doubles in the 1st inning.
May 5In a slugfest‚ the Rangers overcome an 8-run deficit to defeat the A’s‚ 17-16‚ The teams tie an AL record as all 18 starting players scored at least 1 run.

Atlanta C Eddie Perez is put on the DL with a torn rotator cuff‚ and is likely out for the season.

Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda is named manager of the United States’ Olympic baseball team‚ which will compete in September in Sydney‚ Australia.
May 6The Yankees defeat the Orioles‚ 3-1‚ as Roger Clemens records his 250th career victory. He is the 39th pitcher to reach the mark.

The Devil Rays defeat the Red Sox‚ 1-0‚ ending Pedro Martinez’s 13-game winning streak. Martinez strikes out 17 Devil Rays in a losing effort. Steve Trachsel goes the distance to win for Tampa Bay.

In a Japanese League game at the Nagoya Dome against the Yokohama BayStars‚ home-plate umpire Atsushi Kittaka calls a third strike on Dragons infielder Kazuyoshi Tatsunami. Tatsunami contests the call‚ and his teammates rush from the dugout‚ surrounding and wrestling the umpire. Kittaka’s uniform is left with spike marks and his ribs are fractured. Three years ago‚ ML ump Mike DiMuro quit the Japanese Leagues after being pushed in the chest by a batter.
May 7The Marlins calcimine the Mets‚ 3-0‚ behind Ryan Dempster’s 1-hitter. C Mike Piazza‘s 6th inning double is NY’s only hit.

The Astros score 7 runs in the 10th inning to defeat the Dodgers‚ 14-8. C Mitch Meluskey gets 5 hits for Houston‚ including a double. Craig Biggio is twice hit by pitches‚ and coupled with getting hit twice tomorrow‚ ties a ML mark last done by Craig Kusick in 1975.

The Twins whitewash the Tigers‚ 4-0‚ as manager Tom Kelly gets his 1‚000th career win. He is the 46th skipper to reach the milestone.
May 8The Angels defeat the A’s‚ 9-8‚ despite HRs by brothers Jason and Jeremy Giambi for Oakland. Vladimir and Wilton Guerrero of the Expos were the last brothers to homer in the same game.

The Royals defeat the Tigers‚ 4-1‚ in 11 innings. OF Johnny Damon grounded out to start the game‚ ending his streak of 10 consecutive games with a leadoff hit in the 1st inning. It is the longest such streak since 1975.

Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his 12th home run of the season‚ against the San Francisco Giants. The homer tied “Big Mac” with Jimmie Foxx for ninth place on the all-time list with 534 career homers. McGwire needs just two taters to catch number 8 on the list‚ Mickey Mantle‚ at 536.
May 9The Cardinals score 8 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to a 13-6 win over the Giants.
May 10The Twins defeated the Indians‚ 10-9‚ overcoming an 8-1 deficit. It is the biggest comeback in Minnesota’s 40-year history.

The Pirates defeat the Mets‚ 13-9‚ as Wil Cordero goes 5-for-5 with a double‚ HR‚ and 4 RBIs. The Mets Rickey Henderson becomes the 21st major-leaguer to garner 10‚000 at bats in his career. Henderson finishes the night with 10‚002 ABs and trails only Cal Ripken‚ Jr.‚ among active players.

Marlins P Ricky Bones is scratched from his start after injuring his lower back watching television. The injury occurs while Bones is relaxing in a clubhouse recliner.

Richard Ankiel‚ father of Cardinals rookie P Rick Ankiel‚ is arrested for allegedly throwing a loaded handgun from his car. The elder Ankiel is soon to begin serving an almost 6-year sentence for participating in a cocaine and marijuana trafficking operation.
May 11The Marlins edge the Braves‚ 5-4‚ as Florida rookie P Joe Strong makes his major league debut at age 37. He is the oldest rookie to debut in a game in nearly 40 years.

The Brewers defeat the Cubs‚ 14-8‚ in the longest 9-inning game in NL history. The 4 hour and 22 minute contest features 35 hits and 19 walks. Mark Loretta is 5-for-5 in the game‚ while Glenallen Hill hits a 490-foot HR‚ which lands on the roof of a 3-story building across Waveland Avenue.

The Boone brothers battle each other as Bret hits two for San Diego‚ one inside-the-park‚ as the host Reds win‚ 11-9. Aaron Boone breaks a 9-9 tie in the 9th with a homer off the RF foul pole.

The Devil Rays defeat the Yankees‚ 1-0‚ behind P Steve Trachsel‚ who hurls the first 7 innings. Trachsel‚ who defeated the Red Sox‚ 1-0‚ in his last start‚ becomes the 1st AL pitcher in 24 years to win back-to-back 1-0 games.
May 12The Rangers defeat the Angels‚ 13-11‚ as P John Wetteland becomes the 12th reliever in history to reach 300 saves. Only Dennis Eckersley has reached the mark in fewer appearances (499) than Wetteland (553).

The Rockies defeat the Giants‚ 15-7‚ as OF Jeffrey Hammonds homers twice and drives in 7 runs.

Behind Pedro Martinez’ AL-record tying performance‚ the Red Sox sink the Orioles‚ 9-0. Pedro allows 2 hits and strikes out 15; he has struck out 32 in 2 consecutive games.

Texas P Justin Thompson undergoes surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. He will miss the entire season.

Phillies 1B Rico Brogna undergoes surgery to repair a broken left forearm. He is expected to be out 10-to-12 weeks.

Angels P Kent Mercker is hospitalized following a cerebral hemorrhage. He had left Anaheim’s game Thursday night complaining of headaches and dizziness. Doctors say the bleeding has stopped and that Mercker is completely coherent.

The Devil Rays obtain P Mark Guthrie from the Cubs for veteran OF Dave Martinez.
May 13The Diamondbacks defeat the Padres‚ 6-2‚ as Todd Stottlemyre wins the 136th game of his career. He joins his father‚ Mel‚ as the first father-son duo to combine for 300 wins.

The Mets release all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson. He’ll quickly sign with Seattle.
May 14The Expos defeat the Cubs‚ 16-15‚ despite 2 HRs and 7 RBIs by Chicago OF Henry Rodriguez. OF Sammy Sosa has 5 hits‚ including a double‚ and 5 RBIs for the Cubbies‚ while Eric Young steals 5 bases.

The Cardinals defeat the Dodgers‚ 12-10‚ as 3B Craig Paquette is 5-for-5‚ with a HR and 4 RBIs.
May 16The Dodgers defeat the Cubs‚ 6-5‚ in a game at Wrigley Field. The contest is held up for almost 10 minutes when a fan steals Chad Kreuter’s hat and hits him in the back of the head in the 9th inning. Several Dodgers go into the stands where several fans are arrested in the fight that follows.

The Brewers defeat the Astros‚ 6-5‚ in 16 innings. 3B Ken Caminiti gets 5 hits for Houston‚ including a double.
May 17The Rangers defeat the Devil Rays‚ 11-6‚ as 1B Frank Catalanotto gets 5 hits in the game.
May 18The Cardinals defeat the Phillies‚ 7-2‚ behind Mark McGwire‘s 3 HRs and 7 RBIs. The homers move McGwire past Mickey Mantle into 8th place on the all-time list with 539.

The Padres defeat the Marlins‚ 6-2. Florida steals 10 bases in 10 attempts in the game‚ falling 1 shy of the modern NL mark. Luis Castillo and Cliff Floyd steal 3 apiece‚ while Mark Kotsay and Preston Wilson each pilfer a pair.

Brothers Wilton and Vlad Guerrero each homer for Montreal‚ but Arizona emerges the winner‚ 8-6 scoring two runs in the top of the 9th.

The Rangers defeat the Orioles‚ 8-7. Frank Catalanotto gets 3 hits for the Rangers‚ and extends his consecutive hit streak to a team-record 10 before making an out.

The Twins defeat the A’s‚ 10-5‚ as Denny Hocking has 5 hits‚ including 2 doubles and a HR‚ and 3 RBIs.
May 19The Pirates defeat the Cardinals‚ 13-1‚ as C Jason Kendall hits for the cycle‚ becoming the first Pirate ever to do so at Three Rivers Stadium. Kendall homers in the 1st‚ singles in the 2nd‚ doubles in the 3rd‚ and triples in the 8th‚ driving in 5 runs in the process. The last Pirate to cycle was Wally Westlake in 1949.
May 20The Devil Rays defeat the Mariners‚ 4-3. Rickey Henderson wastes no time hitting a HR in his 1st at bat as a Mariner‚ increasing his career record for leadoff homers to 76.

Catcher Keith Osik of the Pittsburgh Pirates is pressed into service on as a relief pitcher in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Manager Gene Lamont has Osik finish the game and save the bullpen with the Pirates down‚ 14-3. Osik made a relief appearance last year giving up four runs in one inning of work‚ and today is not any better as he allows 5 runs on 5 hits‚ hits 2 batters‚ has a wild pitch and a home run in one inning.
May 21A major league record 6 grand slams are hit on the day‚ breaking the record of 5 which was set last year. The record-breaker was hit by Anaheim OF Garrett Anderson off KC P Chris Fussell in the Angels’ 10-6 loss to the Royals.

The White Sox defeat the Blue Jays‚ 2-1‚ despite getting only 1 hit in the game. Five Toronto errors helped Chicago score 2 unearned runs. C Mark Johnson’s 3rd-inning single is the White Sox’ only hit.

Behind two grand slams and the complete game win by Kevin Brown‚ the Dodgers gaff the host Marlins‚ 12-3. Adrian Beltre has a pair of doubles and a slam‚ and Sean Green hits another grand slam. Gary Sheffield homers in the 9th for LA‚ while Cliff Floyd homers for Florida.

The Mariners defeat the Devil Rays‚ 8-4‚ as OF Rickey Henderson hits a leadoff HR for the 2nd consecutive game‚ and for the 77th time in his career.

The Braves defeat the Padres‚ 12-6‚ as 1B Andres Galarraga goes 5-for-5‚ including a double. OF Brian Jordan has 4 hits for Atlanta‚ including 2 HRs‚ and drives in 7 runs.

The Giants score 11 runs in the 6th inning on their way to a 16-10 win over the Brewers. OF Terrell Lowery collects 5 hits for SF‚ including 3 doubles and teammate J.T. Snow hits a grand slam in the sixth. Starter Russ Ortiz is the winner‚ allowing 10 earned runs‚ the most earned runs allowed by a pitcher in a win since Bob Friend‚ in 1954. The last pitcher to notch a win and give up 10 runs-9 earned-was the Giants’ Vida Blue against the Padres on April 19‚ 1979. The Giants are the second team to score 11 runs in an inning this year. Earlier this season‚ the White Sox dropped 11 runs against the Seattle Mariners in one inning.
May 22The Brewers defeat the Astros in the 1st game of a DH‚ 10-9‚ coming back from a 9-2 deficit to tie the score with 7 runs in the bottom half of the 9th inning. It is a club record rally for the 9th inning. They win the game in the 10th on a HR by Jose Hernandez. Milwaukee also wins the 2nd game of the twinbill‚ 6-1.
May 23The Orioles defeat the Mariners‚ 4-2. Seattle’s Rickey Henderson draws his 2‚000th career walk in the 9th inning‚ making him the 3rd player to reach that level‚ behind Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.
May 24The Giants defeat the Expos‚ 18-0‚ as pitcher Shawn Estes hits one grand slam and narrowly misses another as he collects 5 RBIs. The game is the Giants largest shutout win in modern times breaking their previous record‚ 16-0‚ set on July 3‚ 1949‚ against the Dodgers; the previous SF record was 14-0‚ against the Reds‚ on August 23‚ 1961. Their all-time record is a 24-0 win against the Buffalo Bisons‚ on May 27‚ 1885. On the other side‚ the game was also the worst shutout loss in Expos history‚ breaking the record of 16-0‚ set against the Cardinals‚ on August 11‚ 1980.

The Phillies defeat the Astros‚ 9-7‚ overcoming a 7-0 deficit. It is the 2nd time within a week that Houston has blown a 7-run advantage. The Astros also lose CF Roger Cedeno who breaks 2 bones in his right hand and will miss 2 months.

The Reds defeat the Dodgers‚ 10-3‚ with OF Dante Bichette leading the way going 5-for-6‚ with a double and 4 RBIs..

The Cardinals gaff the Marlins‚ 5-1‚ as Mark McGwire hits his 20th HR of the year. He becomes the fastest player to ever reach 20 homers‚ doing so in his 35th game‚ 6 fewer than Mickey Mantle in 1956 and McGwire himself in 1998.

The Angels defeat the Twins‚ 6-5‚ in 10 innings. 1B Mo Vaughn goes 5-for-5 for Anaheim‚ with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs.

Sixteen Dodger players and 3 coaches are handed suspensions for going into the stands during a fight with fans at Wrigley Field on May 16. The 19 suspensions are believed to be the most ever stemming from 1 incident. The suspensions totaled 60 games for the players and 24 games for the coaches. All 19 individuals were also assessed fines.
May 25Medical alert! Devil Rays P Wilson Alvarez and Angels SS Gary DiSarcina both undergoes arthroscopic shoulder surgery and will miss the rest the entire 2000 season. Phillies P Mike Jackson will undergo his shoulder surgery tomorrow.
May 26The Royals defeat the Angels‚ 9-4‚ scoring 8 runs in the 6th inning. KC hits 4 HRs in the frame.

Randy Johnson is staked to a 6-run lead in the first to easily beat the Brewers‚ 9-2. The D’Backs knock out John Snyder‚ handing him his 8th straight loss. Johnson goes the other way‚ pitching 7 scoreless innings in beating the Brewers for the 11th straight time (14-4 overall). Johnson‚ 2-for-3‚ is lifted for fear he might have aggravated a leg injury sliding into 2B in the 6th.
May 27The Marlins defeat the Reds‚ 8-6. Prior to the game‚ Cincinnati retires former 1B Tony Perez‘s uniform.
May 28The Angels defeat the Royals‚ 8-4‚ smashing 4 HRs in a 6-run 5th inning. Darin Erstad hit the 1st‚ then one out later‚ Mo Vaughn‚ Tim Salmon‚ and Garret Anderson followed with consecutive blasts.

The Devil Rays sink the Mariners‚ 14-4‚ scoring a team-record 11 runs in the 8th inning. Jose Mesa gives up 9 runs in the inning and then is tossed for pitching too close to Mike DeFelice his 2nd time up. His 1st time up he homered.

Forbes magazine reports the New York Yankees are worth $540 million‚ making them the most valuable team in baseball for the 3rd straight year.
May 29The Yankees defeat the A’s Olivares‚ 4-1‚ on Andy Pettitte’s 2-hitter. In the 6th inning‚ Oakland 2B Randy Velarde turns an unassisted triple play‚ just the 11th in history‚ on a line drive by Shane Spencer. With runners on 1st and 2nd running with the pitch‚ Velarde tags Jorge Posada as he nears 2B‚ then touches the bag to retire Tino Martinez. In 1995‚ while with the Yankees‚ Velarde turned an unassisted triple play against the Dodgers in spring training following the strike.

The Dodgers defeat the Mets‚ 4-1. Mets SS Rey Ordoñez breaks his left forearm on a tag play in the 1st inning and will be out the season. His arm hits the helmet of a sliding F.P. Santangelo. The Mets will fill in with various bodies for 2 months before renting Mike Bordick from the O’s.

June

June 1The Royals defeat the Red Sox‚ 13-11‚ scoring 9 runs in the 6th inning to erase an 8-2 deficit.

Boston 3B John Valentin undergoes surgery on his left knee and will miss the rest of the 2000. Valentin suffered the injury on May 29th.

Japanese righthander Tomokazu Ohka‚ a top prospect with the Pawtucket Red Sox‚ becomes the first pitcher in nearly 50 years to throw a 9-inning perfect game in the International League. Ohka retired all 27 batters he faced in a 2-0 triumph over the Charlotte Knights. The 24-year-old Ohka needs just 76 pitches to toss the first nine-inning perfect game in the IL since Dick Marlowe did it for Buffalo in 1952.
June 2The Cubs defeat the Tigers‚ 2-0‚ as Rick Aguilera picks up the 300th save of his career.

The Mets beat the Devil Rays‚ 5-3‚ as Tampa Bay 1B Fred McGriff hits career HR number 400‚ making him the 31st player to reach the plateau. On June 4th he gets his 2000th hit in the Devil Rays win.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Rangers‚ 5-4. Texas rookie OF Ruben Mateo breaks his leg while running out a grounder and will be out the rest of the season.

The Mets trade former phenom Bill Pulsipher to the Diamondbacks for IF Lenny Harris.

The Expos announce they will wear Maurice Richard’s No. 9 on their uniforms for the rest of the season to honor the Montreal Canadians great who died last week. It is believed to be the first time a major league team has honored an athlete from another sport in this way.
June 3Brian Jordan has 4 RBIs to lead the Braves to a 11-7 win over the Yankees. Greg Maddux (5 2/3 IP‚ 13 H‚ 7 ER‚ 3 BB‚ 5 SO) allows hits to the first 4 batters he faces for the first time in his career. Roger Clemens (5 IP‚ 6 H‚ 6 R‚ 4 ER‚ 4 BB‚ 7 SO) is equally ineffective and neither get a decision. Derek Jeter has 4 hits and 2 walks‚ just the 6th player to get 4 hits in a game off Maddux.
June 4The Yankees edge the Braves‚ 7-6. Prior to the game‚ Atlanta P John Rocker confronts Jeff Pearlman‚ the reporter who wrote the infamous article about him in Sports Illustrated. Rocker reportedly threatens Pearlman‚ although their is no physical contact between the two.

At Shea‚ the Devil Rays defeat the Mets‚ 15-5. SS Felix Martinez and P Esteban Yan hit their 1st career homers on consecutive pitches from Bobby Jones in the 2nd inning. Yan’s HR is on the 1st pitch he sees in his 1st major league at bat. He’s the 77th MLer to hit a HR on his 1st at bat‚ and just the 4th AL pitcher. The last AL pitcher was California’s Don Rose‚ in 1972.
June 5The Braves send P John Rocker to the minors‚ a day after his latest confrontation with a reporter from Sports Illustrated.

In the 2000 amateur draft‚ the Marlins use the #1 pick on San Diego prep 1B Adrian Gonzales‚ who will sign for $3 million. The Cubs‚ picking 3rd‚ take Miami HS shortstop Luis Montanez. In between the 2 preps‚ the Twins take righty Adam Johnson from Cal State-Fullerton. The Expos pick Stanford’s Justin Wayne with the 5th‚ while the Devil Rays go the prep route taking Rocco Baldelli with the 6th selection. Baldelli was a 7-sports star‚ including volleyball‚ in Warwick‚ RI. The Rockies‚ picking 7th select prep fireballer Matt Harrington‚ but the team and high schooler will go through months of contentiousness. Harrington will go back in the draft next year and go through the same experience with the Padres. The Padres take Cal-Berkeley infielder Xavier Nady‚ who will be the first draftee in 5 years to skip the minors and debut in the ML. Xavier signs late and goes 1-for-1 on September 30‚ win the Cal League MVP in 2001 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Picking 8th‚ the Tigers sign Matt Wheatland for $2.15 million‚ but a shoulder injury limits him to 3 minor league wins. Picking 12th‚ the White Sox take Stanford QB Joe Borchard‚ who will sign for $5.3 million‚ the highest bonus in the draft‚ and give up football. The Expos sign Borchard’s Stanford teammate Justin Wayne‚ the #5 pick‚ for $2.5 million. The Giants take P Boof Bonzer in the first round: Bonzer will tube this year and go 13-3 in the minors next year. The Braves start a good draft by using the 29th and 30th picks on two prep players: Adam Wainwright and Canadian Scott Thorman. Other picks on the low rounds are Anthony Gwynn‚ son of Tony‚ by the Braves and Virginia Tech star QB Micheal Vicks‚ by the Rockies. Picking on the 26th round‚ the Yankees select junior college P Sean Henn in a draft-and-follow move. They will ink the lefty to a $1.7 contract next year.
June 6Depending on your point of view‚ today is a dark day or a great one for baseball at Edison Field in Anaheim. Down to the Giants by 3 runs in the 7th‚ the rally monkey makes his first appearance on the Diamondvision‚ and the Angels rally to win‚ 6-5 with 2 runs in the 9th. Erstad’s single ties it and Mo Vaughan’s single wins it‚ all against Robb Nen. Salmon homers in the 8th to win it for the Angels. The Giants took a 3-run lead in the 3rd on a 2-run homer by Benard and a 493-foot shot over the RF fence by Barry Bonds. It is Barry’s 25th of the year‚ and it is the longest HR ever hit at Edison.
June 7The A’s defeat the Padres‚ 10-4‚ as Jason Giambi drives home 7 runs with a single‚ double‚ and 2 homers.

Anaheim edges the Giants‚ 10-9‚ with the help of 5 RBI from Darin Erstad. Erstad hits 2-run homers in the 5th and 6th innings and a single in the 8th.

Cubs 3B Shane Andrews undergoes successful back surgery to remove a herniated disc. He is expected to be out at least 8 weeks.

At Atlanta‚ Carlos Delgado has 6 RBI and 2 homers including a grand slam‚ to pace the Blue Jays to a 12-8 win. Kevin Millwood takes the loss. Blue Jays rookie pitcher Clayton Andrews bloops an apparent single to right for his first ML hit‚ but Brian Jordan‚ playing very shallow‚ throws him out at first. Jordan will throw out 3 runners at 1B this year.
June 9Toronto beats it rival Montreal‚ 13-3 behind homers by Carlos Delgado and Shannon Stewart. Stewart adds 3 doubles and drives in 4 runs.

The Cubs‚ Rangers and Marlins complete a 3-way trade‚ with the OF Brant Brown going from Florida to Texas in exchange for P Chuck Smith. The Rangers then sent him to the Cubs for vet Dave Martinez.

The Marlins trade OF Danny Bautista to the Diamondbacks for IF Andy Fox.

P John Rocker makes his 1st appearance for the Richmond Braves since being sent down by Atlanta. Prior to the game‚ he again has words with reporters.
June 10The Royals defeat the Pirates‚ 2-1 in 12 innings. 2B Warren Morris gets 5 hits in a losing cause.
June 13The Tigers defeat the Blue Jays‚ 16-3. Bobby Higginson drives home 7 runs for Detroit on 2 singles and 2 HRs.
June 17The White Sox edge the Yankees‚ 10-9‚ despite 7 runs driven in by New York’s Bernie Williams. Williams strokes a single‚ a pair of doubles‚ and a HR in the losing effort.

The Pirates defeat the Marlins‚ 4-3. Home plate umpire Greg Bonin suffers a concussion in the 8th inning when a foul ball by Wil Cordero strikes him in the mask.

Ron Belliard hits a leadoff HR for the Brewers and John Snyder pitches 7 strong innings as Milwaukee beats the Mets‚ 3-2. Belliard will hit another leadoff HR tomorrow in a 7-3 loss.

Darin Erstad laces a double‚ his 100th hit of the year‚ in the Angels 10-3 win over Arizona. Erstad’s hit comes in his 61st game‚ and he is the fastest to reach 100 hits since Heinie Manush‚ in 1934.

LSU defeats Stanford‚ 6-5‚ to win its 5th College World Series since 1991.
June 18The Rockies defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 19-2‚ as Colorado Mike Lansing completes the cycle by the 4th inning. Lansing has an RBI triple in the 1st‚ a 2-run HR in the 2nd‚ a 2-run double in the 3rd‚ and a single in the 4th as Colorado stroked a team-record 23 hits. 3B Jeff Cirillo gets 5 hits for the Rockies‚ including a HR‚ while Brent Mayne has 4. The Rocks total 10 extra base hits‚ one short of yesterday’s total against the D’Backs. The win moves the Rockies into 1st place in the NL West‚ percentage points ahead of the Diamondbacks.

The White Sox continue to pummel the Yankees‚ 17-4‚ to give them a sweep of their 4-game series. Chicago scores 9 runs in the 1st inning off El Duque on the way to its team-record 11th straight road victory. They also set a little-known ML mark by winning their 10th straight over a team with a .500 record or better.

The A’s tie a team record as they run over the Royals‚ 21-3‚ scoring 10 runs in the 3rd inning. The A’s scored 21 runs on June 14‚ 1969 against Boston. Every Oakland starters gets at least 1 hit‚ 1 RBI‚ and 1 run scored. Gil Heredia is an easy winner over Jeff D’Amico‚ making his first ML start.
June 19The Yankees embarrass the Red Sox‚ 22-1. The Yankees break open a close game by scoring 9 times in the 8th inning‚ and 7 times in the 9th.
June 20In an 18-6 win‚ Detroit and Toronto combine for 10 homers‚ with Detroit pounding a club-record 8 of them. Tony Clark goes deep twice to drive in 4 runs and Jeff Weaver gets the win despite giving up 6 runs in 6 innings. Chris Carpenter is worse‚ allowing 9 runs in 2 innings.

The A’s come from behind to tie the Orioles 5-5 in the 8th on Matt Stairs’ solo homer‚ then go ahead in the same frame on Ramon Hernandez’s 3-run homer. The A’s win‚ 8-5‚ as the Orioles rack up no assists‚ just the 7th team to do that.
June 21The A’s defeat the Orioles‚ 10-3‚ as Eric Chavez becomes the first Oakland player to hit for the cycle at home since the team moved to Oakland in 1968. It is the A’s 8th straight win‚ a streak they haven’t done since 1994.

The Mets announce that SS Rey Ordoñez will be out for the season because his broken left forearm is not healing properly.
June 22The Cardinals defeat the Giants‚ 11-10. SF scores 8 runs in the 5th inning in a losing cause.
June 23The A’s defeat the Royals‚ 10-6‚ for their 9th straight win. Randy Velarde‚ Jason Giambi‚ and Ben Grieve hit consecutive homers for Oakland in the 2nd inning.

The Mets roll over the Pirates‚ 12-2‚ scoring 9 runs in the 3rd inning.

The Padres bash the Reds‚ 10-7 in 10 innings. Bret Boone slugs 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs against his former Cincinnati teammates.
June 24The Cardinals defeat the Dodgers‚ 6-1‚ behind Mark McGwire‘s major-league-leading 28th HR of the season. It is McGwire’s 550th career homer.

The Giants bash the Astros‚ 13-4‚ as C Doug Mirabelli strokes 5 hits‚ including 3 doubles and a HR.

The Reds beat the Padres‚ 11-5‚ as Barry Larkin goes 5-for-5 with 2 HRs‚ 4 RBIs‚ and 4 runs scored.

The Tigers trim the Indians‚ 14-8‚ in the second game of a day-night doubleheader behind OF Bobby Higginson’s 3 HRs and 6 RBIs. The Indians took the first game by a score of 8-1.
June 26The Padres defeat the Dodgers‚ 9-5‚ scoring 8 runs in the 2nd inning.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Astros‚ 6-1. Arizona rookie 1B Alex Cabrera hits a PH 2-run HR off Yorkis Perez in his first major league at bat.
June 27The Devil Rays defeat the Blue Jays‚ 11-1. In doing so‚ Tampa Bay end Toronto’s streak of 23 consecutive games with at least 1 HR-2 shy of the major league mark.

Heavy medical news. Houston reliever Billy Wagner undergoes surgery to repair a partially torn flexor tendon and is out for the year. Pitchers Anaheim’s Jason Dickson and Tampa Bay’s Juan Guzman‚ undergoes arthroscopic surgery on their right shoulders and will miss the remainder of the season.

The Dodgers release veteran P Orel Hershiser‚ who announces his retirement.

The Atlanta Braves back off from their decision to bar from their chartered flights 4 team announcers who had raised questions about the catcher’s box at Turner Field. After TBS discussed the width of the catcher’s box in a game against the Brewers 3 days ago‚ Skip Caray‚ Pete Van Wieren‚ Joe Simpson and Don Sutton were kicked off a flight to Montreal and had to take a commercial flight. TBS aired a video showing the catcher’s box was 4 to 5 inches smaller than it was the previous night‚ when Milwaukee management complained about where Braves catcher Javy Lopez was setting up. Opposing teams have long said that Atlanta pitchers are given the benefit of an extra-wide strike zone‚ particularly on the outside corners. Catchers who set up wide of the plate can increase the chances of an outside pitch being called a strike. The video was shown after a rare balk call against Fernando Lunar‚ the Braves catcher. Home-plate umpire John Shulock ruled that Lunar set up with his right foot outside the 43-inch-wide box. The balk led to Milwaukee’s first run and a heated argument between Shulock and Braves manager Bobby Cox‚ who was ejected. Atlanta lost the game 2-1.
June 28The Rockies overcome a 7-run deficit to defeat the visiting Giants‚ 17-13‚ as 3B Jeff Cirillo slugs a double and 3 HRs‚ drives home 6 runs‚ and scores 5 himself. Cirillo’s 3rd homer‚ a 2-run shot off John Johnstone‚ breaks a 12-12 tie.

The Orioles nip the Red Sox‚ 8-7 in 11 innings‚ as B.J. Surhoff goes 5-for-6 for Baltimore‚ stretching his hitting streak to 21 games.
June 29The Royals defeat the Indians‚ 6-1. Bartolo Colon takes the loss for Cleveland‚ in the process becoming just the 4th pitcher in major league history to start a game by walking the first 4 batters he faced.

In a prescient move‚ the Yankees obtain OF David Justice from the Indians for OF Ricky Ledee and two players to be named. When Shane Spencer goes down in 10 days‚ Justice will take over LF. Justice‚ with 58 RBI‚ will knock in another 60 with the Yankees‚ the first player to collect 50 RBIs in a season with two teams. Mike Piazza in 1998 with LA-FLA-NY is the only player to have a 100-RBI season while playing with three teams. The trade occurs minutes before the start of the game against Detroit‚ an 8-0 Yankee win‚ and Ledee is scratched from the lineup. The Yanks tie a ML record with 3 sac flies in one inning.
June 30Trailing by a score of 8-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning‚ the Mets score a team-record tying 10 runs and defeat the Braves‚ 11-8. Mike Piazza‘s 3-run HR is the deciding blow as NY score 9 of the runs with 2 outs.

Tampa Bay scores 2 in the 8th off Jeff Nelson to beat the Yankees‚ 6-4. Jim Mecir (6-1) is the winner.

The Cubs outlast the Brewers‚ 7-4‚ in 15 innings. Fifteen pitchers appear in the match with Leyrault the loser.

The Red Sox seemingly answer their third base needs by acquiring Ed Sprague from the Padres for minor league IF Cesar Saba and P Dennis Tankersley.

Ila Borders‚ the first woman to play in men’s professional baseball‚ retires at age 26. Borders was pitching for the Zion Pioneerzz of the Western Baseball League.

July

July 1On Canada’s 133rd birthday‚ Florida’s Ryan Dempster and Montreal’s Mike Johnson hook up in a rare matchup of Canadian starters. Dempster comes out on top as the Marlins defeat the Expos by a score of 6-5. Johnson hails from Edmonton‚ Alberta‚ while Dempster is a native of Sechelt‚ British Columbia. Theirs is the first matchup of Canadian-born starters since last September when Dempster took on Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
July 3The White Sox outslug the Royals‚ 14-10‚ scoring 8 runs in the 5th inning. Chicago becomes the 1st team since the 1984 Detroit Tigers to win 12 straight games on the road.

The Marlins defeat the Mets‚ 2-0 on Derrick Lee’s 2-run homer in the 9th‚ off Turk Wendell. Jesse Sanchez‚ 0-6 versus NY‚ is the winner. The loss ends C Mike Piazza‘s streak of 15 consecutive games with an RBI‚ 2 short of the major league mark.

The Red Sox beat the Twins‚ 11-8‚ hitting 4 HRs and scoring 9 runs in the 4th inning.
July 4The Cardinals defeat the Reds‚ 14-3. St. Louis rookie C Keith McDonald becomes only the 3rd player in St. Louis history to homer in his 1st major league at bat‚ doing so as a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning against Andy Larkin.

Ray Durham and Jose Valentin homer to lead off the first for the White sox. Frank Thomas has a solo shot in the 2nd for Chicago but it is not enough as the Royals win‚ 10-7.

In the Tigers 11-0 blowout over Tampa Bay‚ Shane Halter takes over the catching duties in the 8th from Detroit’s Brad Ausmus. Halter has now played every position in the majors: with the Royals‚ he pitched on July 17‚ 1998. Dave Mlicki is the winner with Dean Palmer powering a pair of HRs.
July 5The Diamondbacks trip the Astros‚ 12-9. Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez becomes the 1st Diamondback to hit for the cycle‚ hitting a double in the 1st inning‚ a single in the 3rd‚ a triple in the 8th‚ and a HR in the 9th. It is the 1st time the feat is accomplished in new Enron Field. Gonzalez is just the 9th player to both hit for the cycle and have a 30+ game hitting streak.
July 6The Yankees clip the Orioles‚ 13-9‚ scoring 8 runs in the 2nd inning to come back from a 7-run deficit. Sidney Ponson helps with 4 straight walks in the inning. Yankees Scott Brosius ties the ML record for 3B by starting 4 DPs in the game.

The Reds defeat the Cardinals, 12-6. St. Louis rookie catcher Keith McDonald homers in the second inning, becoming only the second person in major league history to homer in each of his first two big league at bats. Bob Nieman first accomplished this feat in 1951. McDonald walks his third time up. McDonald’s will also homer for his third hit of the season. He’ll be 0-for-1 next season ending his career with three hits and three homers.

Dodgers P Orel Hershiser announces his retirement.

The American Sportscasters Association names Dodgers legend Vin Scully as the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century. Howard Cosell finishes 2nd‚ followed by Mel Allen and Red Barber.
July 7David Wells (15-2) posts his ML-leading 15th win in Toronto’s 6-3 victory over the Montreal Expos. David Wells becomes just the 2nd pitcher since 1988 to win 15 games before the All-Star break. The portly ace wins his 13th consecutive game on the road‚ stretching back to September 7‚ 1999. His only mistake is serving up a gopher to reliever Felipe Lira‚ who connects for his 1st ML homer. Jose Cruz‚ Jr. hits his 20th homer‚ joining teammates Delgado‚ Batista‚ and Mondesi as Toronto becomes the first team in ML history with 4 players hitting 20 homers before the All-Star break.
July 8The Yankees whip the Mets by identical 4-2 scores in both ends of an unusual day-night doubleheader. With the 1st game played at Shea Stadium and the nightcap at Yankee Stadium‚ it is the 1st time since 1903 that 2 teams played 2 games in different stadiums on the same day. Dwight Gooden wins the first game with a 6 inning effort in his first start since returning to the Yankees. Roger Clemens wins the night cap and precipitate a near brawl when he drills Mike Piazza in the helmet with an inside fastball. Piazza suffers a concussion.

The Reds defeat the Indians‚ 14-5‚ as Ken Griffey Jr. hits 2 HRs and drives in 8 runs for Cincinnati. Chris Stynes strokes 5 hits for the Reds.

The Tigers defeat the Brewers‚ 4-2 in 15 innings. Twenty Milwaukee batters strike out in the contest to set a new franchise mark.
July 9Houston’s Jose Lima ends his 13-game losing streak and the Astros beat the Royals‚ 9-6.

In the Padres 4-3 win over the Rangers‚ closer Trevor Hoffman becomes the 17th pitcher to record 250 career saves.

The Angels win over the Rockies‚ 10-4‚ as OF Darin Erstad gets 4 hits. Erstad now has 144 safeties‚ the most by any player at the All-Star break since Ralph Garr had 149 in 1974.

Led by 1B Tyler Houston‚ who strokes 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs‚ the Brewers beat the Tigers‚ 10-3.

The Yankees lose to Mike Hampton and the Mets‚ 2-0. Benitez closes for the Mets‚ while Andy Pettitte is the loser. The Yanks also lose Shane Spencer‚ who blows out his knee and ends his season. The game at Shea draws 54‚283‚ the largest regular season crowd for the Mets since 1970.
July 10Sammy Sosa wins the All-Star Game Home Run Derby by defeating defending champ‚ Ken Griffey Jr.‚ in the finals.
July 11The American League wins its 4th consecutive All-Star Game‚ beating the National League‚ 6-3. Derek Jeter of the Yankees and Chipper Jones of the Braves each go 3-for-3 in the contest. Jeter takes MVP honors‚ while Chicago’s James Baldwin gets the victory.
July 12The Yankees obtain P Denny Neagle and OF Mike Frank from the Reds in exchange for 3B Drew Henson‚ OF Jackson Melian‚ and Ps Brian Reith and Ed Yarnell.

The Braves swap pitchers Bruce Chen and Jimmy Osting to the Phillies for P Andy Ashby. Chen‚ who made 22 appearances for the Braves this year‚ all in relief‚ will make 15 appearances for the Phils-all starts (as noted by Wayne McElreavy
July 13The Dodgers edge the Angels‚ 4-3‚ in 10 innings but not before California executes an unusual play. After the Dodgers Adrian Beltre triples off the newly-renovated RF fence in the bottom of the 10th‚ the Angels move LF Darin Erstad to the infield to prevent the run scoring. Erstad‚ playing at about 2B‚ throws out Kevin Elster for an OF assist. Jim Leyritz then singles in the run.
July 14Atlanta 2B Quilvio Veras tears the ACL in his right knee. He will miss the remainder of the season.
July 15The White Sox defeat the Cardinals‚ 15-7‚ scoring 9 runs in the 7th inning. OF Eric Davis goes 5-for-5 for St. Louis.

A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball club is auctioned for a record $1.1 million on eBay. Other high priced items in the auction include a baseball autographed by the entire 1919 Chicago “Black Sox” team‚ including Shoeless Joe Jackson‚ as well as the umpires who worked the final game of the 1919 World Series sells for $93‚666‚ including a 15 percent buyer’s premium. A ball signed by the 1919 Reds goes for $11‚208‚ while a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth sells for $76‚020. A contract from Shoeless Joe Jackson’s sale of his Chicago pool hall to teammate `Lefty” Williams‚ sells for $36‚098. The contract‚ dated Oct. 6‚ 1921‚ is for just $1.

The Rockies obtain OF Butch Huskey and 2B Todd Walker from the Twins for IF Todd Sears and cash.
July 16Dodgers manager Davey Johnson is hospitalized after experiencing dizziness as a result of an irregular heartbeat.
July 17The Cardinals defeat the Twins‚ 8-3. St. Louis OF Chris Richard becomes the 2nd Cardinal in 2 weeks to hit a HR in his 1st major league at bat‚ doing so on the first ML pitch he sees.
July 18The Royals defeat the Cubs‚ 12-4‚ as OF Johnny Damon gets 5 hits‚ including a major league record-tying 4 doubles. 2 players do it today.

The Mets outslug the Blue Jays‚ 11-7‚ as C Mike Piazza hits his 3rd grand slam of the season. Toronto OF Shannon Stewart gets a ML record-tying 4 doubles in the game. It is his second game this year with four extra base hits‚ also tying a ML record.

The Tigers purchase vet 1B Hal Morris from the Reds.
July 19The Reds defeat the Astros‚ 4-0‚ as Pete Harnisch hurls the first complete-game shutout ever at Enron Field.

The Dodgers beat the Rockies‚ 9-1‚ as Kevin Brown and Mike Fetters combine on a 1-hitter. Larry Walker’s single off Brown is Colorado’s only safety.

Chicago Cubs general manager Ed Lynch resigns. His job will be taken over by team president Andy MacPhail.

The Blue Jays get P Esteban Loaiza from the Rangers in exchange for 2 minor leaguers.
July 20The Astros defeat the Reds‚ 6-2. Cincinnati PH Mike Bell strikes out in his major league debut‚ making history be becoming part of the first third-generation family to play for the same major league team. His grandfather‚ Gus‚ and father‚ Buddy‚ also played for the Reds.

The Twins David Ortiz has no at bats in the Twins 5-1victory over Chicago‚ but he drives in 3 runs. He knocks in the runs with two sacrifice flies and a bases-loaded walk before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning with a runner on 2nd base.

Red Sox OF Carl Everett receives a 10-game suspension for twice bumping an umpire in a game with the Mets last week. A defiant Everett places most of the blame for the suspension on the media.

Major league baseball offers to rehire 10 of the 22 umpires let go last September. The offer stands only as part of a new labor contract‚ and only if the umpires’ old union agrees to settle its grievance with baseball.
July 21The Orioles defeat the Blue Jays‚ 9-5‚ ending their 20-game losing streak in Canada. Baltimore wins in Canada for the first time since June 13‚ 1998.

Wasting no time in his new capacity as GM‚ Cubs prez Andy MacPhail sends popular OF Glenallen Hill to the Yankees for minor league pitcher Ben Ford and Ozwaldo Mairena.
July 22The Expos defeat the Marlins‚ 17-7‚ as rookie Andy Tracy hits a grand slam and drives in 7 runs.

The Indians lose to the Twins‚ 10-6‚ as Cleveland SS Omar Vizquel makes an error‚ snapping his AL-record 95 game errorless streak.

The Mariners defeat the Rangers‚ 13-5‚ at Safeco Field. The game is halted by a rain delay of 54 minutes when the retractable roof fails to close after 3 innings of play.
July 23The Astros defeat the Cardinals‚ 15-7‚ hitting a record-tying 4 HRs off Andy Benes in the 2nd inning‚ and 6 homers all told. Benes is the 17th pitcher to surrender 4 homers in a single frame‚ and the 2nd his year.

Behind Pedro‚ the Red Sox defeat the White Sox‚ 1-0. Martinez goes the distance‚ striking out 15 and not walking a batter.

Tony Perez‚ Sparky Anderson‚ Carlton Fisk‚ Bid McPhee‚ and Turkey Stearnes are inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Reds announcer Marty Brennaman is also enshrined‚ in the broadcasters’ wing.
July 24The Angels defeat the Rangers‚ 6-5‚ in 12 innings. Texas also loses C Ivan Rodriguez‚ who breaks his thumb on Mo Vaughn‘s bat while attempting to throw out a runner. He will miss the remainder of the season. Angels Darin Erstadt ties the AL mark for extra-inning game with 12 putouts by a left fielder‚ last tied by Rickey Henderson‚ in 1988.

Led by Kevin Brown and Gary Sheffield‚ the Dodgers down the Rockies‚ 4-1. Sheffield has a double‚ triple and homer his first three times up‚ then gets plunked by Julian Tavarez in the 7th and walked in the 9th to miss out on a cycle. In 8 innings Brown (10-3) allows 3 hits including Butch Huskey’s first NL homer. Huskey was acquired from the Twins 9 days ago.
July 26The Blue Jays defeat the Indians‚ 8-1‚ as David Wells wins his major league-leading 16th game. Bartolo Colon takes the loss for Cleveland‚ despite striking out the first 6 batters to face him to tie Bob Feller‘s team record.

The Phillies deal ace Curt Schilling‚ sending him to the Diamondbacks for 1B Travis Lee‚ and pitchers Omar Daal‚ Vicente Padilla‚ and Nelson Figueroa.

The Dodgers obtain oft-injured P Ismael Valdes from the Cubs for minor leaguers Jamie Arnold and Jorge Piedra. The Dodgers swapped Valdes to the Cubs last year. Piedra was a top prospect in 1998‚ hitting .383 at Great Falls‚ while reaching base in 54 straight games.
July 27The Blue Jays sink the Mariners‚ 7-2‚ giving Toronto manager Jim Fregosi his 1‚000th win as a big league skipper. He joins Tom Kelly‚ who earlier this year won his 1‚000th game.

The Dodgers outslug the Rockies‚ 16-11‚ despite OF Larry Walker who scores 5 runs for Colorado‚ while going 4-for-4.

The Red Sox obtain pitchers Rolando Arrojo and Rick Croushore‚ IF Mike Lansing‚ and cash from the Rockies for pitchers Brian Rose‚ John Wasdin‚ and Jeff Taglienti‚ and 2B Jeff Frye.
July 28The Mets pick up All-star SS Mike Bordick from the Orioles for IF/OF Melvin Mora‚ C Mike Kinkade‚ and pitchers Lesli Brea and Pat Gorman. New York then picks up OF Bubba Trammell and P Rick White from the Devil Rays for light-hitting OF Jason Tyner and P Paul Wilson.

The Indians obtain pitchers Bob Wickman‚ Steve Woodard‚ and Jason Bere from the Brewers for slugging 1B Richie Sexson‚ pitchers Paul Rigdon and Kane Davis‚ and a player to be named.

The Indians keep trading‚ bringing back OF Wil Cordero from the Pirates for talented prospects IF Enrique Wilson and OF Alex Ramirez. The Tribe had declined to resign Cordero after last season and he upped with the Bucs for 3 years. Then they pick up slick-fielding 1B David Segui from the Rangers for OF Rickie Ledee.

The Athletics obtain pitchers Jim Mecir and Todd Belitz from the Devil Rays in exchange for P Jesus Colome and a player to be named. Mecir will fill in for the slumping Jason Isringhausen.
July 29The Pirates defeat the Padres‚ 10-2‚ as OF Brian Giles goes 5-for-5 with a pair of doubles.

The White Sox obtain C Charles Johnson and DH Harold Baines from the Orioles in exchange for C Brook Fordyce and minor league Ps Miguel Felix‚ Juan Figueroa‚ and Jason Lakman.

The Cardinals obtain P Mike Timlin from the Orioles for 1B Chris Richard and P Mark Nussbeck.
July 30The Braves defeat the Astros‚ 6-3‚ as Tom Glavine wins his 200th career game.

The Phillies bring P Kent Bottenfield back to the NL‚ sending cash and vet Ron Gant to the Angels.

The Cardinals obtain P Jason Christiansen from the Pirates in exchange for IF Jack Wilson.

The Astros trade P Doug Henry to the Giants for P Scott Linebrink.
July 31The Giants edge the Brewers‚ 4-3 in 11 innings‚ as Robb Nen sets a new major league record with his 14th save of July‚ one shy of the mark for any month.

The Braves obtain OF B.J. Surhoff and P Gabe Molina from the Orioles in exchange for OF Trenidad Hubbard and 2 minor leaguers.

The Cubs pick up oft-injured OF Rondell White from the Expos for P Scott Downs. making Henry Rodriguez expendable. They then make their 5th trade in 11 days sending Rodriguez to the Marlins for 1B/OF Russ Gload and P Dave Noyce.

To fill in for injured 1B Mark McGwire, the Cardinals pick up vet 1B Will Clark from the Orioles for 3B Jose Leon. Clark will hit .345 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 171 at-bats as the Birds will go 37-20. The Cardinals also obtain C Carlos Hernandez from the Padres in exchange for P Heathcliff Slocumb. Two minor leaguers are also involved in the deal.

The Blue Jays obtain pitchers Steve Trachsel and Mark Guthrie from the Devil Rays for 2 minor leaguers.

The Dodgers ship former Rookie of the Year Todd Hollandsworth‚ along with OF Kevin Gibbs‚ and P Randey Dorame‚ to the Rockies for OF Tom Goodwin and cash.

The Mariners obtain OF Al Martin from the Padres in exchange for OF John Mabry and P Tom Davey.

The Padres obtain P Jay Witasick from the Royals for P Brian Meadows.

August

August 1The Astros defeat the Marlins‚ 4-3. Houston 2B Craig Biggio suffers torn ligaments in his left knee while completing a double play‚ and will miss the rest of the season.

The Orioles defeat the Twins‚ 10-0‚ as Mike Mussina hurls the 3rd 1-hitter of his career‚ while striking out 15 batters. Ron Coomer’s single with 2 outs in the 7th inning is Minnesota’s only hit.

The Mariners defeat the Red Sox‚ 5-4 in 19 innings. OF Mike Cameron‘s HR leading off the 19th is the deciding score.
August 4The Blue Jays obtain OF Dave Martinez from the Rangers for a player to be named later. Martinez becomes the 9th major leaguer to play for 4 teams in a season. He began the year with Tampa Bay and also played with the Cubs‚ in addition to Texas and Toronto. The last to do so was Dave Kingman‚ in 1977.

The Padres obtain SS Desi Relaford from the Phillies for a player to be named later.
August 6The Mariners defeat the Yankees‚ 11-1. OF Stan Javier goes 5-for-6 for Seattle‚ including a double.

The Padres defeat the Cubs‚ 8-6‚ behind rookie Adam Eaton‚ who gives up 2 runs in 7 innings. Another rookie‚ Dan Garibay‚ takes the loss. In front of his home-town fans 1B Mark Grace records his first 5-hit day‚ going 5-for-5 for Chicago‚ with 2 doubles and a HR. Grace had his 1st ML hit and his first HR in San Diego.

The Blue Jays obtain 2B Mickey Morandini from the Phillies in exchange for a player to be named. He just misses moving into second on the all-time games played list for Philadelphia Phillies 2B having played 926 games at second base for Philadelphia‚ the third highest total in franchise history‚ six games short of Otto Knabe (1905‚ 1907-13). Tony Taylor (1960-71 and 1974-76) holds the record having played in 1‚003 games for the Phils at second.

The Reds obtain OF Brian Hunter from the Rockies in exchange for P Robert Averette.
August 7The Yankees obtain Jose Canseco from the Devil Rays. The move‚ which mystifies even manager Joe Torre‚ is presumably designed to keep the high priced slugger away from AL East rivals.
August 8The Dodgers defeat the Cubs‚ 7-5‚ hitting 4 HRs (Kevin Elster‚ Darren Dreifort‚ Gary Sheffield‚ and Shawn Green) in the 4th inning off Chicago P Phil Norton‚ making his ML debut. Pitcher Darren Dreifort hits 2 homers in the contest for LA‚ becoming the first pitcher to do so since 1990. Norton also sets a record becoming the first Cub pitcher in the team’s 124-year history to surrender four homers in an inning.
August 12The Mets defeat the Giants‚ 3-2‚ despite a mental mistake by OF Benny Agbayani which costs the team a run. After catching a fly ball for the 2nd out in the 4th inning‚ the Mets OF hands the ball to a 7-year-old boy in the stands‚ mistakenly thinking the ball was the 3rd out of the inning‚ while two Giant runners score.

The Rockies defeat the Expos‚ 14-2. 3B Jeff Cirillo drives in 7 of Colorado’s runs with 4 hits‚ including a pair of HRs. For the 4th time this year‚ Larry Walker has 4 hits ns the Rocks bang out 22.

Albert Belle‘s 2-run HR highlites a 4-run 9th for Baltimore as the edge Kansas City‚ 12-11. Jermain Dye has 2 homers for KC.
August 13The Astros defeat the Phillies‚ 14-7‚ in the process hitting 6 HRs to tie a club mark. 1B Jeff Bagwell ties another club record by driving home 7 runs.
August 14The Tigers score 8 runs in the 5th inning and go on to defeat the Mariners‚ 15-4.
August 16The Astros defeat the Pirates‚ 11-10‚ hitting 6 HRs in a game for the 2nd time in 4 days. Houston has now hit an NL-record 18 homers in its last 4 contests.

The Rangers shut out the Yankees‚ 5-0‚ as P Brian Sikorski hurls scoreless ball into the 8th inning in his major league debut. Texas OF Gabe Kapler goes hitless in the game‚ ending his 28-game hitting streak. During the streak‚ Kapler batted .375 (42-for-112) and his average jumped from .241 to .289. The outfielder’s streak is the 10th of at least 28 games in the A.L. since 1950.
August 17The Orioles defeat the White Sox‚ 5-3. Chicago P James Baldwin ties an AL record by hitting 4 batters with pitches in the contest. Previously‚ he had hit only 2 in 154 innings.
August 18The Angels defeat the Yankees‚ 9-8 in 11 innings. Anaheim scores 5 runs in the 9th to tie the game before Darin Erstad’s HR wins it in the 11th. It is the 1st time in 12 years that the New Yorkers blow a 5-run lead in the 9th inning.
August 19The Yankees beat the Angels‚ 9-1‚ hitting a ML record-tying 3 sacrifice flies in the 3rd inning.

The Astros defeat the Brewers‚ 10-8‚ as Jeff Bagwell hits 2 HRs and drives home 5 runs. Bagwell becomes the first Houston player to reach 300 homers in his career.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Cubs‚ 11-3‚ scoring 8 runs in the 3rd inning to tie a franchise mark.
August 20The Indians defeat the Mariners‚ 12-4 in a game delayed by a rogue squirrel. The loss is the 7th in a row in which Seattle has surrendered at least 9 runs‚ tying a 99-year-old ML record set by the New York Giants on September 3-6‚1901. The Giants lost 7 in a row allowing 10+ runs in each.
August 21The Brewers defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 16-8‚ scoring 8 runs in a 2nd inning which featured 3 HRs.

Devil Rays P Bryan Rekar is arrested on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery.

Potomac’s Esix Snead breaks Len Dykstra’s Carolina League record of 105 steals by swiping his 106th. Snead has a batting average of .242 and OBA of .338. It’s the 10th time in the last 20 years that a minor-leaguer has stolen 100 or more bases in a season. According to Howe Sports data‚ the eight thieves who stole 100 or more bases in the minors were :Vince Coleman‚ Macon (South Atlantic)‚ 1983-145: Donell Nixon‚ Bakersfield (California)‚ 1983-144: Jeff Stone‚ Spartanburg (South Atlantic)‚ 1983-123: Alan Wiggins‚ Lodi (California)‚ 1980-120: Marcus Lawton‚ Columbia (South Atlantic)‚ 1985-111: Len Dykstra‚ Lynchburg (Carolina)‚ 1983-105: Donell Nixon‚ Chattanooga (Southern)‚ 1984-102: Vince Coleman‚ Louisville (American Assoc.)‚ 1983-101: Albert Hall‚ Durham (Carolina)‚ 1980-100.
August 22The Phillies defeat the Reds‚ 5-4‚ despite a grand slam by Cincinnati OF Alex Ochoa. Ochoa’s blast is the 142nd slam of the season‚ setting a new major league record. The Oakland A’s have hit 11‚ one shy of the record shared by the Braves (1997) and Indians (1999).

Two position players take the mound in mop up rolls. Catcher Brent Mayne is called upon after the Rockies use 9 pitchers through 11 innings against the Braves. Mayne starts the 12th-setting a NL record for most pitchers in a game-and allows a walk but no hits in a scoreless inning. Mayne‚ who never pitched at any level‚ gets Chipper Jones on a ground out to end the frame. The Rockies score to win 7-6 in 12 innings on rookie Adam Melhuse’s 1st career hit. Mayne is the first position player to win since Rocky Colavito on August 25‚ 1968 and the first catcher to win a game since Buck Ewing‚ in 1889. Todd Helton is 1-for-4 and finishes the game hitting .39690.

The Mets have less success using OF Derek Bell to mop up in a 16-1 loss to the Padres. Bell‚ who keeps his sunglasses on‚ lobs in 36 pitches to 10 batters and allows 3 hits‚ 3 walks‚ and 5 runs (4 earned) in his inning.

The Dodgers defeat the Expos‚ 14-6‚ as Eric Karros becomes the 1st Dodger player to hit 2 homers in a single inning. He homers twice in LA’s 9-run 6th as the Dodgers connect for 6 homers in the contest.
August 26The Devil Rays defeat the Orioles‚ 4-1‚ in the 1st game of a DH. Tampa Bay 1B Fred McGriff ties a major league mark by hitting a HR in his 37th different ballpark. Mark McGwire has also performed the feat. The Orioles take the 2nd game‚ 2-0.
August 27The Angels edge the Indians‚ 10-9 as OF Tim Salmon hits his 30th HR of the year in the 5th inning. Anaheim become the first team in AL history to have 4 players (Troy Glaus‚ Mo Vaughn‚ Garret Anderson‚ Salmon) reach the 30-homer mark in a single season. The Blue Jays are close with 2 hitters over 30 and 2 at 28. It’s been done 7 times in the NL.

Led by Darrin Fletcher’s 3 HRs the Blue Jays beat the Rangers‚ 6-4.

Bobby Abreu of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a pair of solo homers‚ including a game-winning inside-the-park shot off San Francisco Giant reliever Aaron Fultz in the 10th inning to win 2-1. Abreu’s homer‚ his 20th‚ is the 5th IPHR game-ender in Phillies history and the first since Bob Dernier did it in 1989‚ also against the Giants. He’s the 29th major-leaguer since 1900 to end a game with an IPHR and the 38th extra-inning IP (according to David Vincent). Ed Vosberg (1-0) picks up his 1st win since 1997.
August 28The Athletics defeat the White Sox‚ 3-0‚ as Tim Hudson hurls a 1-hitter. Frank Thomas’ 4th inning single is the only hit.
August 29The Red Sox defeat the Devil Rays‚ 8-0‚ as Pedro Martinez hurls a 1-hitter. Martinez takes a no-hitter into the 9th inning before John Flaherty leads off with a single. Martinez retires 24 in a row after hitting the game’s first batter. Eight Devil Rays are ejected during the course of the game‚ including manager Larry Rothschild and two coaches.

The Angels defeat the Blue Jays‚ 9-4. Anaheim’s Darin Erstad gets 3 hits to reach the 200 mark for the season. It is the fastest any batter has reached 200 in 65 years.

The Pirates defeat the Giants‚ 8-0. Barry Bonds‘ single is the only hit allowed by Kris Benson (8 innings) and Josias Manzanillo (1 inning).

The Dodgers defeat the Brewers‚ 7-2‚ as Chan Ho Park (8 innings) and Mike Fetters (1 inning) combine on a one-hitter. James Mouton’s HR is Milwaukee’s only hit.
August 31The Rangers defeat the Indians‚ 14-7‚ as OF Rusty Greer gets 5 hits and drives home 4 runs. 2B Luis Alicea scores 5 runs for Texas.

The Reds Sox obtain OF Dante Bichette from the Reds for pitchers Chris Reitsma and John Curtice.

After an all-night negotiating session‚ MLB’s Rob Manfred and player union lawyer Mike Weiner agree to significant changes in the draft rules: clubs that lost major league free agents will no longer receive high-round compensation picks‚ but teams that do not sign a first-round pick will be compensated will only have to draft one position lower in the following year. Other agree-to changes include opening the draft up to international players and shortening the number of rounds to between 20 and 38. The next meeting between the two sides on this issue will be on May 3‚ 2003 when MLB decides it doesn’t want to make the changes because of the logistics involved.

September

September 1The Baltimore Orioles turn the season’s fifth triple play and the first triple-killing in Jacobs Field history in the second inning against the Cleveland Indians. On a pop up to short the infield fly rule is not called. With runners at first and second and no outs‚ O’s SS Melvin Mora lets Sandy Alomar‘s pop fly drop‚ apparently intentionally‚ and throws to 2B Jerry Hairston who tags the runner at second as well as the runner coming from first. Alomar‚ believing the infield fly rule had been called‚ retreated to the dugout and was called out for leaving the basepath resulting in a 6-4-3 triple play. Charlie Manual doesn’t agree and gets tossed. Cleveland overcomes the TP to win‚ 5-2‚ behind Chuck Finley.

The Reds ink Hawaiian Dane Sardinha‚ a 2nd round draft pick in June‚ and high school SS David Espinosa‚ a 23rd round pick. Both players are represented by agent Scott Boras and held out all summer for long-term ML contracts.
September 2The White Sox defeat the Angels‚ 13-6‚ as C Charles Johnson drives home 7 runs on a 3-run homer‚ a 3-run double‚ and an RBI single.
September 3The Indians defeat the Orioles‚ 12-11 in 13 innings. Cleveland OF Kenny Lofton scores a run in the 1st inning‚ tying the major league record by scoring in his 18th consecutive game. Red Rolfe set the mark in 1939. Lofton’s streak will be stopped tomorrow. The Cleveland OF also steals 5 bases in the contest‚ tying a franchise single-game record‚ and hits a walk-off HR in the 13th to win the game.

The Mariners defeat the Red Sox‚ 5-0. Paul Abbott does not allow a hit until 1 out in the 8th inning. He combines with Jose Paniagua on the 1-hitter.
September 4In the Red Sox win over the Mariners‚ 5-1‚ Carl Everett of the Sox became only the sixth major-league switch-hitter to drive in 100 runs in both leagues when he knocked in his 100th ribbie of the year. Everett drove in 108 runs for the Houston Astros last season. The other five 100-100 switches were Ted Simmons‚ Ken Singleton‚ Eddie Murray‚ Bobby Bonilla and J.T. Snow. Pedro Martinez is the big star‚ striking out 11 in 8 innings to go 7-0 over the M’s. Jamie Moyer loses his 6th in a row‚ though not his fault as a routine fly ball by Jose Offerman to Mike Cameron becomes a 3-run triple when the center fielder stumbles. Prior to the game‚ Boston retires Hall of Fame C Carlton Fisk‘s uniform No. 27.

The A’s defeat the Blue Jays‚ 10-0. Mike Stanley goes 5-for-5 for Oakland‚ including a double and HR‚ and drives home 5 runs.

The Rockies trim the Cubs‚ 6-2‚ as rookie OF Juan Pierre gets 5 hits.
September 6The White Sox defeat the Rangers‚ 13-1‚ scoring 10 runs in the 1st 2 innings. Ordonez and Thomas‚ with his AL best 41st‚ homer in the 7-run 1st. Texas’ Scott Sheldon becomes the third player in major league history to play all 9 positions in a single game. He enters the game in the 4th inning as catcher and pitches in the 8th‚ striking out Jeff Leiter‚ before taking over 3B. Sheldon also played all 9 positions in spring training against Oklahoma (AAA). Cesar Tovar was the last‚ in 1968‚ to play all 9 spots.
September 7The Giants defrock the Padres‚ 13-1‚ scoring 8 runs in the 6th inning.
September 8The Yankees calcimine the Red Sox‚ 4-0‚ behind Roger Clemens. A scary moment occurs in the 9th inning when Boston P Bryce Florie is hit in the face with a line drive off the bat of Ryan Thompson. The Red Sox hurler never loses consciousness and leaves the field with blood streaming down his face. Florie suffers a fractured cheekbone and a fracture of the orbital socket‚ the bone that surrounds the eye‚ and retinal damage. He will undergo surgery and return to pitch next June 28.

The Astros defeat the Cubs‚ 13-10‚ as Houston 2B Julio Lugo has the first 5-hit game of his career.
September 9The Astros kick the Cubs‚ 14-4‚ hitting a team-record 7 HRs in the process. Richard Hidalgo‚ Lance Berkman‚ and Tim Bogar each hit a pair‚ with Daryle Ward adding another.
September 10The Marlins defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 4-3 in 12 innings. Randy Johnson strikes out 14 Florida players in 7 innings‚ including Mike Lowell to end the 4th for his 3‚000th career strikeout. He is the 12th hurler to reach the milestone. Johnson 1st strikeout of the game gives him 300 for the 3rd consecutive year. Only Nolan Ryan has reached 300 Ks more times (6).
September 11The Royals double the Mariners‚ 6-3. Johnny Damon goes 5-for-5 for KC‚ with 2 doubles and a HR.
September 12The Diamondbacks edge the Dodgers‚ 5-4‚ despite Dave Hansen’s ML record-breaking 7th pinch-hit home run of the season. Hansen’s blast‚ off Curt Schilling‚ breaks the mark set in 1932 by Brooklyn’s Johnny Frederick.

The Cubs Kerry Wood pitches his 2nd career CG‚ winning 2-1 over Reds. Two unearned do in Osvaldo Fernandez.

Suspended NY Yankee Darryl Strawberry is sentenced to 2 years’ house arrest after admitting he violated probation by driving under the influence of medication‚ and leaving the scene of an accident.
September 15The Tigers outlast the Red Sox‚ 7-6. The two teams combine to use a league AL record-tying 42 players in the contest.

The Athletics pound the Devil Rays‚ 17-3. Jason Giambi drives home 7 runs with a single‚ double‚ and grand slam and brother Jeremy homers as well. The A’s are one game in back of the Indians for the wild card.

Rickey Henderson scores his 1st two at bats to pace the Mariners to a 10-2 win over the Orioles. Rickey moves into 2nd place on the all time list of runs scored (2175)‚ one ahead of Ruth and Aaron.
September 16The Cardinals defeat the Cubs‚ 7-6‚ despite Sammy Sosa‘s 50th HR of the season. Sosa becomes the 2nd player to hit 50 or more in 3 consecutive years‚ joining Mark McGwire.

Seattle’s Jamie Moyer (13-9) scatters three hits over seven scoreless innings to coast to his 11th straight win over the Orioles‚ winning 14-0. Alex Rodriguez hits his 37th HR in the 1st off Mike Mussina. Moyer‚ 11-1 against his old team‚ started his win streak on September 10‚ 1989.
September 18The Indians defeat the Yankees‚ 2-0‚ as Bartolo Colon hurls a 1-hitter. Luis Polonia‘s 8th inning single is the New Yorkers only safety.

Behind the Guerrero brothers‚ Montreal beats the Marlins‚ 11-4. Wilton hits a homer and Vlad hits two‚ including his 41st of the year.

The Braves defeat the Mets‚ 6-3‚ as Greg Maddux extends his scoreless streak to 29 innings.
September 19The Pirates bash the Phillies‚ 12-8‚ scoring 9 runs in the 6th inning.

After a 16-3 loss to Toronto‚ New York manager Joe Torre has a team meeting‚ and blisters the Yankees for poor play. It won’t help as they lose their next 7 games-15-4‚ 2-1‚ 11-1‚ 11-3‚ 13-2‚ 9-1‚ 7-3.

In the Reds 7-3 loss to the Giants‚ Ken Griffey pinch hits his 400th HR. He is the first to reach the mark with a PH. Livan Hernandez is the winner as Bonds knocks in a run and Jeff Kent adds 3 hits.
September 20The Cardinals shoot down the Astros‚ 11-6‚ to clinch the NL Central and become the 1st team to earn a playoff spot. Jim Edmonds hits a grand slam for St. Louis and is followed by Ray Lankford’s HR. It is the 15th time this year that the Cards have homered in consecutive at bats‚ tying the NL mark set by Cincinnati in 1956.

The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks‚ 1-0‚ when Eric Karros hits a game-ending homer in the 9th off Byung-Hyun Kim. Karros is the only batter Kim faces.

San Diego Adam Eaton is staked to a 15-4 lead‚ and the Padres hang on for a 15-11 win over the Rockies Dave Magadan and Mike Darr each have 4 RBIs‚ while the Rock’s Pen Petrick knocks in 4 runs without a hit‚ likely a ML record. Petrick has a sac fly‚ bases loaded walk‚ and 2 ground outs.
September 21The Giants edge the Diamondbacks‚ 8-7‚ to clinch the NL West.

The Blue Jays defeat the Yankees‚ 3-1‚ as former Yankee David Wells becomes the majors’ first 20-game winner.
September 22The Devil Rays defeat the Blue Jays‚ 3-2‚ ending their 10-game losing streak. It is the longest such streak in the AL this season.

The Reds defeat the Astros‚ 12-5‚ in a contest which sees 9 HRs hit-6 by Cincinnati and 3 by Houston. Houston’s homers give the team 240‚ for a new NL mark for a single season. Cincinnati’s Juan Castro‚ Michael Tucker‚ and Sean Casey all homer off Jose Lima in the 2nd inning‚ giving Lima a new NL record of 47 HRs allowed on the year.

The Marlins double the Rockies‚ 8-4‚ as Preston Wilson homers to become the 23rd player in history to have 30 HRs and 30 steals in a season.
September 23The Braves whitewash the Expos‚ 10-0‚ clinching their 9th consecutive trip to the playoffs. Greg Maddux hurls the shutout‚ extending his streak of scoreless innings to 36 1/3.

At Wrigley‚ the Cardinals defeat the Cubs‚ 6-5‚ despite 1B Mark Grace‘s 1‚000th career RBI for Chicago. Joey Nation makes his ML debut and takes the loss. His consolation is singling in his first ML at bat‚ off Britt Reames.

The Giants and Diamondbacks split a DH‚ with Arizona winning the 1st game‚ 7-5‚ and San Francisco taking the nightcap‚ 9-5. Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez hits a 3-run HR in each game‚ and has a total of 8 RBIs on the day.

The Angels batter the Rangers‚ 15-4‚ despite Rafael Palmeiro‘s 400th career HR. He is the 32nd player to reach that total.

Former Dodger Carl Erskine fires up the crowd by playing the national anthem on the harmonica and then Kevin Brown fires a 2-hitter to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Padres. Brown strikes out 13 in beating Woody Williams.
September 24The White Sox lose to the Twins‚ 6-5 in 10 innings‚ but still clinch the AL Central as Kansas City defeats Cleveland‚ 9-0.
September 25The Indians play the 2nd 3-team doubleheader since 1900 at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. The Tribe defeats the Chicago White Sox‚ 9-2‚ in the opener‚ then loses the 2nd game to the Minnesota Twins‚ 4-3. The last 3-team doubleheader was September 13‚ 1951.

The Braves defeat the Expos‚ 6-0‚ as Tom Glavine becomes the NL’s 1st 20-game winner. Glavine’s 20th career shutout gives him 20 victories in a season for the 5th time in his career.
September 26The Braves defeat the Mets‚ 7-1‚ to clinch the NL East for their record 9th straight division title.
September 27The Mets beat the Braves‚ 6-2‚ to clinch the NL wild-card berth for the 2nd year in a row.

The A’s defeat the Angels‚ 9-7. Anaheim’s Darin Erstad hits a HR in the 2nd inning for his 99th RBI of the year from the leadoff spot to set a new record. Nomar Garciaparra drove home 98 in 1997 for the previous mark.

The Rockies knock Schilling out of the box enroute to a 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Gabe White (11-2) is the winner in relief‚ with offensive help from Jeff Cirillo (3-for-5) and Larry Walker’s 5th 4-hit game of the year. Terry Shumpert homers and Todd Helton goes into the record books with his 100th walk. Helton is the 8th major leaguer to collect 100 walks‚ 100 runs‚ 100 RBIs‚ and 200 hits in a season. Cirillo puts his name in the record books with a double today‚ his 53rd of the season. He is the only MLer to collect 45 or more doubles in a year in both the NL and AL. The Rocks have not been shutout at home in 124 straight games.
September 28The Orioles roast the Blue Jays‚ 23-1‚ to eliminate Toronto from any possible spot in the playoffs. The 23 runs scored is a O’s team record. The Orioles score 10 runs in the 4th inning‚ highlighted by Brady Anderson‘s 200th career HR. Darrin Fletcher hits his 20th homer of the year for Toronto‚ giving the Blue Jays 7 players with 20 or more HRs on the season. That ties the AL record set by Baltimore in 1996.

The Cardinals nip the Padres‚ 7-6‚ behind Darryl Kile who becomes the 2nd NL pitcher to win 20 games this season.

The Mets defeat the Braves‚ 8-2‚ ending Greg Maddux‘s scoreless streak at 39 1/3 innings.

In the last game at Milwaukee County Stadium‚ the Reds trip the Brewers‚ 8-1 on Elmer Dessens (11-5) 2-hitter. Raul Casanova has both hits for the Brewers. Young is 4-for-4‚ including 2 triples‚ with 4 runs.
September 29The Orioles defeat the Yankees‚ 13-2‚ scoring 10 runs in the 2nd inning. New York clinches its 3rd straight AL East title‚ however‚ when the Red Sox lose to the Devil Rays‚ 8-6.

For the 2nd day in a row‚ the Reds win 8-1 on a 2-hitter. This time its the Cardinals‚ as Ron Villone strikes out 16 batters-Tatis 4 times-to tie the club record set by Noodles Hahn (1901) and Jim Maloney (1963). Villone’s previous high was 8. He allows just 2 hits in what will be his last game as a Red: Cincy will trade him to the Rockies on November 8 for 2 players to be named later. Sean Casey homers for the 2nd day in a row.

The Anaheim Angels beat Seattle‚ 9-3‚ slugging 3 homers off Abbott. Darren Erstad has a triple and drives in his 100th run‚ a ML record by a leadoff batter. Ortiz is the winning pitcher.

In a home accident‚ Cards C Mike Methany cuts his finger with a kitchen knife and the injury will force him to miss the post season play.
September 30Don’t mess with Texas? The Athletics pound the Rangers‚ 23-2‚ in the highest scoring game in Athletics history‚ and also the most runs allowed by Texas in a game. Oakland scores 9 runs in the 1st inning‚ capped by Randy Velarde‘s 2-run HR. Miguel Tejada hits a grand slam in the 5th‚ the ML record 14th of the year for Oakland and 8 more A’s are plated in the 7th. Fourteen players score runs to set a new ML record. Barry Zito is the easy winner.

The Mariners outslug the Angels‚ 21-9‚ scoring in every inning but the 5th. It is the most runs ever scored against the Angels and the 2 teams combine to have 18 players scoring runs in the game‚ one short of the AL record. Alex Rodriguez drives home 7 runs for Seattle‚ with 4 hits‚ including 2 HRs‚ his 39th and 40th‚ as the M’s collect 5. A-Rod has now reached 40 homers in 3 seasons. The M’s remain a half game behind the red hot A’s and a game ahead of Cleveland in the wild card race.

The White Sox whip the Royals‚ 9-1‚ as Jose Valentin hits HRs from both sides of the plate.

October

October 1Oakland completes an 18-4 stretch drive by beating Texas‚ 3-0‚ and clinching the AL West title. Tim Hudson wins his 20th game.

The Mariners clinch the AL wild-card spot‚ defeating the Angels‚ 5-2. The M’s finish a half game behind Oakland.

After Sister Sledge sings the National Anthem to a season-high crowd of 55‚352‚ the Cubs edge the Pirates‚ 10-9‚ in the final game to be played at Three Rivers Stadium. The Bucs have a chance when the first 3 batters in the 9th single‚ but 3 outs follow‚ including the final PO by Mark Grace‚ who is then hugged by his teammates. Bucs soon-to-be manager Gene Lamont gets a 2-minute standing O when introduced.

The Tigers nip the Twins‚ 12-11‚ as Shane Halter becomes the 4th major leaguer in history to play all 9 positions in a game. Halter goes 4-for-5 at the plate and scores the winning run in the bottom half of the 9th inning. The 2 teams combine to use 15 pitchers‚ tying the ML mark and setting an AL record.

The managerial heads start rolling as Terry Francona is fired as manager of the last-place Phillies. The Phils allow him to manage the last game of the year‚ a loss.
October 2Three more managers get their walking papers today: Buck Showalter is fired as manager of the Diamondbacks. Jack McKeon is let go as manager of the Reds; and Gene Lamont is fired as manager of the Pirates. Under McKeon this year‚ the Reds matched the ML record of the 1932 Yankees by going an entire season without being shut out.
October 3The A’s defeat the Yankees‚ 5-3‚ in the 1st game of their AL division series. Catcher Ramon Hernandez hits a double off Roger Clemens in the 6th inning to give Oakland the lead.

The Cardinals defeat the Braves‚ 7-5‚ in the 1st game of their NL division series. St. Louis scores 6 runs in the 1st inning off Greg Maddux‚ then hold on as the Braves take advantage of Rick Ankiel‘s wildness to get back in the game. Ankiel becomes the pitcher in 110 years to throw 5 wild pitches in an inning.

The Mariners defeat the White Sox‚ 7-4 in 10 innings‚ in the 1st game of their AL division series. Edgar Martinez and John Olerud hit consecutive homers off Keith Foulke for the margin of victory.
October 4The Giants defeat the Mets‚ 5-1‚ in the 1st game of their NL division series. Livan Hernandez gets the win for SF‚ raising his lifetime postseason play record to 5-0. Ellis Burks‘ 3-run HR is the key hit for the Giants.

The Mariners take a 2-0 lead in their series with the White Sox by defeating Chicago‚ 5-2. Jay Buhner hits a HR for Seattle while Paul Abbott gets the win.

The Yankees even their series with the Athletics at 1 game apiece with a 4-0 victory. Andy Pettitte holds Oakland scoreless for 7 2/3 innings for the win.
October 5The Mets even their series with the Giants at 1 game apiece by winning a 10-inning thriller‚ 5-4. Jay Payton’s single drives home the winning run in the top of the 10th after J.T. Snow’s pinch-hit 3-run HR ties the game in the bottom of the 9th. Edgardo Alfonzo hit a 2-run homer for NY in the top half of the frame. Al Leiter pitches 8+ innings for the Mets. Armando Benitez gives up the tying homer‚ but gets the win in relief.

The Cardinals defeat the Braves‚ 10-4‚ to take a 2-game-to-1 lead in their series. Will Clark hits a 3-run HR for St. Louis and Jim Edmonds ties a division-series record with 3 doubles. Darryl Kile gets the win for the Cards‚ while Tom Glavine takes the loss in his shortest outing in 7 years.
October 6The Mariners defeat the White Sox‚ 2-1‚ to give them a sweep of their 3-game division series. Pinch-hitter Carlos Guillen‘s bunt single brings home Rickey Henderson with the winning run in the bottom half of the 9th inning.

The Yankees defeat the A’s‚ 4-2‚ to give them a 2-games-to-1 lead in their division series. Orlando Hernandez gets the win for NY‚ his 6th straight postseason victory.

Struggling to get public financing for a new ballpark‚ the Boston Red Sox are put up for sale by the Yawkey Trust.

Davey Johnson is fired as manager of the Dodgers‚ the 5th manager let go this month.
October 7The Mets defeat the Giants‚ 3-2‚ on a 13th inning HR by Benny Agbayani to take a 2-games-to-1 lead in their division series. The Mets last 5 postseason wins have come in their last at bat.

The A’s defeat the Yankees‚ 11-1‚ behind Barry Zito to tie their division series at 2 games apiece. Olmedo Saenz hits a 3-run homer off Roger Clemens for Oakland.

The Cardinals defeat the Braves‚ 7-1‚ to sweep their series and move on to the NLCS. Jim Edmonds and Fernando Vina drive in 3 runs apiece for St. Louis as Atlanta fails to make the NLCS for the 1st time since 1990.

Mariners lefty Jamie Moyer breaks his kneecap during a workout and will miss the AL championship series.
October 8The Mets defeat the Giants‚ 4-0‚ on Bobby Jones’ 1-hit shutout to take their division series. Robin Ventura homers for NY. Jones’ gem is the 6th complete game 1-hitter in postseason history. Jeff Kent’s 5th inning double is SF’s only hit as Jones puts the Giants down in order in 8 of the 9 innings.

The Yankees score 6 runs in the 1st inning and hold on to defeat the A’s‚ 7-5‚ to take their division series.
October 10The Mariners defeat the Yankees‚ 2-0‚ to take the opener of the ALCS. Freddy Garcia and the Seattle bullpen combine on the 6-hitter‚ while Alex Rodriguez hits a HR.

Jim Fregosi is fired as manager of the Blue Jays.‚ the 6th down in 10 days.
October 11The Mets defeat the Cardinals‚ 6-2‚ in the opener of the NLCS behind the pitching of Mike Hampton. Todd Zeile and Jay Payton hit 9th-inning homers for New York‚ whose pitchers had their streak of 26 consecutive scoreless ended by 2 unearned runs in the 9th.

The Yankees score 7 runs in the 8th inning to defeat the Mariners‚ 7-1‚ and tie the ALCS at 1 game apiece. Bernie Williams‘ hit breaks NY’s 21-inning scoreless streak. Jorge Posada hits a HR later in the inning. Orlando Hernandez‘ record improves to 7-0 in postseason play.
October 12The Mets defeat the Cardinals‚ 6-5‚ to take a 2-games-to-none lead in the NLCS. Jay Payton drives home the winning run for NY‚ who wins in its last at bat for the 3rd time this postseason. Mike Piazza homers for the Mets.
October 13The Yankees batter the Mariners‚ 8-2‚ to take a 2-games-to-1 lead in the ALCS. Bernie Williams and Tino Martinez hit back-to-back HRs in the 2nd inning for NY‚ while David Justice drives home 3 runs. Mariano Rivera breaks Whitey Ford‘s record for consecutive scoreless innings in postseason play with 33 1/3 scoreless frames.
October 14The Cardinals defeat the Mets‚ 8-2‚ for their 1st win in the NLCS. Andy Benes gets the win for St. Louis as all 9 Cardinal starters get hits.

The Yankees whitewash the Mariners‚ 5-0‚ behind Roger Clemens‘ 1-hit shutout. Clemens fans 15 Mariners as New York moves out to a 3-games-to-1 lead over Seattle. The Yankees score their runs on a 3-run homer by Derek Jeter and a 2-run blast by David Justice. Al Martin‘s double off the glove of Tino Martinez in the 7th inning is the Mariners’ only hit. The two team’s total of 6 hits ties an ALCS record for fewest safeties in a game.
October 15The Mets defeat the Cardinals‚ 10-6‚ to take a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the NLCS. NY strokes a record 5 doubles in the 1st inning‚ and Mike Piazza slams a HR for the Mets. Glendon Rusch gets the win with 3 scoreless innings in relief.

The Mariners defeat the Yankees‚ 6-2‚ to close within 1 game of the New Yorkers‚ who hold a 3-games-to-2 lead in the ALCS. Edgar Martinez and John Olerud hit successive HRs in the 5th inning for Seattle.
October 16The Mets defeat the Cardinals‚ 7-0 behind Mike Hampton‚ to win their 1st pennant since 1986. Hampton takes NLCS MVP honors with his 16 scoreless innings and 2 victories. Todd Zeile drives home 3 runs with a bases loaded double for NY.
October 17The Yankees defeat the Mariners‚ 9-7‚ to win the ALCS and their 37th AL pennant. David Justice’s 3-run HR in the 7th inning gives NY a lead it never relinquishes. Justice win the ALCS MVP award. Seattle C Dan Wilson‘s single breaks his 0-for-42 hitless streak‚ the longest ever in post season history.
October 20The Toronto Blue Jays sign Carlos Delgado to a 4-year‚ $68 million contract‚ making him the highest-paid player in the game. The $17 million per year surpasses Roger Clemens‘ salary of $15.45 million.

Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton win the Hank Aaron Award for 2000. The award is given to the best overall hitter in each league.
October 21The Yankees defeat the Mets‚ 4-3 in 12 innings in Game 1 of the WS. The longest game in WS history (4 hours‚ 51 minutes) is ended on Jose Vizcaino‘ single which drives home Tino Martinez. It is Vizcaino’s 4th hit of the night. The Mets lead‚ 3-2‚ going into the 9th‚ but Armando Benitez surrenders the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Chuck Knoblauch. The victory is the Yankees 13th in a row in Series play for a new record. Todd Pratt of the Mets ties a Series mark by being hit by pitches 2 times.
October 22The Yankees defeat the Mets‚ 6-5 behind Roger Clemens‚ to take a 2-games-to-none lead in the WS. The Mets score 5 runs in the 9th inning on HRs by Mike Piazza and Jay Payton to throw a scare into the Bombers. In a bizarre incident‚ Clemens throws a piece of a shattered bat at Piazza in the 1st inning‚ with both benches clearing. It is the first meeting between the two players since Clemens beaned Piazza during the regular season. On Tuesday‚ Clemens will be fined $50‚000 for his actions.
October 23The Pirates hire hitting coach Lloyd McClendon as their manager.

Toronto’s Carlos Delgado is named Player of the Year by The Sporting News.
October 24The Mets defeat the Yankees‚ 4-2‚ behind the pitching of Rick Reed and their bullpen. Benny Agbayani’s 8th inning double is the key hit for NY as the cut the Yankees Series lead to 2-games-to-1. Orlando Hernandez fans 12 but loses his 1st postseason game after 8 wins. The loss ends the Yankees record streak of 14 consecutive wins in World Series action.
October 25The Yankees defeat the Mets‚ 3-2‚ to take a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the Series. Derek Jeter homers off Bobby Jones on the 1st pitch of the game for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankee bullpen saves the game with 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Mike Piazza‘s 2-run homer accounts for all the Mets scoring.

Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry is arrested and jailed after leaving a treatment center following a weekend drug binge.
October 26The Yankees defeat the Mets‚ 4-2‚ to win their 26th World Series‚ 4-games-to-1. Luis Sojo‘s single in the top of the 9th drives home the winning run for NY. Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter homer for the Yankees‚ and Jeter is named the Series MVP.
October 27Colorado Rockies pitcher Bobby Chouinard‚ who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for abusing his wife‚ will serve a year in jail under an agreement approved by a judge. Chouinard will serve his time in Colorado during the off season. Chouinard‚ then with the Arizona Diamondbacks‚ was arrested last Christmas at his Phoenix home after he hit his wife‚ Erica‚ and held a loaded gun to her head while she begged for her life‚ police said. The Diamondbacks released him at his request in February.
October 30The Diamondbacks name former major league catcher and announcer Bob Brenly as their new manager.
October 31According to rankings of the Elias Sports Bureau‚ Randy Johnson is named the top player for the 2000 season.

November

November 1The Dodgers name coach Jim Tracy as their new manager.

The Phillies pick former Phils SS Larry Bowa as their new manager.
November 2The Blue Jays select former C and announcer Buck Martinez as their new manager.

Todd Helton of the Rockies is named The Associated Press Player of the Year.
November 3After being turned down by several candidates‚ the Reds name Bob Boone as their new manager.
November 6Mariners relief P Kazuhiro Sasaki wins the AL Rookie of the Year award. He is the second-oldest player to ever win rookie honors; only Sam Jethroe‚ who played in the Negro Leagues before the Braves‚ was older.
November 7Braves SS Rafael Furcal wins the NL Rookie of the Year award.

Sandy Alderson‚ executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner’s office announces that baseball will try to bring back the high strike next season.
November 8Jerry Manuel of the Chicago White Sox is named the AL Manager of the Year.

The Rockies obtain P Ron Villone from the Reds for 2 minor league players to be named. They’ll complete the trade next month by sending Justin Carter and Jeff Tahlienti to the Reds.
November 9Dusty Baker of the SF Giants is named the NL Manager of the Year for a record 3rd time.
November 13Red Sox P Pedro Martinez is the unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young Award for the 2nd consecutive year‚ giving him 3 wins in the last 4 years.
November 14Diamondbacks P Randy Johnson wins his 2nd consecutive NL Cy Young Award‚ and his 3rd overall.
November 15Athletics 1B Jason Giambi wins the AL MVP Award. Giambi hit .333 with 43 homers and 137 RBIs.
November 16Giants 2B Jeff Kent wins the NL MVP Award‚ just edging out teammate Barry Bonds. Kent hit 334 with 33 homers and 114 RBIs for the NL West champs. Bonds had 49 homers and scored 129 runs.

The Red Sox obtain INF Chris Stynes from the Reds for OF Michael Coleman and INF Donnie Sadler.

The Indians obtain C Eddie Taubensee from the Reds for Ps Jim Brower and Robert Pugmire.

The Cubs sign free agent P Julian Tavarez to a 2-year contract.

The Toronto Blue Jays announce that they will open the 2001 season against the Texas Rangers in San Juan‚ Puerto Rico.
November 17The Rangers send Ps Ryan Cullen and Aaron Harang to the A’s for 2B Randy Velarde.

The Phillies sign free agent P Jose Mesa to a 2-year contract worth $3.4 million.
November 18The Mariners sign Japanese star OF Ichiro Suzuki to a 3-year contract.
November 19The Indians sign free agent OF Ellis Burks to a 3-year contract.

The Cubs obtain 3B Bill Mueller from the Giants in exchange for P Tim Worrell.
November 20The Astros sign free agent INF Jose Vizcaino to a contract.
November 21The Yankees sign free agent C Joe Oliver to a contract.
November 22The Blue Jays obtain P Steve Parris from the Reds for Ps Clayton Andrews and Leo Estrella.
November 29The Phillies sign free agent P Rheal Cormier to a 3-year contract worth $2.9 million.
November 30The Yankees sign Orioles free agent P Mike Mussina to a 6-year contract worth $88.5 million. Mussina says a deciding factor was a call from Joe Torre.

December

December 4The Rockies sign free agent P Denny Neagle to a 5-year contract.

The Mariners sign free agent P Jeff Nelson to a 3-year contract.
December 6The Dodgers sign free agent P Andy Ashby to a 3-year contract.
December 7The Red Sox sign free agent P Frank Castillo to a 2-year contract.
December 8The Diamondbacks sign free agent 1B Mark Grace to a 2-year contract. Grace was with the Cubs for 13 years and had more hits in the 1990s than any other player.

The Cubs sign free agent P Jeff Fassero to a 2-year contract.

The Pirates sign free agent P Terry Mulholland to a 2-year contract.

The Giants sign free agent vet IF Shawon Dunston to a contract.

The Rangers sign free agent 1B Andres Galarraga to a contract.
December 9The Rockies sign free agent P Mike Hampton to an 8-year contract worth $121 million.
December 10The Pirates sign free agent OF Derek Bell to a 2-year contract.

The Rockies sign free agent OF Ron Gant to a contract.

The Rangers sign free agent P Mark Petkovsek to a 2-year contract‚ and free agent 3B Ken Caminiti to a contract.

The Marlins obtain OF Jeff Abbott from the White Sox in exchange for OF Julio Ramirez.
December 11The Rangers sign free agent SS Alex Rodriguez to a record $252 million‚ 10-year contract. It is the richest contract in the history of professional sports.

The Royals sign free agent P Doug Henry to a 2-year contract. The Angels sign free agent P Pat Rapp.

The Blue Jays sign free agent 2B Jeff Frye to a contract.

The Mets sign free agent P Kevin Appier to a 4-year contract‚ and free agent P Steve Trachsel to a 2-year contract.

The Mets trade OF Bubba Trammell to the Padres for P Donne Wall.

The Tigers obtain P Chris Holt‚ OF Roger Cedeno‚ and C Mitch Meluskey from the Astros for C Brad Ausmus‚ and pitchers Doug Brocail and Nelson Cruz. Houston catchers threw out 22 % of base stealers in 2000‚ while Ausmus gunned down 42%.

The Expos swap minor leaguers with the Orioles sending pitcher Jorge Julio to Baltimore for 3B Ryan Minor.
December 13The Braves sign 1B Rico Brogna to a contract.

The Padres sign IF Alex Arias to a 2-year contract.

The Red Sox sign free agent OF Manny Ramirez to an 8-year contract worth $160 million
December 14The White Sox obtain SS Royce Clayton from the Rangers in exchange for pitchers Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack. Clayton became expendable with the signing of A-rod.

The Expos obtain 3B Fernando Tatis and P Britt Reames from the Cardinals for pitchers Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. The Cards‚ snubbed by Mike Hampton‚ pick up a starter in Hermanson. Tatis missed 54 games after an April 29 groin injury.

The Astros sign free agent P Mike Jackson to a contract.
December 15The Diamondbacks sign free agent OF Midre Cummings to a contract.

The Red Sox sign free agent P Hideo Nomo to a contract.

The Phillies sign free agent P Ricky Bottalico to a contract.

The Tigers acquired P Matt Perisho from the Rangers for pitchers Kevin Mobley and Brandon Villafuerte.
December 18In related signings‚ the White Sox ink free agent C Sandy Alomar to a 2-year contract‚ while the Marlins sign free agent C Charles Johnson to a 5-year contract. Johnson was the Sox catcher last season.
December 19What youth movement? The Orioles sign free agent P Pat Hentgen to a 2-year contract and tomorrow SS Mike Bordick will come back to the O’s inking a 2-year contract. The day after they will sign another vet‚ 1B David Segui to a 4-year contract worth $28 million. Not a good deal: Segui will bat just 674 times in 193 games.
December 23The Brewers sign free agent OF Jeffrey Hammonds to a 3-year contract.

The Giants sign OF Eric Davis to a contract.

The Cardinals sign free agent OF Quinton McCracken to a contract.