Baseball – 2001

Baseball in 2001

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January

January 3The Astros sign free agent P Kent Bottenfield.
January 4The Angels sign free agent P Ismael Valdes to a contract.
January 5Free agent signings include Reggie Sanders to the Diamondbacks; INF Greg Norton to the Rockies; P Mark Guthrie to the A’s for 2 years; and vet Bobby Bonilla by the Cards.
January 8In a 3-way deal‚ the Royals obtain catcher A.J. Hinch‚ OF Angel Berroa and cash from the A’s‚ and P Roberto Hernandez from the Devil Rays; the A’s receive P Cory Lidle from the Devil Rays‚ and OF Johnny Damon‚ IF Mark Ellis‚ and a player to be named from the Royals; and the Devil Rays receive OF Ben Grieve and a player to be named from the A’s.
January 9The Indians sign free agent OF Juan Gonzalez to a contract.

The Reds sign free agents C Kelly Stinnett and IF Wilton Guerrero to contracts.

The White Sox announce that P Bill Simas will miss the entire 2001 season following ligament replacement surgery on his elbow last month.
January 10The Phillies sign free agent OF Brian Hunter to a contract‚ while the Cubs ink free agent INF Ron Coomer to a contract. Coomer will go on the DL April 4 with a knee injury‚ opening the door for Julio Zuleta to take Coomer’s place as the righthanded half of a first base platoon with lefthanded hitter Matt Stairs. Zuleta will leave the major leagues after the 2001 season.
January 12The Red Sox sign free agent P David Cone to a contract. Cone‚ 4-14 in 2000‚ had turned down a Yankee offer to try and make the team as the 5th starter.
January 13Major league baseball announces that the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays will open the 2001 season in Puerto Rico‚ marking the 3rd straight year the season will begin outside the US and Canada.
January 14The White Sox obtain pitchers David Wells and Matt DeWitt from the Blue Jays for pitcher Mike Sirotka‚ Kevin Beirne‚ and Mike Williams‚ and OF Brian Simmons. Sirotka will pass one physical but a later one will show arm damage and the Jays will seek‚ unsuccessfully‚ additional compensation. Sirotka will be operated on April 24 and will be out for the season without ever throwing an inning for the Jays. Boomer will struggle to 5-7 before going down in July and submitting to surgery.
January 16Outfielders Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett are elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year on the ballot. After much speculation‚ Winfield announces he’ll go in as a Padre.
January 18President-elect Bush‚ in an interview with the AP‚ says he is worried about baseball’s labor contract‚ which expires on October 31. “I was around when the last strike occurred and it hurt the game.” Bush‚ once managing partner of the Texas Rangers left the job to run for governor in 1994. The team was sold in 1998. “I can just say loud and clear‚ I hope there’s not a strike. But it’s going to be up to the participants. . . . They shouldn’t be looking to me. They need to get this settled themselves.” He suggests‚ “Get rid of arbitration if possible and have‚ maybe‚ free agency occur at an earlier time‚ and if there’s three shortstops and two bidders the price goes down‚ and vice versa‚ it goes up.”
January 26The Royals sign free agent IF Luis Alicea.
January 31A story in The Wall Street Journal quotes three former members of the 1951 NY Giants as admitting that they stole catchers’ signs at the Polo Grounds to help the club overtake the Dodgers and win the pennant. Except for Sal Yvars‚ all the participants will deny using the system during the 3-game playoff with the Dodgers.
February 6Anaheim 1B Mo Vaughn undergoes surgery to repair a ruptured biceps tendon in his left arm. Mo will miss the entire 2001 season.
February 8The Dominican Republic defeats Mexico‚ 5-3‚ to take its fourth Caribbean Series title in five years.
February 11Phillies P Robert Person is arrested on charges of obstructing or opposing an officer without violence‚ and giving a false name‚ after failing to walk away from a fight when ordered.

Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium‚ the home of the Pirates since 1970‚ is imploded before thousands of onlookers. The team will play in new PNC Park this year.
February 14Major league baseball announces that umpires have been instructed to eject pitchers who throw deliberately at hitters‚ and not to give them a warning first.
February 15The Padres sign free agent P Bobby Jones to a one contract for $625.000. Jones left the Mets after 7+ seasons‚ declining a Mets offer of salary arbitration that would have netted him‚ at worst‚ $2 or $3 million. Last year Jones‚ 11-4‚ made $5.25M.

The Yanks sign Henry Rodriguez‚ to a one year contract. The agreement was reached a month ago and H-Rod is already listed in the team’s spring training program.
February 18Dave Winfield‚ Paul Molitor‚ Jim Rice‚ and Robin Yount are inducted into Ted Williams‘ Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando‚ Florida.
February 20Braves OF Andruw Jones wins a record $8.2 million contract in salary arbitration. The previous record of $7.25 million was set last year by Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera.
February 23In what is believed to be a first of its kind test‚ umpire Mike Everitt meets with the Milwaukee Brewers to test out baseball’s new strike zone.
February 26The Dodgers obtain OF Marquis Grissom from the Brewers for OF Devon White.

March

March 62B Bill Mazeroski and Negro League pitcher Hilton Smith are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Old-timers Committee.

Making a comeback after sitting out a year with Lupus‚ Montreal OF Tim Raines plays in the same exhibition game as his son‚ Tim Jr.‚ an outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles. Tim gets 2 hits‚ while Tim Jr. gets one as the Orioles win the game‚ 7-6. Each Raines drives in a run.
March 7Rockies 32-year-old reliever Jerry Dipoto retires due to a bulging disc in his neck.
March 8The Orioles announce that Albert Belle is “Totally disabled and unable to perform as a major league baseball player” due to a severe case of degenerative arthritis of the right hip.
March 11The Yankees formally announce the signing of Cuban defector Andy Morales‚ a third baseman‚ to a 4-year contract. Morales will wash out and be waived from his minor league team by July. The Yanks will try and sidestep his contract with proof that his listed age of 26 years is really 29.
March 19The Padres sign Rickey Henderson and send him to AAA to get in shape. It is Rickey’s first time in the minor since a 3-game rehab 16 years ago.
March 21The Yankees reobtain 3B prospect Drew Henson‚ along with OF Michael Coleman‚ from the Reds for hot prospect OF Wily Mo Pena and cash. Henson agrees to a 6-year $17 million dollar contract that calls for him to leave the University of Michigan football program and to bypass the NFL. The 21-year-old Henson‚ a QB‚ had been projected as a #1 draft choice. Henson will break his hand in April and be out of action till June 14.
March 23The Reds announce the retirement of 1B Hal Morris. Pitcher Tim Belcher retires tomorrow‚ and Dwight Gooden on the 30th
March 25Arizona P Randy Johnson kills a dove with a pitch during the Diamondbacks 10-6 exhibition win over the Giants. The dove makes the mistake of darting in front of a 95 MPH fastball.
March 26The Mets trade P Mark Leiter to the Rockies for P Brian Rose. Rose will make 3 appearances for the Mets before being waived to the Marlins.
March 28The Yankees trade 36-year-old Glenallen Hill‚ who hit .297 with 29 homers last season‚ to the Angels for minor-league OF Darren Blakely. Hill‚ taking the place of the just-released Canseco‚ will go 9-for-66‚ spend 5 weeks on the DL‚ and get his release June 1.

The Pirates acquire P Omar Olivares from the A’s for a player to be named. It’s Omar’s 8th team in 8 years.

The Padres give up on P Matt Clement sending him to the Marlins for OF Mark Kotsay. The Pads also throw in righty Omar Ortiz‚ a 1999 first round pick.
March 30Tigers C Mitch Meluskey is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.

The Marlins swap P Manny Aybar to the Cubs for P Oswaldo Mairena.

The Mets top prospect‚ Brian Cole‚ 22‚ is killed when the car he is driving home to Mississippi from spring training flips over. Cole‚ who stole 69 bases last year‚ was voted the organization’s player of the year in 2000.
March 31After 31 years in Three River Stadium‚ the Pirates move into their new $262 million home at PNC Park‚ losing to the Mets‚ 4-3‚ in an exhibition game. The 38‚000 seat stadium is nestled at the confluence of the Allegheny‚ Monongahela‚ and Ohio rivers with a spectacular view of the city.

April

April 1The Blue Jays defeat the Rangers‚ 8-1‚ as the major league baseball season opens in San Juan‚ Puerto Rico. Former Ranger Esteban Loiza gets the victory‚ striking out 9 in 7 innings while Shannon Stewart and Tony Batista slug HRs for Toronto. Alex Rodriguez gets 2 hits in his Texas debut but makes a critical error.
April 2The Yankees defeat the Royals‚ 7-3‚ as Roger Clemens records 5 strikeouts and ties (or beats) Walter Johnson as the all-time leader in strikeouts in AL history with 3‚509. According to Total Baseball‚ Clemens has 3‚509 but the Elias Sports Bureau has him with one fewer. The extra strikeout was first discovered in the early 1990s by John Schwartz and it came on September 12‚ 1907. The Rocket makes it moot in his next outing.

Gary Sheffield homers over the CF fence as the Dodgers beat Milwaukee‚ 1-0‚ to give new manager Jim Tracy his first win. Dodgers righthander Chan Ho Park is the winner‚ running his consecutive scoreless innings to 32 over 2 seasons.

David Wells pitches 6 strong innings and Magglio Ordonez hits a 3-run homer as the White Sox beat the Indians‚ 7-4 in the opener for both teams. Colon gives up all 7 Chicago runs. The bright spot for the Tribe is Juan Gonzalez‚ who bangs 2 homers‚ the 1st Indian with 2 HRs on Opening Day since Duke Sims in 1968. Gonzalez also becomes just the 4th player to twice hit 2 HRs on Opening Day (Eddie Mathews: 1954‚ 1958; Raul Mondesi: 1995‚ 1999; Joe Torre: 1965‚ 1966).

Vlad Guerrero has an RBI single in the 10th to give the Expos a 5-4 win over the Cubs. The Expos finish with INF Mike Mordecai behind the plate replacing Sandy Martinez‚ who injures his elbow trying to throw out Eric Young in the 10th. Starting C Mike Barrett is thumbed out of the game in the 8th. Tim Raines pinch hits for the Expos‚ thus becoming the 27th ML player to play in 4 decades.

The Giants Livan Hernandez beats the Padres‚ 3-2‚ with relief help from Robb Nen‚ who K’s the side in the 9th. Barry Bonds homers for the Giants. Tony Gwynn‘s 8th inning RBI-single is his 3‚110th hit‚ tying him with Dave Winfield for 17th place on the all-time hit list. With his start today‚ Gwynn becomes the 5th player in NL history to spend 20+ years while playing his entire career with one team. The others are: Cap Anson; 1871-97 Cubs (five years in the National Association); Mel Ott: 1926-47 Giants; Stan Musial: 1941-44‚ 1946-63 Cardinals; Willie Stargell: 1962-82 Pirates.

The Reds sell lefty Ed Yarnell to the Orix Blue Wave (Japan) for $300‚000. Yarnell‚ the 2000 IL pitcher of the year‚ came to the Reds in the Denny Neagle trade with the Yankees.

Former Yankees OF Darryl Strawberry is arrested at a Tampa hospital on a violation of a probation warrant. He has been missing for 4 days after leaving his drug treatment center on Thursday.

Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra has surgery for a split tendon in his right wrist. He will be out till late August.
April 3The Astros defeat the Brewers‚ 11-3‚ as Craig Biggio gets 5 hits for Houston‚ tying a ML record for an opener. Daryle Ward‚ filling in for the injured Moises Alou‚ adds a grand slam to back Scott Elarton. Jose Hernandez and Jeromy Burnitz hit solo HRs for the Brew.
April 4The Red Sox defeat the Orioles‚ 3-0‚ as Hideo Nomo hurls a no-hitter in his Boston debut. It is Nomo’s second career no-no‚ making him the 4th pitcher in history to hurl one in both the NL and AL. It is also the earliest no-hitter‚ by date‚ in history.

The Blue Jays outslug the Devil Rays‚ 11-8‚ as Carlos Delgado hits 3 HRs and drives home 4 runs for Toronto.

The Indians double the White Sox‚ 8-4‚ before the first non-sellout in 6 years at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. It ends the longest consecutive game sellout streak in major league history at 455 games. To honor the streak and the fans‚ the Indians retire a jersey with the number 455 on it.

Colorado Rockies Todd Helton and Larry Walker each drive home four runs to back Denny Neagle who surrenders three runs in five innings. The Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals‚ 13-9‚ scoring 10 earned runs off Andy Benes in 2.2 innings. Cardinals centerfielder Jim Edmonds hits a pair of homers to become the first player to hit two fair balls into the upper deck at Coors Stadium.

An MRI on Cincinnati hurler Scott Williamson’s right elbow reveals a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He will undergo surgery and miss the 2001 season.

The Colorado Rockies send pitchers Mark Leiter and Mike DeJean‚ and IF Elvis Pena‚ to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitchers Juan Acevedo and Kane Davis‚ and IF Jose Flores.
April 5Paul O’Neill hits a 1st inning HR‚ off Dan Reichert‚ for the only run in the Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Orioles. Mike Mussina (7.2 IP) is the winner. It is only the 2nd time in team history that the Yankees win a 1-0 game with a 1st inning HR. Previously‚ it was done in 1941‚ with the HR by Phil Rizzuto.

Tom Goodwin and Mark Grudzielanek homer to lead off the game for the Dodgers‚ and it is the margin of victory in the 7-5 win over Arizona.
April 6The Phillies retire Jim Bunning‘s uniform number before their home opener‚ a 3-2 loss to the Cubs. The game is delayed an hour‚ 51 minutes by rain. Cubs reliever Todd Von Poppel strikes out all 5 batters he faces while Jeff Fassero gets his 2nd save in 2 nights. Previously‚ his last save was June 30‚ 1993. Julio Zuleta hits the first Cub homer of the year.

A crowd of 42‚ 024‚ including President George Bush is on hand for the first game ever played in Milwaukee’s Miller Park. After Bush tosses out the first ball‚ the Brewers come from behind on Richie Sexson’s 2-run HR in the 8th to defeat the Reds‚ 5-4. Reliever David Weathers takes the win.

The Tigers score 8 runs in the 6th inning to take a 9-5‚ then hold on to defeat the White Sox‚ 10-9 in 10 innings. Tony Clark has 2 hits in the 6th‚ including a grand slam. Thomas‚ Durham‚ and Valentin hit solo HRs for the Sox.

The Cardinals score 8 runs in the 5th inning of their 12-9 win over the Diamondbacks. St. Louis 2B Fernando Vina gets 5 hits‚ including a triple.
April 7In the 10th against the Indians‚ the Orioles shift LF Delino DeShields behind 2B with 1 out and the bases loaded. RF Brady Anderson moves to shallow LF and CF Mora moves to right center. Jolbert Cabrera hits a fly near the LF line to Anderson who fires a strike to get the surprised runner Ellis Burks trying to score. The O’s score 2 in the top of the 11th to win‚ 4-2.

Sammy Sosa hits his first homer‚ a solo shot to right center‚ as the Cubs defeat the Phillies‚ 8-4.
April 8The Pirates defeat the Astros‚ 9-3‚ as 3B Aramis Ramirez hits 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs.

The Red Sox defeat the Devil Rays‚ 3-0. Boston’s Pedro Martinez hurls 8 innings of 3-hit shutout ball‚ and strikes out 16 batters.

In the Yankees 16-5 win over Toronto‚ Yankee PH Scott Seabol becomes the lowest-drafted player (88th round in 1996) to ever appear in ML. Al Cowens‚ picked on the 75th round in 1969‚ was the previous player. This distinction will last just 11 days before Travis Phelps-the Tampa Bay Devil Rays‘ selection in the 89th round‚ also in 1996-makes his debut on April 19. Clemens is the winner as batterymate Jorge Posada belts his first grand slam‚ one of 20 Yankee hits.
April 9Sean Casey’s 4 hits and 5 RBIs to lead the Reds over the Pirates‚ 8-2‚ in the first game ever at PNC Park. The occasion is marred by the death of Willie Stargell just a few hours before game time. Pops died after an extended illness and the Bucs pay tribute with a 90 second visual presentation.

Chicago rookie Rocky Biddle survives 5 rocky innings-2 run and 10 hits-to get the 9-2 win over the Indians. In the 6th Tribe reliever Steve Woodard stops a Frank Thomas line drive with his pitching elbow and leaves the game on a stretcher. He’ll be out of action for a month and when he comes back he’ll ask to be traded.

The Cardinals sell 1B-OF John Mabry to the Marlins.
April 11The Braves defeat the Mets‚ 2-0‚ as Greg Maddux (7 innings)‚ Mike Remlinger (1 inning)‚ and John Rocker (1 inning) combine on a one-hitter. Todd Zeile’s 2nd single is the only NY hit and Maddux retires the last 17 batters he faces. Maddux has more wins against the Mets (27-16) than he has against any other team.

The Pirates try and catch lightning in a bottle by signing P Ramon Martinez to a one year contract. Ramon will get hammered in a few appearances and retire for good next month.
April 12The Braves defeat the Astros‚ 12-4‚ as SS Jose Hernandez hits 2 HRs and drives home 7 runs.

Despite pinch homers from Dellucci and Colbrunn‚ the Diamondbacks fall to Dodgers at Bank One Park‚ 5-4.

In Toronto‚ the game between the Royals and Blue Jays is postponed when pieces from the Skydome roof start falling on the field during batting practice. One large piece of metal dangles for an hour before crashing down.
April 13Texas scores 4 in the 1st against Oakland and 2 runs in each of the next 4 innings to roll over Oakland‚ 13-1. Rusty Greer and Randy Velarde lead off the game with back-to-back homers. Alex Rodriguez and Andres Galarraga also homer.
April 14A major league record is set as 11 one-run games are played‚ breaking the mark of 10 set in 1967. With a 1-0 win over the Mets‚ the Reds set the modern day NL record with their 175th consecutive game without being shut out‚ breaking the mark of 174‚ set by the 1992-93 Phillies. Chris Reitsma and Danny Graves combine to beat Al Leiter.
April 15The Rockies defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 10-7‚ as Todd Hollandsworth hits 3 HRs and drives home 7 runs. Hollandsworth is the ninth major-leaguer to hit three homers in a game with the last being a game-ender. Jack Clark‚ with the Red Sox in 1991‚ was the last to do it.

The Braves Odalis Perez (7 IP) allows just 4 singles in sinking the Phillies‚ 3-0. Perez is making his 1st start after missing the entire 2000 season because of Tommy John surgery. Brian Jordan and Andruw Jones homer for the Braves.

Eric Milton strikes out 10‚ including the first 4 hitters on called 3rd strikes‚ in 7 innings. The surprising Twins edge the visiting White Sox‚ 4-3‚ to complete a 3-game sweep. Corey Koskie is 4-for-4 for the Twins.

The Cubs complete sweep of Pirates as Kerry Wood strikes out 10 in 5-1 win.
April 17The Giants edge the Dodgers‚ 3-2‚ as Barry Bonds hits his 500th career HR.

The Diamondbacks beat up on the Cardinals‚ 17-4‚ collecting 15 runs in the first 4 innings off Dustin Hermanson and Chad Hutchinson. The last 2 runs come in the 9th off Bobby Bonilla‚ making his ML pitching debut. The most successful Card pitcher is Gene Stechschulte‚ who belts a 6th inning pinch homer on the 1st pitch of his 1st ML at bat (he is the 15th pitcher to accomplish hit a pinch HR‚ according to HR maven David Vincent). Also getting beat up is Umpire Larry Young who is struck in the forehead by a throw from Arizona’s Jay Bell and requires 14 stitches to close the gash. He’ll be out 2-3 weeks. Arizona is paced by Jay Bell‘s 4 hits‚ including a HR‚ and WP Armando Reynoso.
April 18Mike Hampton pitches his 2nd strong effort (8 IP‚ 4 hits) of the year with an 8-0 win over San Diego. Jeff Cirillo homers and Larry Walker homers in his 4th straight game.

After just 14 games‚ the Devil Rays fire manager Larry Rothschild and hire Hal McRae to take his place.
April 19The Yankees defeat the Blue Jays‚ 6-5‚ in 17 innings and almost 6 hours. Six relievers pitch 11 scoreless innings before Chuck Knoblauch walks and Jeter singles him to 2B. O’Neill’s 4th hit of the game finally ends it. Both teams total 14 pitchers‚ who throw 538 pitches (336 Ks) and strand 35 runners.
April 20Toronto’s Carlos Delgado hits 3 HRs in a game for the 2nd time this season as Toronto defeats KC‚ 12-4. On 2 of the dingers‚ Delgado combines with Raul Mondesi to go back-to-back‚ the first time in a year that teammates have twice gone back-to-back in the same game.

Dodgers’ GM Kevin Malone resigns. The final straw that did in the controversial GM was a verbal altercation with a fan during a Dodger game. The team was 178-176 in his 2+ years as GM. Assistant GM Dave Wallace will serve on an interim basis.

A new musical‚ “The Curse of the Bambino‚” opens in Boston. Written by David Kruh with music and lyrics by Stephen Bergman‚ the comedy is staged as a Greek tragedy complete with a Greek chorus composed of four fans.

Jon Lieber gets his first win and Sosa hits the first grand slam at the new PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Sosa’s slam comes with 2 outs in the 9th and gives him 5 RBI on the day.
April 22Colorado’s Pedro Astacio throws a brilliant game against the Snakes in Arizona‚ winning‚ 2-1. They hit him 2 times‚ and he hits them 4 times‚ tying a ML record for HBP in a game. The last to do so was Orel Hershiser on April 19‚ 2000. Pedro is lifted in the 9th after hitting his 4th batter and allowing a single. Larry Walker has a solo HR to back Astacio’s 50th career win with the Rocks‚ the first franchise pitcher to reach that level.

Eric Davis of the San Francisco Giants hits the third pinch-hit homer of his career‚ a 3-run shot off Milwaukee Brewer pitcher Jeff D’Amico in the fifth inning. His last pinch homer was in 1989‚ off Rich Gossage (then with the Giants). D’Amico follows the blast with 2 walks‚ then reliever Will Cunnane adds 2 more walks and a HBP‚ good for 2 runs. Shawn Estes wins‚ 6-4. Jamie Quirk went the longest between pinch dingers at 5‚486 days‚ or approximately 15 years
April 24The American League celebrates its 100th anniversary.
April 25Rickey Henderson’s 9th-inning walk from Philadelphia’s Jose Mesa is the 2‚063rd of his career and breaks Babe Ruth‘s all-time record. The Phillies defeat the Padres‚ 5-3.
April 26Luis Gonzalez bangs 2 HRs in Arizona’s 13-6 win over Atlanta to tie the ML record for HRs in the month of April with 13 held by Ken Griffey‚ Jr. His first HR‚ off Greg Maddux‚ ties the NL record. Steve Finley also homers off Maddux‚ a 3-run shot‚ and adds a triple and single to drive in 5 runs. Damian Miller has 2 homers‚ including a back-to-back shots with Erubiel Drazo in the 8th. Robert Ellis (3-0) is the winner.
April 27The Marlins beat the Astros‚ 9-8‚ as Eric Owens gets 5 hits‚ including a HR.

The Braves defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 9-0‚ as Chipper Jones has his first career 5-hit game‚ including a 2B and HR. John Burkett fires a 3-hitter to win easily.

The White Sox absorb two losses today‚ once to the Mariners. 8-3 and the second from a doctor. Frank Thomas is injured during the game and is out for the rest of the season. The hot Mariners win their 19th of the month behind Aaron Sele. Mike Cameron gets on base 5 times and steals 3 bases.

Kerry Wood strikes out 14 in the Cubs’ 7-3 win over San Francisco.
April 28Mariners defeat the White Sox‚ 8-5‚ for their 20th win this month‚ a new ML record for April. Kazuhiro Sasaki sets a new record for saves in April with his 13th.

Hot-hitting Luis Pujols ties the ML record for HRs in April by a rookie with 8 but his Cardinals fall to the Mets‚ 6-5 in 11 innings.

The Brewers double the Expos‚ 8-4‚ as Geoff Jenkins hits 3 HRs and drives in 6 runs.
April 29The Brewers whitewash the Expos‚ 10-0‚ as Geoff Jenkins gets 4 hits‚ including 2 HRs‚ and drives home 6 runs for the 2nd straight game. His 5 HRs in 2 games ties the ML mark.

Cubs starter Julian Tavarez apologizes to fans after making derogatory remarks toward San Francisco fans the previous day. He is later fined by the club.
April 30PCL baseball returns to Portland as the transplanted Albuquerque Dukes‚ now the Beavers‚ open before 18.616. The season will be a success but the team will lose $800‚000.

May

May 1The Giants beat the Pirates‚ 11-6‚ as Jeff Kent drives home 7 runs. His 3-run HR in the 1st chases Ramon Martinez‚ and he adds a 3-run double in the 4th. Emil Brown homers for the Bucs.

Mike Mussina 3-hits the Twins to win‚ 4-0‚ for the Yankees. Justice has a solo HR in the 6th off Eric Milton‚ the losing pitcher‚ and Posada adds ribbie singles in the 7th and 9th.
May 2The Braves beat the Brewers‚ 1-0‚ as Greg Maddux hurls a 2-hitter and strikes out a career high 14. Maddux K’s 8 of the last 10 batters he faces as he hurls his 100th complete game. B.J. Surhoff’s HR in the 3rd off Paul Rigdon is the only score.

Oakland’s Mike Mulder 3-hits Toronto to win 6-0. Manuel Tejada backs him with 2 homers.

Texas manager Johnny Oates resigns and Jerry Narron takes over as interim manager. Narron dodges a bullet when today’s game is called after 3 innings with the visiting White Sox leading‚ 6-0.
May 5Leading the Dodgers‚ 4-1‚ the Cubs score 8 runs in the 7th and 8 more in the 8th to defeat LA‚ 20-1. Sosa‚ Hundley‚ and Zuleta homer for Chicago‚ with Zuleta’s 3-run pinch capping the scoring in the 7th. Chicago scores 8 in the 8th on 5 hits before LA third baseman Chris Donnels takes the mound and gets the final out. It was the 15th time since 1900 that the Cubbies have scored 20 runs in a game and the 11th time they’ve done it at “The Friendly Confines.” The Cubs last scored 20 runs at Wrigley on June 3‚ 1987.

Dee Brown follows a Dave McCarty walk in the 12th with a homer off Travis Miller as the Royals beat the visiting Twins‚ 12-10. After Rey Sanchez scored‚ McCarty tied the score in the bottom of the 9th with a 2-out single off LaTroy Hawkins‚ his first blown save after a ML record 23 straight to start a career. Sanchez scored from 3B after 1B Doug Mientkiewitcz tumbled into the stands after making a diving catch.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.

The Angels place Benjie Molina on the DL and bring up brother Jose Molina from Salt Lake.
May 6The Phillies score 9 runs in the 2nd inning‚ then hold on to beat the Giants‚ 10-8. Pitcher Omar Daal has 2 hits in the big score‚ the first Phillies pitcher to have 2 hits in a frame since Dennis Cook‚ in 1990. In his next start on May 12‚ Daal will go 3-for-3.

The Astros defeat the Expos‚ 13-7‚ as Julio Lugo gets 5 hits‚ including a pair of doubles. Jeff Bagwell has 4 hits‚ including a grand slam‚ and 5 ribbies. Geoff Blum has 4 hits for the Expos.

At Camden Yards‚ the Yankees continue to beat up on the Orioles‚ winning 2-1‚ behind Mike Mussina. Scott Brosius hits a solo HR in the 8th to break a 1-1 tie. The Yanks tie a ML record by starting the season 13-0 against below .500 teams‚ matching a mark set by the 1902 Pirates and the 1966 Indians.
May 7Kevin Brown retires 17 straight batters‚ allows 2 hits as the Dodgers subdue the Marlins‚ 1-0. For the 2nd of three times in 6 weeks‚ Gary Sheffield provides the only scoring with a HR. Teeing it up is A.J. Burnett‚ just off the DL after 5 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot.
May 8Diamondbacks flamethrower Randy Johnson strikes out 20 Reds in Arizona’s 4-3 win over Cincinnati in 11 innings. Johnson gets all 20 in his 9 innings of work‚ but does not tie Clemens and Woods record since the contest goes into extra frames. The Reds score 2 in the top of the 11th‚ but the D’Backs come back with 3‚ scoring the winning run on a bases loaded walk by reliever Danny Graves.

The Devil Rays edge the Orioles‚ 4-3‚ as Tampa Bay’s Fred McGriff joins Mark McGwire‚ Hank Aaron‚ Barry Bonds‚ Eddie Murray‚ and Reggie Jackson as the only players to homer off 300 different pitchers in their career. McGriff’s solo in the 8th snaps a 3-3 tie.

The Padres steal 8 bases enroute to a 7-1 win over the Braves.
May 9Red Sox 2B Chris Stynes‚ who had 3 hits in yesterday’s win‚ suffers 2 fractures in his left cheekbone when he is hit by an Aaron Sele pitch in the 2nd inning. He’ll miss 6 weeks. Seattle breaks a 5-5 tie in the 8th on Olerud’s double to win‚ 10-5. David Bell has 4 RBI for the M’s‚ while Trot Nixon homers and Ramirez and O’Leary go back-to-back in the 4th.
May 10The Brewers defeat the Cubs‚ 11-1‚ as OF Jeromy Burnitz hits 3 HRs and drives in 6 runs. Devon White adds a grand slam‚ while Sosa does the only Cubs damage with his 398th career HR. The Brewers‚ 8-0 in their new ball park‚ are just 3 games in back of Chicago in the NL Central.

The Royals defeat the Indians‚ 8-3‚ ending Cleveland’s 10-game winning streak. Brian Meadows goes 6 2/3 innings for the win over Colon. Sweeney and Quinn each have 3 hits.

The Giants score 8 runs in the 6th inning and roll by the Expos‚ 13-0. Kirk Reuter goes 8 innings for the win. Britt Reames loses his 4th in a row. The Giants‚ led by 4 by Armando Rios‚ collect 18 hits.

At the SkyDome‚ the A’s outslug the Blue Jays‚ 14-8‚ as 7 homers leave the park. Tejada hits a 3-run HR‚ the 6th game in a row he’s homered at the SkyDome. Jason Giambi and Carlos Delgado match homers‚ and Simmons and Fletcher go back-to-back for Oakland.
May 11An arbitrator rules that major league baseball must reinstate 9 of the 22 umpires who lost their jobs when they resigned last season.
May 12At Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego‚ the Marlins’ A.J. Burnett no-hits the Padres‚ 3-0. He strikes out 7‚ but walks 9-the most in a no no-and hits a batter in his gem. It is the 228th complete game no-hitter in major-league history. Burnett mixes just five curveballs and one changeup with 122 fastballs.

The Royals beat the Twins‚ 12-4‚ as Joe Randa gets 5 hits‚ including 3 doubles.

The Dodgers edge the Braves‚ 1-0‚ on Gary Sheffield‘s 9th inning HR off Matt Whiteside. Kevin Brown is the winner. Rookie Jason Marquis makes his first start a good one going 5 innings. Sheffield becomes the first player in major-league history to win three 1-0 games in a season with a home run. He also supplied the only scoring by homering on April 2 versus Milwaukee and on May 7 against Florida.

The Yankees extend their quite a mouthful of a major league record of 15 straight wins since the start of a season over teams with a below .500 record. They beat the Orioles‚ 8-5‚ on Derek Jeter‘s 3-run HR in the 8th. Justice and Williams also homer for NY.

Texas whips the White Sox‚ 16-6 as Alex Rodriguez hits a 1st inning HR‚ his 200th. He’s the 5th youngest to reach the mark. He adds his 201st‚ a 3-run shot‚ in the 9th. Gabe Kapler and Ken Caminiti also homer.

Pedro goes 7 strong innings as the Red Sox beat Oakland‚ 9-3. Martinez allows 2 hits including a 3-run HR by Jason Giambi. Trot Nixon has 4 hits with a HR‚ and Manny Ramirez hits a 468 (sic) foot dinger over the Green Monster that ends up on the Mass Turnpike.
May 13Diamondbacks P Randy Johnson strikes out 12 to match Luis Tiant’s mark of 32 K’s in 2 straight games. The major league record is 33‚ by Kerry Wood. It’s Big Unit’s 6th game in a row with 10+ strikeouts. Arizona beats the Phillies‚ 6-1.

Houston scores 4 runs in the 1st inning off the Reds Jim Brower‚ who records one out‚ then hold on for a 4-3 win. Julio Lugo‘s leadoff HR sparks the scoring. He’ll hit another leadoff HR tomorrow.

Montreal takes a 9-0 lead over host Colorado in the 4th inning‚ then holds on for a 14-10 win. Milton Bradley has 4 hits‚ including a HR‚ and 5 RBIs‚ while Guerrero and Jose Vidro also homer. Todd Helton has 4 hits‚ with a HR and double.

The Yanks finally lose to a below .500 team as the Orioles double them‚ 10-5. Paul O’Neill hits a 2-out‚ 2-run homer in the 9th to tie‚ but the O’s score 5 runs off Mariano Rivera in the 11th to win. The big blow is Jeff Conine‘s HR.

The Cubs suffer a big loss when 3B Bill Mueller injures his knee sliding into a railing going for a foul ball. He misses three months of the season.
May 15The Brewers pound out 22 hits as they defeat the Phillies‚ 14-10. The Brewskis almost blow an 8-run lead before going ahead in the 10th inning on Richie Sexson’s double. Tyler Houston gets 5 hits‚ including a double‚ for Milwaukee‚ while Devon White hits a grand slam.
May 16The Astros defeat the Cubs‚ 6-2‚ despite Sammy Sosa‘s 400th career HR‚ off Shane Reynolds‚ at Chicago.

At Shea Stadium‚ the Padres Rickey Henderson leads off with a home run‚ extending his ML record for leadoff HRs to 79. This is more than twice the total for the #2 and #3 players on the list Brady Anderson (44)‚ and Bobby Bonds (35). San Diego scores 4 in the 1st and holds on for a 5-2 win.
May 17Desi Relaford of the New York Mets became the third position player this year to take the mound as he pitches the ninth inning of a 15-3 blowout by the San Diego Padres. Relaford displays a 91-mph fastball as he fires a perfect inning. Starter Steve Trachsel takes the loss and sets a club record by serving up 4 homers (Arias‚ Henderson‚ Klesko‚ Trammell) in 3rd inning. The Pads set a team record with 11 extra base hits.
May 18The Tigers defeat the Devil Rays‚ 18-2‚ scoring 9 runs in the 5th inning. Nine Tigers drive home runs. The win goes to Victor Santos‚ his first ML win‚ but his consecutive innings pitched without an earned run is snapped at 27.1.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Cubs‚ 4-0‚ as Randy Johnson (5 innings)‚ Byung-Hyun Kim (3 innings)‚ and Bret Prinz (1 inning) combine on a one-hitter. Coomer’s single off Big Unit is the only safety. The Cubs have now lost 8 in a row. Before tomorrow’s game‚ Julio Zuleta will borrow a scene from the movie Major League and use a voodoo stick on the Cubs bats to instill hits. It works.

The Yanks stop Seattle’s 8-game win streak‚ winning‚ 14-10. Ex-Mariner Tino Martinez is 4-for-5 with a homer and 4 ribbies. John Halama is the loser with 7 runs in 3 IP. Ichiro Suzuki is 3-for-6 with 2 steals to extend his hitting streak to 23 games.

In San Francisco’s 10-5 win over visiting Florida‚ the Marlins lose SS Alex Gonzalez when he dives for a Barry Bond hit and dislocates his shoulder. He’ll try to make a comeback in a rehab assignment before turning to surgery. He’ll be out until the 2003 season.
May 19In a rain-delayed game‚ the Giants defeat the Braves‚ 6-3‚ as Barry Bonds hits 3 HRs. He takes over 13th place on the all-time homer list.

The Padres score in every inning except the 4th as they defeat the Expos‚ 20-7. It is the first time in franchise history that Expo pitchers have surrendered that many runs‚ a span of 5‚098 games. It also ties the Padres club record. The Pads really heat it up in the 5th‚ scoring 3-3-5-3-3 in the last 5 innings to score 20 for the second time in franchise history (July 27‚ 1996). Bubba Trammell leads with a 3-run homer and 6 RBIs‚ and Rickey Henderson adds a 2-run HR in the 8th.

Florida nips Colorado‚ 1-0‚ as Brad Penny (4-0) wins his 8th in a row. Kevin Millar provides the only score with a 7th inning homer. In yesterday’s 2-1 win‚ Millar and Charlie Johnson hit back-to-back HRs.

Both Ichiro Suzuki‘s and Marty Cordova‘s hit streaks end. The Yankees defeat the Mariners‚ 2-1‚ ending Ichiro’s 23-game hitting streak‚ It was the fifth longest hit streak recorded by a “true” rookie.

Cordova is 0-for-4 stopping his 22-game hit streak‚ but his Indians beat the Angels‚ 4-3 in 10 innings. Robby Alomar has 3 hits‚ driving home the winning run in the 10th‚ and Ellis Burks has 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Adam Kennedy has 4 hits for Anaheim. Jaret Wright makes his appearance since June 2‚ 2000‚ giving up 2 runs in 5 innings. Troy Percival takes the loss and is now 0-8 against Cleveland.

The Cubs end an eight-game skid with a 6-2 win over Arizona. The win kicks off a 12-game winning streak. Kerry Wood (2-4) pitches 6 innings‚ K’s 6‚ and walks 6 for the win.

The Mets obtain P Justin Speier from the Indians in exchange for a player (P Brian Jenkins) to be named.
May 20The Braves defeat the Giants‚ 11-6‚ despite 2 HRs-#515 and #516-by Barry Bonds. His 5 four-baggers‚ including 4 consecutive‚ in 2 games ties a ML mark. Bonds also homered on the 17th and 18th‚ giving him 7 HRs in his last 4 games. Atlanta does a bit of homering of their own‚ thanks in part to Giants reliever Alan Embree who gives up taters to 4 of the first 6 batters he faces in the 7th inning. He is the first reliever since Paul Foytack of the 1963 Los Angeles Angels to surrender four long balls in an inning. The Giants add a HR to tie the two team mark for the inning.

The Red Sox beat the Royals‚ 10-3‚ as Jason Varitek is 4-for-4 hitting 3 HRs and an RBI single and drives in 7 runs. Varitek came into the game with 2 homers. Ramirez and Carl Everett solo to back Frank Castillo’s pitching.
May 21The Diamondbacks double the Giants‚ 4-2‚ overcoming another HR by Barry Bonds. His 8th HR in 5 games ties another ML record.
May 22The Giants lose to the Diamondbacks‚ 12-8‚ despite Barry Bonds‘ 9th HR in the last 6 games. His streak of 6 straight games with homers is his 2nd of the season. Mark Grace has 4 hits‚ including 2 doubles.

The Twins score 8 runs in the 3rd inning to give Brad Radke an 8-0 lead‚ then hold on to edge the Mariners‚ 12-11. The M’s will use the momentum to win their next 15 and set a franchise record.
May 23The Yankees defeat the Red Sox‚ 7-3 as SS Derek Jeter gets 5 hits‚ including a double and HR. David Cone (0-1) takes the loss‚ going 5 innings and giving up 3 runs. Pettitte is the winner.
May 24The Cubs Jon Leiber one-hits the Reds‚ 3-0‚ ending Cincinnati’s NL-record streak of 208 straight games without being shut out. 2B Juan Castro gets the Reds only hit. The efficient Leiber needs only 78 pitches in the game.
May 25More one-hitters. At Wrigley‚ the Cubs edge the Brewers‚ 1-0‚ on Kerry Wood‘s one-hitter. Mark Loretta’s single in the 7th is the only Milwaukee hit. Woods strikes out 14. The Cubs staff has now thrown back-to-back one hitters: it was last done by the Rangers‚ in 1996‚ when Ken Hill and Roger Pavlik did it.

At Fenway‚ the Red Sox defeat the Blue Jays‚ 4-0‚ on Hideo Nomo‘s one-hitter. The only Toronto hit is Shannon Stewart’s double in the 4th‚ extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Mike Lansing’s 3-run double in the 8th gives Nomo some breathing room.

Greg Maddux becomes the first Brave pitcher since Dick Rudolph and Lefty Tyler in August 1916 to throw two 1-0 shutouts in the same month as he whips the Pirates‚ 1-0. Maddux beat the Brewers‚ 1-0 on May 2. Rafael Furcal‘s RBI single off Todd Ritchie (0-6) is the winner. The Bucs waste a chance in the 8th when they have 3 singles‚ but 2 runners are caught stealing.
May 26Arizona’s Curt Schilling takes a no hitter into the 8th inning against the Padres before catcher Ben Davis breaks it up with a bunt single. The bunt in a no no is controversial. Schilling allows a run in the 9th and finishes with a 3-hitter and a win‚ 3-1.
May 27Against the Rockies’ Denny Neagle in the 1st inning‚ Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits the franchise’s 12‚000th home run. It is Bonds 26th of the year. Only the Yankees have hit more. Neagle gives up all 5 runs‚ including solos to Armando Rios and Rich Aurilia‚ in the 5-4 loss to SF.
May 28The Dodgers defeat the Rockies‚ 11-10 in 11 innings. Catcher and leadoff hitter Paul LoDuca gets 6 hits‚ tying the NL record for extra innings‚ including a 3-run homer for LA. He drives home 4 runs‚ including the tying run in the 9th and scores 3 himself‚ plating the winning run in the 11th. Todd Helton has a grand slam for the Rocks.

The sizzling Cubs win their 8th straight‚ 9-6‚ in 13 innings over the Reds. Guttierez hits a 2-run homer in the 13th after an Eric Young RBI single. Reds 1B Sean Casey leaves the game with a strained lower back‚ and the Reds use 3 more first basemen‚ tying a NL mark set by the Phillies‚ on July 23‚ 1964. The 2 teams combine to tie the major league record by using 6 at first base: the mark was set by the White Sox (5) and Yankees (1)‚ on June 25‚ 1953.

The Marlins (22-26) fire manager John Boles‚ reacting in part to players’ grumbling for a year about his approach. Reliever Dan Miceli was the most outspoken‚ ripping Boles for his rigid style and the fact he never played organized ball. Tony Perez agrees to manage until a new manager is found‚ then agrees to finish the year. Under Perez‚ the Marlins will go 54-60.
May 29The Diamondbacks defeat the Giants‚ 1-0 in 18 innings with the game lasting five hours and 53 minutes. Erubial Durazo throws out a runner at home in the 17th‚ then drives in Steve Finley with a double in the 18th. The loss goes to Ryan Vogelsong‚ making his ML debut. Vogelsong almost redeems himself with a double in his first ML at bat in the 18th. The 2 teams combine for 139 plate appearances and their 14 pitchers throw a total of 503 pitches (301 strikes and 202 balls).
May 30The Expos fire manager Felipe Alou‚ their skipper since May‚ 1992. Owner Jeffrey Loria says the team has been underperforming and needs a change. The new manager is his long-time friend Jeff Torborg‚ who is also an old friend of Alou’s. The 66-year-old Alou‚ with the Expos organization for 27 years‚ turned down the job of managing the Dodgers after the 1997 season to stay in Montreal. A year later he called that a big mistake.
May 31On “Buhner Buzz Night” at Safeco Field‚ Mariners ace Aaron Sele (8-0) trims the Orioles 2-1. The sizzling Mariners are now 40-12. The O’s only run is Cal Ripken’s 420th career homer. The 7th annual Buhner promotion‚ celebrating the smooth-pated outfielder‚ allows fans with shaved heads into the park free. This year‚ 6‚246 fans‚ including 112 women‚ were admitted‚ bringing the 7-year total of baldies to 22‚302.

Montreal’s Tim Raines‚ who had struggled back from Lupus‚ undergoes orthopedic surgery on a torn left bicep tendon and is out for the year.

June

June 1In a rarity at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia earns a win despite pitching only 4 innings. The game is called because of rain after 5 innings with the Tribe ahead‚ 7-2. The rules state that in a 5-inning game‚ a starter need not go the full 5 to earn a victory‚ Retrosheet’s David W. Smith notes that there are just 5 other cases since 1978 to match C.C.

The Cubs sign Korean high school P Jae Kuk Ryu. He turned 18 two days ago.

The Indians trade Jacob Cruz to the Rockies for minor leaguers Josh Bard‚ a catcher‚ and OF Jody Gerut. Cruz spent most of last year on the DL‚ and will be waived to the Tigers in December.
June 2The red-hot Cubs push their winning streak to 12 games‚ beating Milwaukee‚ 10-4. Matt Stairs hits a 3-run homer‚ while Sosa and Rondell White add 2-run shots‚ all off Paul Rigdon. Frank Tapani is the winning pitcher. The streak is the longest by the Cubbies since they won 15 in 1936. The streak ends tomorrow.
June 3The Dodgers edge the Astros‚ 9-8 in 10 innings. OF Tom Goodwin gets 5 hits for LA‚ including a double.
June 4Seattle 2B Bret Boone drives home 7 runs in the Mariners 11-6 win over the Rangers. Boone’s 4 hits include a double and 2 HRs.
June 5The Red Sox edge the Tigers‚ 4-3‚ in 18 innings on Shea Hillenbrand’s HR over the Green Monster. Tim Wakefield‚ with a scoreless inning‚ is the winner. Sox DH Manny Ramirez is handed 4 intentional walks‚ tying the AL mark set by Roger Maris‚ on May 22‚ 1962. Maris did it in a 12 inning game. The ML record is 5‚ by Andre Dawson‚ in a 16 inning game‚ on May 22‚ 1990.

At Coors Field‚ Mike Hampton (8-2) beats Houston‚ 9-4‚ and hits a pair of homers. Hampton‚ who came into the season homerless‚ now has 4 dingers: The Mets‚ Hampton’s team last year‚ have a combined 5 homers from their outfielders.

Greg Maddux outduels Javier Vazquez to give the Braves a 3-1 win over the Expos. The lone Expo run comes in the 4th inning when Maddux throws 2 wild pitches‚ the only time in his career he’s thrown 2 in one inning. Maddux lost his last outing a week ago to Vazquez‚ but will go undefeated in June and July.

The Phillies trade P Paul Byrd to the Royals for P Jose Santiago.

Picking first in the June free agent draft‚ The Twins pass over top prospect Mark Prior and select Minnesota prep catcher Joe Mauer. Mauer immediately signs a $5+ million contract. Later‚ the Twins will pick Joe’s older brother Jake. The Cubs then select USC’s Prior who will eventually sign a ML contract for $10.5 and debut in 2002. Tampa Bay takes RHP Dewon Brazleton with the 3rd pick and will bring him up in September. The Phils take high schooler Gavin Floyd with the #4‚ while the Rangers take the draft’s top hitter Mark Texeira‚ from Georgia Tech‚ with #5 and sign him for $9.5 for 4 years. Texeira‚ who graduated from Floyd’s high school‚ missed most of the 2001 season with a broken ankle‚ but was the player of the year in 2000. UCLA’s Josh Karp goes to the Expos on #6‚ Picking 7th‚ the Orioles chose pitcher Chris Smith‚ who will fail to win a game in pro ball. The Pirates take Kent State slugger John Van Benschoten with #8. The Bucs plan on converting the slugger to a pitcher. Kansas City picks prep fireballer Colt Griffin‚ the first high school to hit 100-MPH on the radar gun‚ with the #9. Picking 18th‚ the Mets take Notre Dame pitcher Aaron Heilman‚ who turned down a $1.5 million offer from the Twins last year. New York will ink him for slightly more. The Diamondbacks take P Jason Bulger in the first round‚ and take his brother Kevin on the 43rd round. Third brother Brian goes to the Giants on the 49th round. The Angels use the #13th pick to take Casey Kotchman‚ son of Angels minor league manager Tom. The Mariners use their top pick to take Michael Garciaparra‚ Nomar’s brother. Several teams passed on Garciaparra after he injured his knee in last fall. On the 11th round‚ Florida hopes for a hit by picking SS Rex Rundgren‚ son of 70s rocker‚ Todd Rundgren. Cuban defector Rolando Viera‚ who lost a court case and had to go through the draft‚ is taken by the Red Sox on the 7th round. At 27‚ he is the oldest in the draft. The Expos take lefty Chad Benz on the 7th round; Benz was born without a complete right hand. The Padres take pitcher Matt Harrington in the 2nd round but will not sign him this year. Harrington will sit out the summer and did the same in 2000 when he and the Rockies‚ who took him #7 overall‚ could not reach an agreement. The A’s‚ picking 25th‚ take Jeremy Bonderman‚ the first high school junior ever selected. Bonderman became eligible when he obtained his GED.
June 6Baltimore’s first two hitters‚ Jerry Hairston‚ Jr and Mike Bordick‚ hit homers against New York. Despite a 2nd homer by Bordick‚ the Yankees win‚ 7-4‚ going ahead on an 8th inning grand slam by Jorge Posada.
June 7In Boston’s 8-1 win over the Tigers‚ the Sox lose C Jason Varitek when he breaks his right elbow diving for a pop bunt in the 7th inning. Varitek earlier hit a homer. Carl Everett drives home 5 to back Tim Wakefield’s 4th win.

The Padres pound Russ Ortiz (7-4) and outslug the Giants‚ 10-7‚ to snap their 8-game losing streak. Cesar Crispo hits his 1st ML homer for the Pads‚ while his brother Felipe‚ playing 1B for the Giants in J.T. Snow’s absence‚ hits a pair. It was the 9th time that brothers on opposing teams had both homered in the same game. The last time was when Bret and Aaron Boone did it last year. Bobby Bonds hits #32‚ his 13th homer in 18 games. Mike Darr has 4 hits and 4 RBIs for SD.

The Cubs complete a sweep of Cardinals‚ winning 4-3‚ and posting their 15th win in 16 games. Cub fans haven’t seen that since 1945. Matt Morris takes a no hitter into the 7th before Matt Stairs 2-out double opens the door. Rondell White’s single in the 10th inning drives home Sammy Sosa for the winner. Chicago takes a five game lead over St. Louis in the Central Division with the win.
June 8The Tigers defeat the Brewers‚ 9-4‚ as Damion Easley hits for the cycle and drives home 4 runs. Easley is the 9th player in team history and the first since Travis Fryman‚ on July 28‚ 1993‚ to cycle.

The Mariners (47-12) swamp the Padres‚ 7-1‚ for their 15th straight victory. Paul Abbott (7-2) gets help in the 1st inning when Edgar Martinez and Brett Boone homer off Kevin Jarvis.

Ismael Valdes pitches 6 2/3 innings and Garrett Anderson homers off Giovanni Carrara to give the Angels a 1-0 win over the Dodgers.

The Diamondbacks trim the Royals‚ 11-4‚ as OF Luis Gonzalez hits 3 HRs.

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch named himself team president‚ replacing John McHale‚ who became the CEO of the Devil Rays.
June 9Bobby Jones stops Seattle’s 15-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory over the M’s. Rickey Henderson drives in 3 runs as the Padres hand Freddy Garcia his 1st loss of the year.
June 10Nick Regilio of the Port Charlotte Rangers fires a perfect game against the Jupiter Hammerheads‚ striking out 9 and allowing only 2 balls to reach the outfield in a 3-0 victory.
June 11Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy fires Cam Bonifay. Seven losing seasons and several ill-fated free-agent signings do in the long-time GM. New GM Dave Littlefield will start July 13 and wholesale housecleaning will start soon thereafter.
June 12The Mariners defeat the Rockies‚ 10-9‚ as 9 HRs are hit at Coors Field‚ 6 by Seattle and 3 by Colorado. Mike Cameron‚ drilled in the 7th inning following Bret Boone‘s 2nd HR of the game‚ hits the go-ahead homer in the 9th. The M’s bullpen blows a lead and Aaron Sele (8-0) misses a W.

At Dodger Stadium‚ LA beats the Texas Rangers‚ 8-4. Darren Dreifort of the Dodgers goes 5+ innings allowing 2 earned runs and scores a run by stealing home.
June 13Adam Walker‚ pitcher for Reading (AA) throw the first 9-inning no-hitter in the 35-year history of Reading‚ blanking the New Haven Ravens‚ 4-0. I his last start‚ against Altoona‚ Walker allowed a leadoff single‚ then held the next 29 batters hitless. The 27th round draft choice has no hit his last 59 batters. According to SportsTicker‚ the last pitcher to throw back-to-back no hitters was Vancouver’s Tom Drees‚ in 1989‚ beating Calgary and Edmonton by 1-0 scores.
June 14Matt Morris strikes out 11 in the Cardinals 3-2 win over the Dodgers‚ and Mark McGwire clubs a solo homer off Jose Lima to pass Reggie Jackson on the all-time homer list. McGwire’s homer is his 563rd‚ putting him 6th on the HR list.

Phil Nevin hits his 2nd homer of the game‚ a grand slam in the 8th‚ to give the Padres a 6-4 win over Oakland.
June 15The Mariners defeat the Padres‚ 8-4‚ to run their mark to 51-14. No AL team has ever won as many of their first 65 games of the year.

The Reds acquire OF Ruben Mateo and 3B Edwin Encarnacion from the Rangers for P Rob Bell. Bell‚ 0-5 at Cincy‚ tries changing his luck by wearing #6. The Rangers also claim C Marcus Jensen off waivers from the Red Sox.
June 16Brad Penny (7 innings) and Rickey Bones (2 innings) combine to shut out the Devil Rays‚ 11-0‚ on 1 hit. C Ray Flaherty’s single is the only Tampa Bay safety.

The Mariners trip the Padres‚ 9-2‚ as Seattle 1B John Olerud hits for the cycle. It is the 2nd time in his career that Olerud has cycled even though he has hit just 12 triples in his 13-year career‚ by far the fewest number of triples by a player with more than one cycle. Wally Westlake is 2nd on the list with 33.

The Blue Jays recall veteran Tony Fernandez‚ signed a week ago to a minor league contract with Syracuse after the Brewers released him May 30. Tony hits a 6th inning pinch single. For Fernandez‚ it is his 4th tour of duty with the Jays making him just the second player since Bobo Newsom to make 4 tours of duty with one team. Bobo made 5 separate appearances for the old Senators‚ the last in 1952. The other player is Rickey Henderson‚ who has done 4 tours of duty with the A’s.

Miami defeats Stanford‚ 12-1‚ to win the College World Series. It is the Hurricanes 4th national title. Miami’s Charlton Jimerson‚ a 5th round draft pick of the Astros‚ is named the CWS Most Outstanding Player.
June 17Royals fireballer Blake Stein fans 8 straight Brewers‚ and 11 in 5 2/3 innings‚ but Milwaukee defeats Kansas City‚ 5-2. Only Ryan (twice)‚ Ron Davis and Roger Clemens have struck out 8 in a row in the AL. Tom Seaver holds the ML record with 10 straight K’s‚ in 1970.

The Cubs edge Minnesota‚ 5-4 for their 13th straight home win and a sweep of the 3-game series with the Twins. Kerry Wood wins over Brad Radke. Ricky Gutierrez again leads the way with a HR‚ the 3rd straight game he’s gone deep. Sosa scores his 1‚000th career run‚ a mark he’s already topped in RBIs.
June 18Well‚ it’s not Wrigley. The Cubs lose their 12th straight in St. Louis as the Cards beat them 6-2. McGwire and Edmonds match homers with Sosa and Eric Young. Back home‚ the Cubs announce plans to renovate Wrigley Field‚ adding more than 2‚200 seats.

The Diamondbacks roll past the Astros‚ 14-5‚ as rookie 2B Junior Spivey goes 5-for-6 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

The Washington Post reports that Baltimore’s Cal Ripken will retire at the end of the season.

Major League Baseball fires umpire Al Clark. Speculation is that he had been asking players for a large number of autographs with implicit threats of retaliation in terms of close calls if they didn’t agree.
June 19The Twins defeat the Indians‚ 10-9 in 12 innings‚ despite 5 hits‚ including a double and 3 HRs‚ by Cleveland OF Ellis Burks. A two-run 2B by A.J. Pierzynski in the 12th allows the Twins to win the opener of the 3-game set with the Tribe.

Trailing 2-0 with 2 outs in the 9th and an 0-2 count by Robb Nen‚ San Diego scores 3 runs and wins in the 15th‚ 4-3. Rick Aurilia’s throwing error with 2 out allows Phil Nevin to score in the 15th. Barry Bonds belts his 37th homer‚ setting a mark for dingers before the All-star game. Pinch running‚ Rickey Henderson steals 3B‚ snapping a swipe drought of 24 games‚ his longest. Rickey will still top 20 steals this year for the 23rd straight time.
June 20Using the long ball‚ the Cubs record their first win at Busch Stadium in 13 tries over last two seasons‚ beating the Cards‚ 9-4. Sammy Sosa belts a 2-run homer and a grand slam‚ and makes a diving catch to save a run. Gary Mathews‚ Jr. adds a 3-run homer.
June 21In a slugfest between Seattle and Oakland‚ the brothers Giambi each homer‚ Jason in the 4th and Jeremy in the 5th. But the M’s get a pinch 3-run homer from Bret Boone and another 3-run homer from Mike Cameron to win‚ 12-10.

It looks like homerun derby as 9 homeruns are hit in the Reds 8-7 win in 11 innings over the Astros. Craig Biggio hits a leadoff homer-a feat he will duplicate tomorrow-and Lance Berkman clubs 2 homeruns. Michael Tucker hits a pair of homers for the Reds.

The Giants beat the Padres‚ 8-6‚ as OF Barry Bonds hits his 38th HR to set a new mark for homers hit before the All-Star break.

In the annual Congressional baseball game‚ the Republicans defeat the Democrats‚ 9-1. Republican Congressman Steve Largent of Oklahoma‚ a former NFL great‚ strikes out 8 while allowing just 6 hits and no walks. The Dems can breathe easier next year since Largent will be resigning his seat to run for governor. The elephants have compiled a 26-14 record since the Congressional newspaper‚ Roll Call‚ began sponsoring the game in 1962. Before 1962‚ the game was played intermittently beginning when former major-leaguer John Tener‚ then a Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania‚ organized the first contest in 1909.
June 22The Giants double the Cardinals‚ 10-5‚ despite a HR by Mark McGwire. It is the first meeting between teams sporting 500-HR hitters (Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire) since 1976.

The Braves send controversial P John Rocker and IF Troy Cameron to the Indians in exchange for pitchers Steve Karsay and Steve Reed.

At Wrigley‚ Milwaukee beats the Cubs and Kerry Wood‚ 2-1‚ snapping Chicago’s home win streak at 12 games‚ their longest win streak since 1936. It’s their first loss since May 18‚ snapping their longest win streak since 1936. James Mouton’s infield single in the 9th drives home the winner.
June 23At Fenway‚ Manny Ramirez has 2 homers totaling 964 feet‚ but he also leaves the bases loaded twice and the Blue Jays come back on the Red Sox‚ 9-6. Manny’s shots are 463 feet and 501 feet‚ the latter banging the net around the coke bottle in left. It’s measured at 501 feet‚ a suspicious one foot short of Ted Williams 502-foot homer for the Fenway record.

The Yankees attempt to shore up their bullpen by getting P Jay Witasick from the Padres for infield prospect D’Angelo Jimenez. The Yanks first choice‚ Expos P Ugueth Urbina‚ failed to pass a physical and will end up with the Red Sox. The Padres released vet SS Chris Gomez yesterday.

The Astros acquire P Dave Mlicki from the Tigers for P Jose Lima and cash.
June 24After being outscored 20-2 in 2 losses to Florida‚ the Phils rebound with a 9-3 win. The Phils stay 2 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta with Florida another game back. Bobby Abreu has 3 hits including an inside-the-park in the 9th when Cliff Floyd crashes into the wall trying for the ball. Floyd‚ who had an IPHR earlier this year‚ keeps his 18-game hit streak alive‚ off winning pitcher Bruce Chen.

The Royals send C Sal Fasano and P Mac Suzuki to the Rockies for C Brent Mayne.
June 25The Orioles claim 3B Tony Batista off the waiver list when the Blue Jays attempt to send the struggling slugger to the minors.
June 26The Marlins Brad Penny (8 innings) and Antonio Alfonseca (1 inning) combine to 1-hit the Expos‚ 3-0. 3B Geoff Blum’s single is the only Montreal hit.

The Reds get homeruns from their first two batters leading off‚ Alex Ochoa and Barry Larkin‚ and hang on for a 10-9 win over St. Louis. The Cards leadoff hitter Jose Vina has 5 RBIs.
June 27The Braves bump the slumping Phillies out of first place in the NL East with a 10-4 win over them. The Phils were 35-18 on June 1‚ and led the Braves by 8 games. Chipper Jones drives in 3 runs and Odalis Perez allows 2 earned runs.

The Astros obtain P Ron Villone from the Rockies for P Jay Powell.
June 28The Reds defeat the Cubs‚ 5-2‚ as OF Alex Ochoa gets 5 hits‚ including a HR‚ for Cincinnati. OF Dmitri Young adds 4 hits.

The Padres announce that OF Tony Gwynn will retire following the end of the season.
June 29The Royals slug the Indians‚ 5-3‚ scoring all their runs on four 4th-inning HRs.

The Cubs defeat the Reds‚ 7-1 behind Jose Alcevedo’s 1st ML win. Cincinnati OF Dmitri Young gets 4 hits for the second straight game‚ giving him 9 consecutive safeties.
June 30Oakland defeats Texas‚ 15-4‚ as SS Miguel Tejada hits 3 HRs and a single and drives home 8 runs. Tejada had gone 26 games without a homer before hitting a grand slam in the 1st‚ followed by a 3-run shot in the 2nd. He adds a solo in the 9th. Erik Hiljus is the benefactor‚ winning his first ML decision. Hiljus‚ also strikes out 4 batters in the 7th.

July

July 1The Orioles defeat the White Sox‚ 11-3‚ on Cal Ripken Day. Ripken gets 3 hits in the Baltimore cause.

The Giants clip the Cardinals‚ 5-4‚ on Barry Bonds Day. Barry has a double and 3 walks as Calvin Murray provides the scoring with a 3-run HR. McGwire is 0-for-4 and is now 0-for his last 22 at bats.
July 2At the SkyDome‚ Manny Ramirez belts a 3-run homer in the 1st and the Red Sox roll to a 16-4 clipping of the Blue Jays. Manny’s blast travels 491 feet‚ the longest homer in Dome history; it is his 7th of the year against the Jays‚ the most an opponent has hit in a season; and his 5th at the Dome‚ which also ties an opponents record. Stynes has 3 hits‚ 3 runs‚ and 3 errors in the hitfest. Nomo is the winner.
July 3The Indians trounce the Red Sox‚ 9-1‚ as 2B Roberto Alomar gets 5 hits‚ including a double.

The Braves score 8 runs in the 7th inning on their way to a 14-7 victory over the Phillies. Chipper Jones goes 4-for-4 in the contest and scores 5 runs.

Rockies OF Ron Gant is traded to A’s in exchange for OF Robin Jennings.

Pawtucket’s Izzy Alcantara makes every sport show in the country when he reacts to an inside pitch by drop-kicking Wilkes Barre/Scranton C Jeremy Salazer and then charging the mound. Izzy’s Bruce Lee impression will earn him a 7-game suspension and get him dropped from the IL All-star game. The Sox will call up the slugger on September 1.
July 5Atlanta’s Greg Maddux notches the 250th win of his career with a 9-5 decision over Philadelphia. Maddux will finish the season with 15 or more wins for the 14th year in a row‚ one ahead of Gaylord Perry and one behind Cy Young.

The Rangers score 9 runs in the 4th inning and go on to defeat the Mariners‚ 14-2.

The Expos beat the Marlins‚ 9-6. Montreal 3B Geoff Blum homers from both sides of the plate in the contest.
July 6Braves SS Rafael Furcal dislocates his shoulder in Atlanta’s 6-5‚ 10-inning win over Boston. He will be out for the rest of the year.

The Tigers score 7 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning in their game against the Cubs‚ but Chicago bounces back to score 7 in their next turn at bat and go on to a 15-9 victory. Cubs DH Roosevelt Brown gets 5 hits in the game‚ including a double and HR.

Oakland ace Mark Mulder hurls a near-perfect game against the Diamondbacks‚ surrendering only a single to OF Danny Bautista in the A’s 3-0 win.

The Indians defeat the Cardinals‚ 14-2. 1B Jim Thome hits 3 HRs and drives home 6 runs for Cleveland.

Delino DeShields is signed by the Cubs after being waived by Baltimore.
July 7Houston 1B Jeff Bagwell drives home 7 runs to tie a team record in the Astros 10-8 win over Kansas City.

Lefty John Halama pitches the first 9 inning perfect game in PCL history as Tacoma tops Calgary‚ 6-0. Halama‚ who won 14 games for Seattle last year‚ was demoted June 28‚ but the perfecto will earn him a recall. Seattle and Tacoma teammate Brett Tomko tossed a 7-inning no hitter over Oklahoma 5 days ago. Blake Barthol is the catcher is both no no’s.
July 8In Toronto’s 9-3 win over Montreal‚ Jays’ rookie Cesar Izturis hits his 1st ML homer inside the park‚ thanks to Expo LF Mark Smith losing the ball in the lights. He gets a glove on it‚ but Izturis beats the relay throw from Orlando Cabrerra‚ who also hit his 1st homer inside-the-park. The win goes to 30-year-old rookie Chris Michalak (6-6)‚ who will be waived next month and picked up by Texas.

Lance Berkman has 3 hits to extend his streak to 21 games. It’ll end here‚ but Moises Alou reaches 16 straight game today on his way to a 23-game streak. Bagwell and Mendy Lopez collect 3 RBIs for Houston as they outslug the Royals‚ 10-8. Scott Elerton is tossed in the first after plunking leadoff hitter Rey Sanchez in retaliation for Biggio being hit.

A librarian finds an 1823 reference to “base ball” marking the earliest known reference to the game.
July 9Arizona OF Luis Gonzalez beats Chicago OF Sammy Sosa in the HR Derby during the All-Star festivities.
July 10The AL defeats the NL‚ 4-1‚ in the All-Star Game. Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr. thrills the crowd by hitting a HR and winning the MVP award at the affair. Derek Jeter and Magglio Ordonez also homer for the Junior Circuit.
July 11The Pirates trade OF Emil Brown to the Padres for minor leaguers P Shawn Camp and OF Shawn Garrett.

Dodgers P Darren Dreifort has reconstructive arm surgery and will not pitch again until the 2003 season. He last pitched on June 29.
July 12Three Minnesota players homer twice in the Twins 13-5 defeat of Milwaukee. Jacque Jones‚ Torii Hunter‚ and Corey Koskie each hit a pair of four-baggers to tie a ML record.
July 13Pittsburgh P Todd Ritchie has a no hitter against the Royals‚ until Luis Alicea bounces a one-out 9th inning single in the Pirates 1-0 win. After Chad Durbin throws 8 scoreless innings for KC‚ Jason Grimsley gives up an RBI single to Aramis Ramirez in the bottom of the 9th.

Mets C Mike Piazza hits his 300th career HR in NY’s 3-1 loss to Boston.

Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki announce a boycott of member of the Japanese press‚ who have been hounding them all season.
July 14Mets manager Bobby Valentine wins his 1‚000th career game as pitchers Glendon Rusch and Armando Benitez combine to defeat Boston on a 1-hitter. When Rusch is unable to cover 1B‚ Trot Nixon’s 1st inning bunt single is Boston’s only hit in the 2-0 game.

At Enron Field‚ Padres SS Damian Jackson shatters a bat on a Wade Miller pitch‚ but still reaches the LF seats for a grand slam. The Pads win‚ 8-6.
July 15The battle of 2 first place teams draws 59‚470 at Philadelphia as the Yanks lose a sloppy game to the Phils‚ 9-3. In the 5th‚ Rollins takes 2B on a PB‚ then swipes 3rd for his 26th straight successful steal. Posada has 3 passed balls and should have been charged with a 4th‚ while Derek Jeter makes a critical error. Posada will lead the majors in passed balls this year with 18.

Behind Piazza’s 3 hits and 3 RBIs‚ the Mets win‚ 5-2‚ over Toronto as both teams celebrate Negro League Tribute Day by wearing old NL uniforms. The Mets wear the NY Cubans‚ 1947 NL champs‚ while the Blue Jays are in the uniforms of the Chatham All Stars. In Pittsburgh‚ the Pirates wear the Homestead Grays and the Royals wear Monarchs uniforms.

Brian Lawrence pitches a complete game 5-1 win over the Angels‚ and the Padres reward him after the game by sending him down to Portland (PCL). The move is to make room for Brian Tolberg‚ out since May 6th when he broke a finger on a comebacker from Sean Casey.

Umpires file a grievance against ML baseball‚ saying the commissioner’s office is pressuring them to call more strikes by keeping track of total pitch counts. As part of the ML’s efforts‚ cameras were installed over the weekend‚ July 13 and 14‚ at Shea to track each pitch. Fenway and Shea are the only parks with the tracking system‚ which is similar to that used on Fox’s broadcasts‚ but ML officials hope to have 4 more by September.
July 16Ichiro Suzuki and Kazuhiro Sasaki call off their boycott of the Japanese press.
July 17Braves 1B Rico Brogna announces his retirement‚ effective immediately‚ opening a spot for Bernard Gilkey. The injury-plagued Broca will coach high school football. Without him‚ the Braves win‚ 4-0‚ behind Greg Maddux‘s 34th career shutout. Maddux K’s 9 and walks none.

Indians P Bartolo Colon is ejected from Cleveland’s 10-4 win over Houston after throwing a pitch near the head of Astros C Scott Servais‚ which actually hits his bat. Colon will be suspended 6 games for his actions.

Expos coach Ozzie Guillan is thrown out before 1st pitch is thrown out‚ continuing an argument from last nite with ump Greg Gibson. The Expos then pound Boston’s Tim Wakefield to beat the visiting Red Sox‚ 117. Five homers are hit in the game‚ including a 457-foot shot by Vladimir Guerrero.
July 18A train carrying toxic substances derails in Baltimore‚ causing the postponement of the second game of the Orioles day-night doubleheader against the Rangers. Texas takes the first game‚ 6-4‚ behind Frank Catalanatto’s 4-for-4‚ battering Sean Douglass (0-1) in his ML debut.

ML umpires drop their grievance over pitch counts against major league baseball.

The Mets down Florida‚ 4-3 in 11 innings and see Marlins manager Tony Perez ejected for arguing a call. It is his 1st ejection in 31 seasons and more than 3‚800 games as a player and manager.

Houston batters St. Louis‚ 17-11‚ as 3B Jeff Bagwell hits for the cycle. He is the 212th major-league player since 1901 to cycle‚ 106 in the NL. The Cardinals score 6 runs in the 5th inning‚ but the Astros answer with 8 in their next at bat. Batting notables include Moises Alou‚ who has a 3-run HR to stretch his hit streak to 23 games‚ and Bobby Bonilla‚ with his 2‚000th career hit. McGwire‚ with his 564th‚ and Pujols also homer for the Birds.

Jeremy Giambi is 4-for-4 with 6 RBIs to lead the A’s to a 7-2 won over the Twins. It is their 15th win in 19 games.

The Padres-Diamondbacks game is suspended after 2 innings because of an explosion in a LF light tower. Curt Schilling throws 2 perfect innings allowing no hits.

Quack. Carlos Baerga‚ who was playing with the Long Island Ducks‚ in the independent Atlantic League‚ has his contract sold to the Samsung Ducks‚ in the Korean Baseball League.
July 19Arizona defeats San Diego‚ 3-0‚ in the completion of a game that was suspended after 2 innings on July 18. Randy Johnson strikes out 16 batters in his 7 innings of relief of Schilling to break the ML mark set by Walter Johnson on July 25‚ 1913. He allows just 1 hit-C Wiki Gonzalez’ 8th-inning single-for the Padres only hit in the contest. In addition to setting the record for SO in a game by a reliever‚ Johnson also sets the NL reliever record with 7 consecutive SO. Johnson was 1 shy of the major league mark‚ set by Ron Davis‚ on May 4‚ 1981.

The Rockies obtain IF Alex Ochoa from the Reds for 2B Todd Walker and minor league OF Robin Jennings. The Reds also call up top OF prospect Adam Dunn‚ who hit 32 homers in the minors this year‚ 12 in 39 games for Chattanooga‚ and 20 in 55 games for Louisville Dunn will clout 19 homers for the Reds including 12 in August‚ setting the NL rookie record for most HR in any month. The old mark of 11 was set by Frank Robinson‚ in August 1956. The only other rookies to hit more HR in a month were Rudy York (18‚ August 1937)‚ Mark McGwire (May‚ 1987) and Jimmie Hall (13‚ August 1963). With 50 homers in OB in a season‚ Dunn is the 3rd youngest to do it; Tony Lazzeri (1925) and Calvin Felix (4 days younger) in 1947 were younger. Erubial Durazo‚ in 1999‚ was the first player to reach double figures in HRs with 2minor league teams and a ML team in one year.

Moises Alou‘s 23-game hitting streak is ended in St. Louis’ 4-1 victory over Houston.
July 20The Cincinnati Reds send OF Michael Tucker to the Cubs. In return‚ they get minor league pitchers Chris Booker and Ben Shafer. The Reds also recalled 1B D.T. Cromer.

The train fire of 2 days ago forces another postponement of Anaheim’s game at Baltimore.
July 21The Dodgers set a LA team record as they trounce the Rockies‚ 22-7‚ the most runs scored by a Dodgers team since July 10‚ 1943‚ when they beat the Pirates. LA breaks open the game with 9 runs in the 8th inning. The Dodgers last scored 20 runs at home in 1957‚ beating the Braves‚ 20-4. For the Rocks‚ it is the 5th time they have had a team run up 20 runs on them; they’ve yet to do it themselves. The franchise record for the Blue is 25‚ done on May 20‚ 1896 and September 23‚ 1901.

The Angels defeat the Orioles‚ 6-5‚ in 10 innings. 3B Troy Glaus hits a pair of HRs‚ making him the fastest Angel ever to the 100 career HR mark.
July 22The Phillies pull out a 3-2 win over the Mets on Bobby Abreu‘s 8th inning HR off John Franco. It is the 1st HR hit by a lefty off Franco since September 22‚ 1993.

Shane Reynolds‚ Octavio Dotel‚ and Billy Wagner become the first Astro pitchers to throw a shutout at Enron Field as they combined to blank the Cubs‚ 3-0. It took 132 games before the home team calcimined an opponent at Enron‚ which opened on April 7‚ 2000. That shutout drought at a new facility tops the old record of 103 games set by the Colorado Rockies after moving into Coors Field in 1995. Last season‚ Astro hurlers threw only 2 shutouts‚ both on the road.

Greg Maddux wins his 9th straight‚ 8-2‚ over the Expos. Maddux strikes out 7 in 8 innings‚ and has now pitched 51 innings without a walk. John Smoltz‚ in his first-ever relief appearance‚ throws the 9th.

In the Marlins 11-7 win over the Reds‚ Cincy P Frankie Rodriguez strikes out 4 batters in one inning‚ the 7th. He’s the 4th Reds hurler to do it. Earlier this season‚ Eric Hiljus of the Oakland A’s turned the trick.

At Cleveland‚ Bartolo Colon pitches the Tribe to a 6-3 win over the Tigers and pulls Cleveland within a game of Minnesota in the AL Central. Thome adds his AL-high 31st homer. Before the game‚ the Indians honor their Century 100‚ with 38 of their all-time greats on hand. Receiving the biggest applause is Rocky Colavito. Bob Feller‚ as well as 91-year-old great Mel Harder‚ also receives a huge hand.
July 23The Indians defeat the White Sox‚ 2-0‚ as C.J. Sabathia becomes the youngest pitcher to win 10 games in the majors since Edwin Correa did so for the 1986 Texas Rangers.
July 24The Yankees edge the Tigers‚ 6-5‚ despite an 8th inning moon shot by Detroit’s Juan Encarnacion‚ off Ramiro Mendoza‚ that lands in the 2nd row of the empty blue bleacher seats in left CF. It is believed to be the first ball hit into that area since Yankee Stadium was remodeled in 1976.

David Cone runs his record to 6-1 as the Red Sox get past the visiting Blue Jays‚ 6-4. The Sox have won the last 10 games that Cone has started.

The Brewers lose their 11th in a row as the Dodgers whip them‚ 7-2. Green and Sheffield homer in the 6-run 5th inning.

In a 3-way deal‚ the A’s obtain OF Jermaine Dye from the Royals‚ the Royals get SS Neifi Perez from the Rockies‚ and the Rockies get 2B Jose Ortiz‚ OF Mario Encarnacion‚ and P Todd Belitz from the A’s.

The Rangers send 1B Andres Galarraga to the Giants for minor leaguer OF Chris Magruder‚ P Erasmo Ramirez‚ and P Todd Ozias.
July 25The Mets leave a club-record 16 runners on base‚ but still beat the Marlins‚ 5-2‚ pinning the loss on Ryan Dempster. Rusch is the winner. Lenny Harris ties Smokey Burgess for 2nd place on the all-time pinch hit list when he doubles.

The Diamondbacks get P Albie Lopez from the Devil Rays in exchange for P Nick Bierbrodt and OF Jason Conti.
July 26Rookie P Chris George‚ 21‚ becomes the 1st lefthander to start for KC in 239 games. He loses to the Mariners‚ 4-0. The winner is Joel Piniero‚ who allows one hit in 6 innings to win his first ML decision.

The White Sox send P James Baldwin to the Dodgers for 3 minor leaguers-pitchers Onan Masaoka and Gary Majewski‚ and OF Jeff Barry.
July 27The Giants get P Wayne Gomes from the Phillies in exchange for OF Felipe Crespo.

The Cubs get 1B Fred McGriff from the Devil Rays in exchange for P Manny Aybar and a player to be named. The Cubs first try for McGriff on the 16th was nixed by the slugger who said he did not want to uproot his family. His first game will be a night contest at Wrigley on the 29th‚ a 7-5 Cubs win.

The Mets trade experience for youth‚ sending pitchers Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook to the Phillies in exchange for pitchers Bruce Chen and Adam Walker. The 2 Vets will struggle with the Phils.
July 28in a day-night doubleheader‚ Vinny Castilla of the Houston Astros became the 13th player this season to hit three home runs in a game when he does it against Pittsburgh‚ but the Pirates still edge the Astros‚ 9-8‚ with an amazing comeback. Pittsburgh becomes only the 2nd team in NL history to win a game by scoring 7 runs with 2 outs and nobody on base in the 9th inning. Brian Giles caps the scoring with a walk-off grand slam off Astros ace Billy Wagner to win it. The Cubs were the first to do it‚ against the Reds in the first game of a doubleheader on June 29‚ 1952.

The Twins get P Todd Jones from the Tigers in exchange for P Mark Redman.
July 30The Cubs get P David Weathers and P Roberto Miniel from the Brewers for P Ruben Quevedo and OF Peter Zoccolillo.

The Yankees reacquire P Sterling Hitchcock from the Padres‚ sending San Diego P Brett Jodie and OF Darren Blakely. New York will pluck Jodie off the waiver list in January.

The Giants obtain P Jason Schmidt and OF John Vander Wal from the Pirates for OF Armando Rios and P Ryan Vogelsong. Schmidt will go 7-1 the rest of the year for the Giants and then sign a 4-year contract. Vogelsong will undergo Tommy John surgery on September 20.

The Mets send All-Star P Rick Reed to the Twins for OF Matt Lawton.
July 31Oakland scores 8 runs in the 3rd inning against Cleveland and go on to defeat the Indians‚ 11-2.

Brewers manager Davey Lopes is suspended for 2 games and fined by the commissioner’s office for threatening to have his pitchers hit Rickey Henderson. Lopes became upset when Henderson took off for 2nd base in the 7th inning of the Padres 12-5 win on Sunday.

The July 31st trading deadline produces a frenzy of deal-making as 31 players change teams in a total of 12 deals on the last 2 days. A total of 68 players were involved in 24 deals in all of July.

The Indians get OF Milton Bradley from the Expos for P Zach Day.

The Pirates trade P Terry Mulholland to the Dodgers for pitchers Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside.

The Orioles send P Mike Trombley to the Dodgers for Ps Kris Foster and Geronimo Gil.

The Red Sox obtain P Ugueth Urbina from the Expos for pitchers Toma Ohka and Rich Rundles. Urbina’s name was one of the most widely mentioned in the trade rumors.

The Royals ship SS Rey Sanchez to the Braves for P Brad Voyles and 2B Alejandro Machado.

The Pirates trade P Mike Williams to the Astros for P Tony McKnight.

The Astros trade P Scott Elarton and a player to be named to the Rockies for P Pedro Astacio.

The Cardinals trade lefty Jason Christiansen and cash to the Giants for P Kevin Joseph. Joseph will go 0-1 in 11 relief appearances next year for St. Louis, while Christianson will total 187 relief appearances for the Giants.

August

August 1The Mets defeat the Astros‚ 8-2 in 10 innings. New York scores 6 runs in the 10th‚ the most ever in that frame for a Mets club‚ with Edgardo Alfonso’s 3-run HR the big blow. It is the first 3-run homer for New York since June 21.
August 2The A’s make it easy for Mark Muldur‚ giving him an 11-0 lead after 4 innings. With Dye‚ Tejada and Saenz homering‚ they roll to a 17-4 pasting of Cleveland.

The Padres send P Woody Williams to the Cardinals for OF Ray Lankford‚ who had recently been benched. Williams will prove to be the real deal for the Cards‚ going 7-1 in 11 starts‚ with a 2.28 ERA during the regular season.
August 3Oakland edges the Detroit Tigers‚ 2-1‚ on Jason Giambi‘s 9th inning solo homer. The win goes to Tim Hudson who outduels Tiger ace Weaver. The A’s collect only 4 hits‚ with Giambi’s blast completing a team cycle-Terrence Long has a triple‚ Johnny Damon a double‚ Jeremy Giambi a single‚ and Jason Giambi the HR.

White Sox P Mark Buehrle tosses a 1-hitter in defeating Tampa Bay 4-0. Damian Rolls’ leadoff single in the 7th is the Devil Rays’ only hit. Buehrle walks 1 and faces just 28 batters.

The Blue Jays defeat the Orioles‚ 10-1‚ despite an infestation of aphids in the 3rd inning. Although the game is not delayed‚ home plate ump Tim Welke asks that the roof of the SkyDome be closed. Toronto’s Jeff Frye wears a dust mask in the dugout.

The Brewers edge the visiting Atlanta Braves‚ 3-2‚ winning on a wild pitch by Cabrera in the 11th. The Brewers break the two million mark in attendance for just the second time in their franchise history‚ the first being in 1983; however‚ the Brewers predecessor in Milwaukee‚ the Braves‚ broke two mil each season from 1954 to 1957.

The Blue Jays release P Joey Hamilton ending a 3-year struggling relationship between the club and the pitcher. The Jays had originally signed Hamilton to a 3-year $16.5 million contract.

A jury orders Anheuser-Busch to pay the family of the late Roger Maris $50 million for improperly taking away a beer distributorship. Both sides plan to appeal the ruling‚ as attorneys for the Maris family said the panel meant to award the family $139 million‚ but were confused by the judge’s instructions to the jury.
August 4Braves’ 1B Wes Helms drives home a career-high 7 runs with a triple and a pair of HRs as Atlanta defeats Milwaukee‚ 14-2. Helms had been hitless in his previous 18 at bats coming in to the game.

In a 4-2 Mets win at Arizona‚ Mark Grace ends the game with a ground single‚ which hits pinch runner David Dellucci for the last out. It’s the D’backs 7th loss in 9 games.
August 5The Indians tie a major league record (the Tigers‚ June 18‚ 1911 and the Athletics June 15‚ 1925) by overcoming a 12-run deficit to shock the Mariners‚ 15-14 in 11 innings. Cleveland‚ which trailed 12-0 and 14-2‚ scores 3 runs in the 7th inning‚ 4 in the 8th‚ and 5 in the 9th to become the 1st team in 76 years to come back from a 12-run hole. With one out in the bottom of the 11th‚ Kenny Lofton singles‚ goes to 2nd when Omar Vizquel singles and Jolbert Cabrera‘s RBI single completes the comeback. Vizquel had tripled with the sacks full in the 9th off All-star reliever Sasaki.

Detroit falls to Oakland by a score of 5-1. In doing so‚ the Tigers tie a major league record by scoring only one run in their 5th consecutive game. The last of the 7 teams to do so was the 1968 Dodgers.

Dave Winfield‚ Kirby Puckett‚ Bill Mazeroski‚ and Negro League star Hilton Smith are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
August 6The Red Sox defeat the Rangers‚ 10-7‚ as Boston C Scott Hatteberg performs the ultimate baseball opposite in consecutive at bats. With 2 men the 4th inning and the Sox ahead 4-2‚ he lines into a triple play. Two innings later‚ after the Rangers score 5 to go ahead‚ he hits a grand slam to put Boston in the lead to stay.

Baseball’s Hall of Fame announces changes in its voting procedure as it eliminates the closed-door Veterans Committee meetings held since 1953. It also gives new hope to 1‚700 players who had failed to receive at least 5 percent of the votes cast by the writers. The new rules will likely make it more difficult for Negro League and pre-1900 players to be enshrined‚ and also will make it tougher for players not elected by the writers to be enshrined.

In a Vanity Fair magazine interview‚ Tommy Gioiosa‚ a former friend of Pete Rose‚ alleges that Rose bet on baseball‚ used a corked bat‚ and participated in drug dealings.
August 7The Braves defeat the Astros‚ 6-5‚ as Greg Maddux sets a NL record for consecutive innings without a walk. Maddux hurls 6 innings in the game to extend his streak to 70 1/3 frames without a free pass. The old mark of 68 innings was held by Christy Mathewson‚ in 1913‚ and Randy Jones‚ in 1976. Maddux leaves the game with the streak intact and is 14 IP away from the major league record‚ set by Bill Fischer in 1962.

During the 7th inning stretch of the Cubs 5-4 win over the Rockies‚ former Chicago Bears player Steve McMichael leads the crowd in the singing of Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Prior to singing‚ however‚ McMichael‚ upset at a call that went against the Cubs in the previous inning‚ tells the crowd‚ “Don’t worry‚ I’ll have some speaks with that home plate umpire after the game.” Umpire Angel Hernandez throws McMichael out of the game‚ as the umps fear his remarks could incite the crowd. The Cubs win in 9th when Ricky Gutierrez slides under a tag at home.
August 8Tigers P Nate Cornejo makes his ML debut against Rangers P Joaquin Benoit. It is the first time since August 21‚ 1990‚ that both starting pitchers are making their big league debuts. The Tigers tie a modern ML record by scoring 13 runs in the 9th inning to snap a 6-6 tie and roll‚ 19-6. Damion Easley gets 6 hits‚ including 2 in the 9th‚ to tie an AL and team record‚ last done by Ty Cobb. The Tigers tie the modern major league record‚ for the 9th inning‚ with 13 runs. The all time record for the 9th frame is 14‚ by the Baltimore Orioles (NL version)‚ against Boston‚ on April 24‚ 1894. The winning pitcher is former Ranger Danny Patterson‚ who faces one batter in the 8th.

With 50‚863 on hand at Oakland‚ the A’s down the Red Sox‚ 6-1 behind the pitching of Tim Hudson. Carl Everett’s HR accounts for the only Bosox score‚ while Jason Giambi homers for Oakland. Johnny Damon hits a double the hard way when his drive down the RF line lands in a beer cup. Trot Nixon is the right fielder.

Rob Mitchell of Pottstown‚ Pennsylvania‚ agrees to pay $577‚610 for “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s famous bat‚ “Black Betsy.” It is believed to be the highest price ever paid for a bat.
August 9The Rockies defeated the Cubs‚ 14-5‚ despite 3 successive HRs by Sammy Sosa. Winning pitcher Mike Hampton ties the NL record for HRs in a season by a pitcher by hitting his 7th. The ML record is 9.

The Giants score a 6-4 victory over the Reds in a game marked by 2 milestone HRs. Ken Griffey Jr. hits the 450th of his career‚ becoming the youngest player (by 15 days‚ over Jimmie Foxx) in history to reach that mark. He was also the youngest to hit 350 and 400. Barry Bonds hits his 49th of the season‚ becoming the fastest to ever reach that number.

On the hottest August 9th (103 degrees temperature) in NY history‚ the Mets edge the Brewers‚ 4-3. Joe McEwing’s HR off reliever DeJean gives the win to Al Leiter.

Yankees P Ted Lilly is suspended for 6 games for hitting Anaheim’s Scott Speizio in the head with a pitch in a game last Sunday. NY manager Joe Torre rips into baseball’s dean of discipline Frank Robinson for the decision. Lilly was not thrown out of the game by the umpires when the incident occurred.
August 10Colorado slams Cincinnati‚ 16-7‚ as newly-acquired rookie 2B Jose Ortiz strokes 5 hits-including a double and HR-and drives in 4 runs.

The Royals defeat the Tigers‚ 7-3‚ in a game marked by a 6th inning brawl set off when KC 1B Mike Sweeney charges Detroit P Jeff Weaver after Weaver calls him a profane name. Numerous punches are thrown as both benches and bullpens clear. After a 12-minute delay‚ the game resumes with Sweeney‚ KC coach Al Nipper‚ and Detroit coach Doug Mansolino ejected from the contest. Sweeney will be suspended 10 games for his actions‚ and Detroit catcher Robert Fick 8 games. Five other players and four coaches will also be disciplined.

The Cubs claim Miguel Cairo and Gary Matthews Jr. off waivers by St. Louis and Pittsburgh‚ respectively.
August 11Chuck Borowski serves up home run No. 50 to Barry Bonds and the Giants roll to a 9-4 win over the Cubs. Winning pitcher Livan Hernandez is 4-for-4‚ including his first ML homer. He now has 8 straight hits and is 12-for-13.

Led by the 2 Giambi brothers‚ Oakland beats the visiting New York Yankees‚ 8-6‚ for their 10th straight win. Jason and Jeremy each club 2-run homers‚ the 2nd time they’ve both gone deep in the same game. They did it twice last year as well.

In the Twins 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay‚ Minnesota 1B Doug Mientkiewicz makes all 3 outs in the bottom of the 2nd without touching first base. The Devil Rays have Toby Hall on 3B and Randy Winn on 1B with no outs in the inning when Aubrey Huff hits a weak grounder to Mientkiewicz. The first sacker crosses the diamond to chase Hall back to third then tags out Winn who had run all the way around from first. Mientkiewicz then catches Hall wandering off the base to complete an unassisted double play. The next Rays’ batter‚ Jared Sandberg‚ hits a towering foul pop-up that Mientkiewicz caught for the third out.
August 12The Braves fall to the Diamondbacks‚ 9-1‚ as Greg Maddux‘s NL record streak for innings without allowing a walk is ended at 72-and-one-third. Maddux intentionally walks Steve Finley in the 3rd inning to end the streak. Arizona 2B Junior Spivey gets 5 singles in the contest‚ becoming the 5th rookie in 50 years to have a pair of 5-hit games in his first season. His other 5-hit contest was on June 21.
August 13Craig Biggio hits his 26th leadoff HR on the first pitch from Jason Bere and the Astros never look back‚ beating the Cubs‚ 9-5. Shane Reynolds is the winner‚ now 7-0 against Chicago. The Cubs fall out of first place as the Astros take over.
August 14Craig Biggio hits a leadoff homer for the second straight game-a feat he did earli8er in the year-but that is all the scoring for the Astros as 5 Cubs pitchers shut them down to win‚ 3-1.
August 15The Tigers defeat the Angels‚ 5-1‚ as Detroit OF Roger Cedeno leads the team with 5 hits.

The Cardinals defeat the Reds‚ 8-4‚ for their 7th straight win. St. Louis 1B Mark McGwire singles in the 5th inning‚ marking his first hit other than a HR in 72 at bats. McGwire’s last 11 hits had been homers‚ a run unprecedented in the last 25 years. Cleveland’s Albert Belle had 8 straight hits for HRs in 1995.

The Mets lose their 5th straight game‚ falling to the Padres by a score of 2-1. SD’s Trevor Hoffman gets the save‚ becoming the 14th pitcher in history to reach the milestone. He also ties John Wetteland as the 2nd-fastest to reach the mark.

OF Shawn Green hits 3 HRs and drives home 7 runs to pace the Dodgers to a 13-1 victory over the Expos.
August 16OF Barry Bonds strokes 2 HRs to lead the Giants to a 5-3 win over the Marlins. The homers give Bonds 53 for the year‚ setting a new league record for HRs in a season by a lefthanded hitter. Johnny Mize of the Giants held the previous mark with 52 in 1947.

The Padres defeat the Mets‚ 6-5. SD rookie P Jeremy Fikac gets the win in his major league debut as he strikes out the side in his only inning.

The Red Sox fire manager Jimy Williams and hire pitching coach Joe Kerrigan as his replacement.
August 17The Brewers defeat the Reds‚ 5-1. Cincinnati P Jose Rijo hurls the last 2 scoreless innings in relief‚ his first major league action in 6 years.

Mike Mussina throws 7 shutout innings and the Yankees club 3 homers to beat the Mariners‚ 4-0. Derek Jeter hits a leadoff HR and will do it again tomorrow.

Toronto beats Texas‚ 11-3‚ as Jeff Frye becomes the 2nd Blue Jay ever to hit for the cycle. Frye’s final hit of the evening is a liner to deep right-center that‚ in other circumstances‚ might have gone for a double. But with his team safely in the lead‚ Frye stops at first to record a single and give himself a cycle. After the game‚ Frye finds a bicycle leaning against his locker‚ the traditional reward for the feat. Kelly Gruber is the only other Toronto player to accomplish the feat.

Atlanta’s Greg Maddux pitches the Braves to a 2-1 win over the Giants and Livan Hernandez. Hernandez came into the game with 8 straight hits and in his 1st at bat reaches on an error. He goes 1-for-3. John Smoltz racks up his first regular season save‚ striking out 4 batters.
August 18The Rangers pound the Blue Jays‚ 12-5‚ scoring 8 runs in the 9th inning. C Ivan Rodriguez’s grand slam is the big blow for Texas.

Randy Johnson is not sharp‚ but he’s good enough to give Arizona a 5-3 win over the Cubs. It is Big Unit’s 10th straight win over the Cubs going back to September 20‚ 1988. The loss leaves the Cubs a game ahead of Houston in the NL Central and puts the Diamondbacks 2 1/2 games ahead of the Giants in the West.

Danny Almonte‚ pitching for the Bronx Little League entry‚ the Rolando Paulino all-stars‚ hurls the first perfect game since 1957 in the Little League WS‚ beating the eventual winner‚ Apopka‚ FL‚ 2-0. The Bronx team will win next week‚ but all the victories will be stripped from them when an investigation proves a number of rules infractions‚ not the least of which is that Almonte is too old. His brother‚ who pitched last year‚ will also be shown to be too old.
August 19The Mariners rout the Yankees‚ 10-2‚ as OF Mike Cameron gets 4 hits-including 2 HRs-and drives home 8 runs. OF Ichiro Suzuki stretches his hitting streak to 16 games‚ giving him 3 streaks of 15 or more games this year. He’s the 1st major leaguer with three 15-game streaks in the same season since Milwaukee’s Cecil Cooper in 1980.

The Orioles bounce back from a 6-1 deficit to defeat the Red Sox‚ 13-7. Jeff Conine has 5 hits for Baltimore. The Birds steal 5 bases on slow Nomo.

Greg Colbrunn hits a PH HR in the Diamondbacks’ 13-6 win over the Cubs. Colbrunn’s blast is the 13th PH round-tripper of the year for Arizona‚ breaking the NL mark set by the 1957 Reds.
August 20The Reds defeat the Cardinals‚ 5-4‚ on Ken Griffey Jr.’s 11th-inning inside-the-park home run. The run-off HR breaks the Cardinals 11-game winning streak. The Cards‚ who also won 10 in a row in May‚ are the 1st team since the 1978 Pirates to post a pair of double-digit win streaks in the same season.

Kerry Wood has an MRI that comes out clean‚ but the Cubs ace will miss a month with tendonitis in his shoulder.
August 21In what is believed to be an OB first‚ Tim Raines‚ Jr. and Tim Raines face each other in a double header between Ottawa and Rochester (IL). Each is 1-for-3 in the opener‚ while Jr. tops his dad in the nitecap‚ going 1-for-4.
August 22Cubs OF Sammy Sosa hits 3 HRs in a game for the second time in 2 weeks as he leads Chicago to a 16-3 win over the Brewers. Sosa is removed from the game following his HR in the 6th inning‚ missing a chance to tie the ML single-game mark of 4.

The Mariners score 6 runs in the 1st inning and 7 in the 3rd on their way to a 16-1 victory over the Tigers. 3B David Bell gets 5 hits for Seattle‚ including a double and HR.

KC scores 7 runs in the 1st inning‚ but the White Sox bounce back with an 8-run 6th frame on their way to a 13-12 win over the Royals.
August 23The Pirates defeated the Diamondbacks‚ 5-1‚ despite a 16-strikeout performance in 7 innings of work by Randy Johnson. In doing so‚ Johnson becomes the first pitcher in history to fan 300 in 4 straight seasons.

Barry Bonds and Shawon Dunston of the San Francisco Giants became just the 12th pair of teammates to hit back-to-back homers as pinch hitters when they go deep in the top of the ninth. Bonds pinch homer is his first since 1989 and snaps a 5-5 tie. It is also his 549th HR‚ moving him ahead of Mike Schmidt into 8th place. The Giants win‚ 10-5.

In a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays‚ it is a busy night for Twins CF Torii Hunter. Hunter throws out consecutive runners at Darren Fletcher and Homer Bush‚ both trying to stretch singles. Later in the inning he bobbles a ball for an error. Roy Halladay is the winning pitcher.

In his ML debut‚ Rockies rookie Jason Jennings is near perfect‚ shutting out the Mets‚ 10-0‚ and going 3-for-5 including a 9th inning HR. The former Golden Spikes award winner becomes the first pitcher since 1900 to hurl a shutout and hit a HR in his first big league game.
August 25The Mariners edge the Indians‚ 3-2 in 11 innings‚ in a game marked by a bench-clearing incident in the 9th inning. When Seattle’s Arthur Rhodes comes on to pitch in relief‚ Cleveland batter Omar Vizquel complains that sunlight is reflecting off the reliever’s right earring. Rhodes begins yelling at Vizquel and is eventually ejected by 3rd-base umpire Tim McClelland.

The Yankees defeat the Angels‚ 7-5‚ as Roger Clemens becomes the 1st AL hurler to go 17-1 to begin a season. OF Paul O’Neill hits his 20th HR of the year‚ making him the oldest player in history-at age 38-to reach the 20 HR-20 SB mark in a season.

The Rangers defeat the Red Sox‚ 8-7 in 18 innings‚ in 6 hours‚ 35 minutes-the longest game of the season. The teams combined to use 17 pitchers‚ one away from the ML record for an extra-inning contest. Boston makes an error and a wild pitch in the last frame‚ and Chad Curtis scores on a grounder after stealing 3B. Chris Michalak is the winning pitcher: he was the loser yesterday.
August 26The Cubs defeat the Cardinals‚ 6-1‚ as Sammy Sosa hits 2 more HRs‚ his 50th and 51st of the season. In doing so‚ he joins Mark McGwire and Babe Ruth as the only players with four 50-homer seasons.

The Indians edge the Mariners‚ 4-3‚ ending Ichiro Suzuki‘s 21-game hitting streak.

Led by hot-hitting Adam Dunn’s 4 hits and Ken Griffey Jr.’s 4 RBIs‚ the Reds roll by Montreal‚ 17-4. Robin Jennings‚ in his ML debut‚ collects 4 hits‚ a Reds club record and tying the ML record.

The Diamondbacks score in the 10th inning to defeat the Phillies‚ 4-3. Philadelphia rookie SS Jimmy Rollins is caught stealing in the 3rd inning‚ the first time in his career after a streak of 35 consecutive steals. Luis Gonzalez receives the ultimate compliment when the Phils give him an intentional walk with the bases empty. According to the Elias Sports Bureau‚ Gonzalez joins Manny Ramirez Jason Giambi‚ Mike Piazza‚ and Jim Thome as the only players to receive an intentional pass with the bases empty this season. Ramirez is the only one of the group to have been walked intentionally twice this year with no ducks on the pond.
August 28Thanks to Cubs miscues‚ the Marlins defeat the Cubs‚ 4-3‚ in 14 innings‚ despite Sammy Sosa‘s 52nd HR. The blast gives Sosa a share of the NL record for HRs in August (17)‚ tying the mark set by Willie Mays in 1965. He also ties Babe Ruth for the most homers in 7 consecutive seasons: the Babe hit 343 between 1926-32. Mark McGwire has hit 338 homers from 1995 through this year. Cliff Floyd‚ playing RF‚ pulls off an unassisted double play in the 10th inning with Cubs on 1B and 3B and no outs. LF Delino DeShields drops Dave Berg’s fly to open the 14th and he will come around to score on a hit.

Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki reaches 200 hits for the season as the Mariners fall to the Devil Rays‚ 6-0. By going 2-for-3‚ Suzuki becomes only the 3rd AL rookie to reach 200 hits since 1964. KC’s Kevin Seitzer reached the mark in 1987 and Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra ten years later.
August 29The Cardinals down the Padres‚ 16-14‚ in the highest scoring game of the season. St. Louis scores 9 runs off Bobby Jones in the 2nd inning‚ while Ryan Klesko goes 5-for-6 for San Diego‚ with 2 HRs‚ 2 doubles‚ and 5 RBIs. One of the homers travels an estimated 472 feet‚ the longest by an opposing player at Busch Stadium since figures were recorded in 1988.

The Diamondbacks whitewash the Giants‚ 2-0‚ as OF Luis Gonzalez becomes the 19th player in history to hit 50 HRs in a season.
August 303B Bill Mueller’s walk-off HR gives the Cubs a 5-4 victory over the Marlins. 1B Fred McGriff hits a 3-run HR as he reaches 80 RBIs for the 14th straight season‚ becoming only the 2nd player in ML history to do so. Hank Aaron holds the record with 17 straight years.

The Mariners defeat the Devil Rays‚ 4-0‚ giving them a ML record 27 consecutive regular-season road series without losing a series. The old record of 26 road series without a loss was set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs.

Led by Eric Chavez‚ who drives home a 8 runs‚ the A’s defeat the Orioles‚ 15-0. He’ll knock in 3 more tomorrow in the A’s 9-5 win over Tampa Bay.

The Little League forfeits all games won by the Bronx WS entry after it is discovered that star pitcher Danny Almonte is 14. Sports Illustrated first broke the story with evidence of two birth registrations‚ the 2nd‚ which took 2 years off‚ made just weeks before the boy entered the United States. Continued protests of racism against Dominicans prompts further investigations which will show that Almonte and others did not even attend school in the Bronx‚ did not play the requisite number of games with their Bronx team‚ that their coach had been banned from Caribbean Little League play in 1988 for using overage players‚ and that Danny’s older brother was 14 when he played in 2000.
August 31The Reds route the Pirates‚ 11-3‚ behind the slugging of rookie Robin Jennings. Jennings hits his 1st ML homer‚ a grand slam‚ in the 7-run 4th and adds a bases-loaded triple for 7 RBIs. His homer and triple‚ both with the sacks full‚ matches the feat of Adam Kennedy last year and Luis Olmo in 1945.

The Braves acquire vet Julio Franco from the Mexico City Tigers. Franco‚ 40‚ who led the Mexican League with a .437 average‚ has been out of the majors since 1997. In a separate deal‚ the Braves pick up P Rudy Seanez from the Padres for a player to be named later.

September

September 1Ryan Klesko’s homer in the 13th gives the Padres a 1-0 win over Arizona.
September 2The Yankees defeat the Red Sox‚ 1-0‚ as P Mike Mussina comes within a strike of hurling a perfect game. PH Carl Everett’s two-out‚ two-strike single in the 9th inning ruins Mussina’s gem. It is the 3rd time in his career that the righty has taken a perfect game into the 8th inning. The Yankees score the only run of the contest in the top of the 9th on Enrique Wilson‘s double. Opposing hurler David Cone‚ who takes the loss‚ is the most recent hurler to toss a perfecto. The Yankees sweep of the Red Sox was the first in baseball history by a team that did not score in the first 7 inning of any of the games. In a move that enrages many players‚ Red Sox GM Dan Duquette abruptly relieves pitching coach John Cumberland of his duties just minutes after the game. A visibly angry Cumberland‚ who was promoted from bullpen coach to pitching coach last month when Joe Kerrigan became manager‚ said Duquette told him he was being reassigned to the team’s training facility in Fort Myers‚ Fla. ”I’m not going‚” Cumberland said. ”That’s official‚ that’s for damn sure. That’s OK. We’ve had a lot of good people leave this organization‚ and now it’s going to be me because I’m not going to be reassigned.”

The White Sox outslug the Blue Jays to win‚ 19-10‚ on 17 hits. Karim Garcia has a pair of homers for the Jays‚ while Paul Konerko has a HR and 5 RBIs for the Sox. Chris Singleton has 4 hits including a homer‚ and Jose Conseco connects as well.

Ryan Klesko hits a game ending HR in the 13th inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 win over the D’Backs. The loser is Byung-Hyun Kim. It is the 2nd time that Kim has ended a 1-0 game with a homer to the only batter he faces.

In the first game of a DH‚ New Haven pitcher Jimmy Journall makes his 1st Eastern League start a memorable one‚ tossing a no hitter to beat Bowie. Journall‚ co-pitcher of the year in the Carolina League‚ finishes the year with a 12-game win streak.

In a 11-7 loss to Columbus‚ Toledo gives up 3 runs on a unusual 4-base error (as noted by John Lewis). With runners on 1st & 2nd‚ catcher Dave Lindstrom pounces on a sacrifice bunt‚ starts to throw to third‚ then stops and rushes a too-high throw to first. The ball goes through the Toledo bullpen area to the fence about 60 feet from the fair pole allowing Kary Bridges to easily circle the bases.
September 3Cardinals P Bud Smith becomes the 16th rookie in history to hurl a no-hit game‚ stifling the Padres by a count of 4-0. Smith fans 7 in his gem in his 11th ML start. Smith threw a pair in the minors within a month last year.

The Indians defeat the White Sox‚ 6-3‚ as Jose Canseco steals the 200th base of his career. He becomes just the 9th player in history to have that many steals and 400 HRs.
September 4The Mariners cinch a tie for the playoffs with a 3-2‚ 11-inning win over Tampa Bay. The win gives the M’s a 99-39 record.

The Marlins Josh Beckett debuts with a 6-inning one hit effort as the Fish beat the Cubs‚ 8-2. Beckett‚ who was 14-1 in the minors‚ also adds a double. Kevin Millar has a grand slam and Preston Wilson a 3-run homer.

The first-place Braves draw just 3‚613 fans in Montreal as they beat the Expos‚ 3-2. Andruw Jones hits a leadoff homer in the 9th for the difference. The crowd is the smallest at Olympic Stadium in 17 years.

The Blue Jays roll over the sleep-walking Yankees‚ 14-0. Pettitte last just 3 innings in losing to Chris Carpenter‚ who goes the distance 6 hits while striking out 11.

In the 34th World Cup‚ 16-year-old Taiwan pitcher Luo Chin-lung stops Australia‚ 14-4. He works 5 innings‚ fanning 8. His performance will earn him a $1.4 signing bonus from the Rockies. Later in the day‚ teammate Lee Cheng-nan allows 2 hits in beating Japan allows just 2 hits over 9 frames. An embarrassed Japan national team‚ stacked with 14 Japan League professionals‚ fails to win a medal after losing to Cuba.

New York’s Mark Baldwin surrenders only 3 hits‚ but is out dueled by Ed Stein‚ who pitches his 2nd one-hitter of the season to lead Brooklyn to a 3-0 victory.
September 6The Giants edge closer to the Diamondbacks in the NL West race by beating Arizona‚ 9-5. Barry Bonds hits his 60th HR of the year for SF‚ becoming just the 5th player in history-and the oldest-to reach the magic mark.
September 7The Dodgers beat the Cardinals‚ 7-1‚ as OF Shawn Green homers twice to set a Dodgers franchise record with 45.

Texas defeats KC‚ 8-2. Alex Rodriguez breaks his own AL record for HRs by a SS with his 43rd of the year.
September 8Shawon Dunston hits the Giants’ 14th pinch hit HR of the season to tie the Diamondbacks for the big league record. SF defeats Colorado‚ 7-3.
September 9The Giants squeak by the Rockies‚ 9-4 in 11 innings. Barry Bonds hits 3 HRs in a game for the 2nd time this season‚ giving him 63 for the year‚ besting Roger Maris‘ mark of 61 for lefthanded hitters.

Seattle beats up on the hapless Orioles‚ winning 6-0 behind Jamie Moyer. Moyer walks one and gives up 2 hits-all to Jeff Conine-in notching his 12th straight win over the O’s. The Birds are still winless at Safeco Field‚ losing 13 straight. Brett Boone supplies all the runs needed with a 2-run HR in the 1st‚ his 35th‚ off Josh Towers‚ to break a 67-year-old AL record for RBIs by a 2B.
September 10The Cardinals shut out the Brewers‚ 8-0‚ as Darryl Kile pitches 6 innings for the win. Mark McGwire hits his 24th homer. Jamey Wright is the loser and also fails to plunk any batters‚ ending his possible ML record of hitting a batter in 10 straight games.
September 11All major league baseball games are canceled due to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center‚ flight #93‚ and the Pentagon. The Blue Jays take a 12-hour bus ride from Baltimore back to Toronto while the White Sox take a 15-hour bus from New York to home.
September 13The IL cancels the Governors Cup playoff in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attack. Louisville held a 1-0 over Scranton/Wilkes Barre.

Bud Selig announces that the weekend games will also be postponed because of the terrorist attack and security considerations. Games will resume on Monday September 17.
September 17Montreal scores 6 times in the 5th inning to take a 6-0 lead over the Marlins. Florida comes back with 8 runs of its own in its next at bat and goes on to defeat the Expos‚ 10-6.

Boston OF Carl Everett is suspended for 4 games by the Red Sox. Everett was late for a schedule workout on Sunday and got into a shouting match with manager Joe Kerrigan after being told to go home.

Bud Smith follows up his no-hitter with a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The only run in 7 innings against the Cards’ budding young ace is unearned. Jeromy Burnitz of the Brewers comes within one fielding chance of joining Harry “Silk Stocking” Schafer (1877)‚ Greasy Neale (1920)‚ Casey Stengel (1920)‚ Bill Nicholson (1945) and Bake McBride (1978) as the only N.L. right fielders to register 11 chances in a game. The major-league record is held by Tony Armas who handled 12 chances in an A.L. game in 1982.
September 18The Rockies came back from a 6-0 deficit in the first inning deficit‚ in which they make 5 errors‚ and pound Curt Schilling to defeat the Diamondbacks 10-9. The Rocks win it on dramatic back-to-back homers by Helton and Cirillo off Byung Hyun Kim in the bottom of the 9th. The DBacks lead over SF is now just 1 1/2 games.
September 19Going wire to wire in first‚ the Mariners become the 1st team to clinch a playoff berth by downing the Angels‚ 5-0‚ for their 106th win of the year.

Tampa Bay defeats Boston‚ 12-2‚ scoring a season-high 8 runs in the 6th inning. Aubrey Huff has a career-high 5 RBIs for the Devil Rays.

The Cardinals beat the Brewers‚ 8-2‚ as Matt Morris wins his 20th game of the season. Albert Pujols drives in 3 runs for St. Louis to set a new NL rookie mark with 120 for the season. The old mark of 119 was set by Wally Berger of the Boston Braves in 1930.

Roger Clemens wins his 20th game of the year against only 1 defeat‚ hurling the Yankees to a 6-3 win over the White Sox. The 39-year-old Clemens is the first pitcher in history to start a year 20-1.

Major League Baseball and the Players Association donate $10 million and announce the creation of the MLB-MLBPA Disaster Relief Fund to aid victims of last week’s terrorist attacks in the United States.
September 20Joe Mays of the Twins shuts out the Tigers‚ 3-0‚ on 6 hits. Mays is the first pitcher since the Angels George Brunet in 1966 to beat the Tigers 5 times in a season.
September 21The Cardinals defeat the Pirates‚ 9-5‚ as Albert Pujols hits his 1st career grand slam. The homer gives him a new ML rookie record for extra base hits in a season with 83. The old mark of 82 was set by Brooklyn’s Johnny Frederick in 1929.

The Brewers fall to the Reds‚ 5-2. In the process‚ they set a new ML record for most strikeouts in a season with 1‚272. The old mark of 1‚268 was set by the Detroit Tigers in 1996. Milwaukee will end the year with more strikeouts than hits-a ML first.

Yankees ace closer Mariano Rivera blows a save‚ giving up a 2-run single to Jerry Hairston and the Orioles prevail‚ 7-6. Rivera will still lead the AL with 50 saves‚ the league’s most since Dennis Eckersley‘s 51 in 1992.
September 22The Dodgers score 3 times in the bottom half of the 11th inning to eke out a 6-5 victory over the Diamondbacks. Damian Miller gets 2 hits for Arizona‚ giving him 100 for the season. By doing so‚ he helps the Diamondbacks tie an NL record for most payers (9) with at least 100 hits in the same season. The NL teams include the 1923 Phils‚ 1928 Giants‚ and the Pirates in 1972 and 1976.

The Mariners lose their 3rd straight game for the 1st time all season‚ falling to the A’s‚ 11-2. It also marks the first series the Mariners have lost on the road this year‚ ending their ML record streak of 29 consecutive road series without a loss. Eric Hiljus (4-0) is the winner. Tejada and Chavez hits solo HRs in the 7th as both reach the 100 RBI mark.
September 23The Braves rally in the 9th for 3 runs off Armando Benitez‚ 2 coming on a HR by Brian Jordan‚ and then win in the 11th over the Mets‚ 5-4‚ on another Jordan homer. Rookie Jerrod Riggan serves up the 2nd dinger. Had the Braves lost‚ as they did yesterday‚ they would have dropped out of first place in September for the first time since 1991.

Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in history to hit 3 HRs in a game 3 times in a season. Despite his trio of blasts‚ the Cubs still lose to the Astros‚ 7-6.

Oakland defeats Seattle‚ 7-4‚ to clinch the AL wild-card spot as Mark Mulder wins his 20th game of the season. The A’s become the 6th team in ML history to make the postseason after falling 10 games under .500. They were 8-18 on May 1.

The Rangers defeat the Angels‚ 5-2‚ as SS Alex Rodriguez hits his 48th HR of the year to set a new ML record for shortstops. He also ties the franchise record for HRs in a season‚ set by Frank Howard in 1969.

The Giants rout the Padres‚ 11-2‚ as Barry Bonds hits his 65th and 66th HRs of the season. The homers give Bonds a ML record 34 road round-trippers. He also breaks Babe Ruth‘s ML mark for most HRs over 2 seasons by a lefthanded batter (115).
September 24Pittsburgh rookie Craig Wilson ties the ML record for PH HRs in a season by hitting his 7th in the Pirates’ 7-6 win over the Cubs. Dave Hansen of the Dodgers set the mark last season.

The Marlins score a 2nd inning run on Javier Lopez’s throwing error‚ and Brad Penny and 2 relievers hold on to beat the Braves‚ 1-0. The Braves drop into a tie for 1st place in the NL East with the idle Phillies.

Jamie Moyer (19-5) wins his 10th straight as the Mariners beat the Rangers‚ 9-3. The win snaps the M’s 4-game losing streak. Moyer’s win is his 150th.

Larry Walker is 4-for-4 with 2 homers and scores 5 runs to pace the Rockies to a 15-11 win over the Padres. Todd Helton hits his 44th and drives in 4‚ and Juan Uribe has 4 hits‚ as the Rockies score in all 8 innings they go to bat. The Pads Rickey Henderson is 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored‚ leaving him 3 shy of Cobb’s runs record.

In Los Angeles‚ Barry Bonds walks his 1st two at bats and then slugs his 67th homer in the 7th inning to give the Giants a 2-1 win over the Dodgers. Bonds hit a pair in his last 2 at bats yesterday. Bonds now has 35 homers on the road‚ a ML record.

Former MLer Tuffy Rhodes‚ playing for the Kintetsu Dragons‚ hits his 55th homer to tie Sadaharu Oh‘s Japanese League single season HR record. His homer‚ off hard-throwing Daisuke Matsuzaka comes at home and gives the Buffaloes a 7-6 win over the Seibu Lions. He’ll hit no more as Tuffy will see few good pitches from here on out.
September 25The Brewers blast 6 HRs as they defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 9-4. Jeromy Burnitz and Richie Sexson each hit 3 homers for Milwaukee‚ A ML record‚becoming the first teammates ever to accomplish the feat in the same game. Twice they hit back-to-back home runs‚ the 2nd time teammates have done it this year.

Seattle tops Texas‚ 13-2‚ setting an AL record for road victories with its 56th of the season.

The Pirates rout the Cubs‚ 13-1. SS Craig Wilson‚ after getting hits in each of the final 3 innings of Pittsburgh’s last game‚ gets hits in each of the first 3 innings against Chicago‚ giving him hits in 6 consecutive innings‚ against 6 different pitchers‚ a ML mark. Cubs pitchers fan 10 Pirates‚ giving them 1‚250 Ks for the year for a new ML mark.

Tim Raines joins the odd couple of Ted Williams and Rickey Henderson as the only players in ML history to steal a base in 4 different decades as the Expos are shut out by the Mets‚ 2-0.

The hot Oakland A’s slug the Angels‚ 9-3‚ using an 8-run 7th inning. It’s the A’s 13th home win in a row. Jeremy Giambi has a 3-run pinch double in the big frame. Angels SS David Eckstein ties the major league rookie record with his 20th HBP‚ tying the mark set by Frank Robinson‚ in 1956.
September 26Philadelphia’s Randy Wolf hurls a 1-hitter against the Reds‚ defeating Cincinnati by a score of 8-0. The Reds’ only hit is Raul Gonzalez’s 1st ML hit in the opening inning.
September 27Randy Johnson has 16 strikeouts‚ raising his total to 366 in winning his 20th game and beats the Brewers for the 13th consecutive time. Johnson exits with an 8-run lead and 2 outs and the sacks full in the 7th‚ but Mike Morgan gives up a 3-run double to Sexson. The Diamondbacks barely edge the Brewers‚ 13-11‚ to move into a 2-game lead over SF. Womack scores 4 runs and has 2 RBIs‚ while Jeromy Burnitz homers for the 5th time in 3 games.

The Cubs returns home for the first time since the terrorist attacks. An emotional pregame ceremony is followed by a first inning Sosa homer‚ one of 4 hits he collects. He carries an American flag around the bases with him in tribute. But Shane Reynolds hits a 2-run single in the 2nd and Vinnie Castilla has a 3-run HR in the 6th to lead Houston to a 6-5 win and dash Chicago’s post-season hopes. Reynolds is 9-0 in his last 10 starts versus Chicago.
September 28Kevin Millar’s 10th inning HR gives the Marlins a 6-5 win over the Phils and drops them 2 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

In the Marlins 5-3 win over the A’s‚ Ichiro Suzuki has infield hits in his first 2 at bats to tie Shoeless Joe Jackson’s rookie hits record of 233. Before the game‚ Mariners starting SS Carlos Guillan is hospitalized after being diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. He’ll make it back for the ALCS.

On Jeff Weaver bobblehead doll night‚ Weaver pitches 8 scoreless innings as Detroit beats Boston‚ 4-1.
September 29As he did last Sunday‚ Brian Jordan provides the late inning slugging to give the Braves an 8-5 win over the Mets. Jordan’s 9th inning 2-out‚ 2-strike grand slam‚ off Benitez‚ caps a 6 run rally for the Braves. The Mets waste a gutty 8-inning performance from Al Leiter and are now 5 games behind the Braves with 7 to play.

At Denver‚ Denny Neagle hits a 4th inning grand slam to put the Rockies ahead 13-6 but he’s not around for the decision‚ a 12-10 win over the Brewers. Milwaukee cuffs Neagle for 9 runs. Neagle’s slam is the big blow in a 7-run 4th that also features a double steal‚ with Greg Norton swiping home. The Brewers launch 4 homers‚ including Richie Sexson’s 40th. Shumpert is 4-for-4 for the Rocks.

The A’s defeat the Mariners‚ 8-4‚ as SS Miguel Tejada hits for the cycle‚ capping his night with a 7th-inning grand slam. As noted by Chris Strohmier‚ he’s the first player to do that since Tony Lazzeri‚ in 1932. Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki gets his 234th hit of the season to set a new ML rookie record. The previous mark had been set by Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1911. Suzuki also ties the AL record for singles in a season (187) with the hit. Wade Boggs performed the feat in 1985.

Fred McGriff‚ Rondell White‚ and Todd Hundley hit HRs on consecutive pitches off Dave Mlicki in the 1st inning and the Cubs roll to a 6-2 win over the Astros.
September 30Todd Helton’s 2B is his 100th extra base hit of the season. He is the 1st player in history to have 100 extra base hits in back-to-back seasons. Lou Gehrig and Chuck Klein were the only others to do it twice in their careers. Colorado scores 8 runs in the 3rd inning and calcimines Milwaukee‚ 10-0.

October

October 2Randy Johnson (21-6) strikes out 6 batters in 7 innings in the Diamondbacks 10-1 win over Colorado. Arizona stays 2 games ahead of the Giants with Johnson’s 200th career victory. The 6 K’s give Johnson a season total of 372-his 8th K title and his 2nd ERA title- and leaves Nolan Ryan‘s modern day single season record of 383‚ set in 1973‚ safe. Sandy Koufax‘s 382 in 1965 is also safe. Johnson struck out 10 or more exactly 23 times for the third straight season‚ again matching the record Nolan Ryan set with the California Angels in 1973. Johnson also hits Larry Walker with a pitch‚ giving him 18 HBPs for the year. Mike Hampton (14-13) retaliates by plunking Johnson‚ upsetting the D’Back’s bench. Gonzalez hits his 57th HR for Arizona.

San Francisco keeps its NL West hopes alive with a 4-1 win over Houston. Bonds is homerless as Kirk Rueter throws 6+ strong innings. The slumping Astros drop into a tie for the NL Central with St. Louis‚ 5-1 winners over Milwaukee.

The Cubs are eliminated from the Wild Card race and Sammy Sosa hits home run No. 60 in Chicago’s 5-4 loss. He’s the first player in history with three 60+ HRs in a season.
October 3The A’s defeat the Rangers‚ 5-4‚ for their 98th win of the season to set a new record for victories by a wild-card winner. The A’s will end the season with a 17-game home winning streak.

San Francisco again pounds the Astros‚ 11-8. Bonds has no homers‚ but walks 3 times and scores 3. His 171 walks is a new ML record‚ topping Ruth’s 1923 base on balls mark. He’ll finish with 177. The Astros lose for the 7th time in 8 games.

Cubs ace Jon Lieber picks up his 20th win of the season‚ beating the Reds‚ 13-7. He’s the first Cubs 20-game winner since Maddux‚ in 1992. Sosa hits a 3-run HR for roundtripper No. 61‚ as the Cubs score 5 in the 7th. Sosa pushes his RBI total to 154 to lead the majors. Corey Patterson has 4 hits for Chicago while Corky Miller homers twice for the Reds. Cubs pitching coach Oscar Acosta resigns from the organization‚ effective immediately following the game and will take a job with Texas.

In arguably the latest trade ever‚ the Montreal Expos send Tim Raines to Baltimore so that he can play with Tim Raines‚ Jr.‚ who made his debut on October 1. Senior will play in four games‚ going 3-for-11 with a HR.
October 4The Giants defeat the Astros‚ 10-2‚ as Barry Bonds hits his 70th HR of the season to tie Mark McGwire‘s ML mark. Rookie P Wilfredo Rodriguez surrenders the historic blast.

Rickey Henderson hits a HR to become baseball’s all-time career runs scored leader with 2‚246. The Padres defeat the Dodgers‚ 6-3.

Tim Raines Jr. plays center field and Tim Raines Sr. plays left field in the Orioles’ 5-4 loss to Boston. They become the 2nd father-son duo to play in the same game‚ matching the feat turned by Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. The Orioles acquired the senior Raines yesterday from the Expos.
October 5Barry Bonds hits his 71st and 72nd HRs of the season to set a new ML single-season mark in the Giants’ 11-10 heartbreaking loss to the Dodgers. The 1st inning blast to break the record comes off Dodgers P Chan Ho Park. Aurilia hits his 37th but the Dodgers eliminate the Giants from a possible playoff berth. The game takes 4 hours: 27 minutes‚ the longest 9-inning game in ML history. With the Giants eliminated‚ Bonds will not start tomorrow‚ but will hit a pinch single on the only good pitch he sees. Aurilia’s 37 homers and Barry’s 73 set a NL record for homers by teammates (110): The ML record is Mantle and Maris with 115.

The Mariners defeat the Rangers‚ 6-2‚ for their 115th win of the season to set a new AL mark. In doing so‚ Jamie Moyer‚ at age 38‚ becomes the oldest first -time 20-game winner in history.

In only the 2nd doubleheader ever played at the SkyDome (the first was 1989)‚ the Blue Jays sweep the Indians‚ 5-0 and 4-3 in 11 innings. Jose Cruz Jr. leads the offense by stealing 3 bases and hitting a homer in his 6th straight game-a club record: he joins the 30-30 club. Roy “Doc” Halladay flirts with a no-hitter before Travis Fryman singles with 2 out in the 8th. Cordero added a single in the 9th. Halladay lost a no-hitter in 1999 when he gave up a 2-out 9th inning HR to Bobby Higginson in his first ML win. Halladay had been sent all the way to single A Florida State league earlier in the year‚ following his 10.64 ERA in 2000‚ the worst in ML history (for pitchers with 50+ innings).

The Expos defeat the Mets‚ 8-6‚ as NY’s Lenny Harris ties Manny Mota‘s ML record with his 150th career pinch hit.

The Braves clinch their 10th straight division championship with a 20-3 rout of the Marlins. Kevin Millwood gives up a field goal in the 1st inning‚ but the Braves score 10 runs in the bottom of the frame. Ryan Dempster allows just one hit but walks 6 before leaving in the 1st. Reliever Benito Baez gives up 8 runs in 1 2/3 IP‚ and OF John Mabry tries his hand in the 9th‚ but gives up 5 runs while recording just one out. Chipper Jones has a triple and grand slam and reaches the 100 RBI mark for the 6th straight year.

Albie Lopez throws a 3-hit shutout to beat the Brewers 5-0 and clinch a tie for the Diamondbacks in the NL West. With the win‚ Lopez avoids becoming the 1st 20-game loser in the Majors since Brian Kingman in 1980. Lopez was 5-12 with the Tampa Bay and 3-7 with the D’Backs.

The Orioles lose to the Red Sox‚ 7-5‚ as Cal Ripken becomes the 7th player in history to play in 3‚000 career games.
October 6Little used P Dennis Stark and 4 relievers give Seattle a 1-0 win over Texas‚ handing the Rangers their only shutout of the year. Bret Boone‘s solo HR‚ off Doug Davis‚ is the scoring. The win is #116 for Seattle‚ tying the win mark of the 1906 Cubs. Texas will beat Seattle in tomorrow’s season finale. Seattle ends the season having won the season series against all 18 opponents they faced: 13 AL teams and 5 NL. The last team to win every season series was the Tigers in 1968 against 9 AL teams. The Mariners broke the record of the 1899 Brooklyn Dodgers (as noted by Walt Wilson)‚ who won series against 11 NL teams.

Lenny Harris breaks Manny Mota‘s all-time mark for pinch hits with the 151st of his career as the Mets defeat the Expos‚ 4-0.

Colorado drops a 10-4 decision to San Diego. Rockies 1B Todd Helton gets a double in the game‚ making him the first big league player ever to have back-to-back seasons of 400 total bases. He had 405 last year.

At Wrigley‚ Julian Tavarez takes a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Pittsburgh before giving up a bases loaded single-the only hit he allows-to Mendy Lopez. Roosevelt Brown drives in 7 runs on a pair of 3-run HRs and a sac fly. Sammy Sosa has 3 hits‚ 3 runs and 3 RBIs‚ including an inside-the-park homer for No. 63.
October 7Rickey Henderson gets the 3‚000th hit of his career‚ a leadoff bloop double‚ as the Padres lose to the Rockies‚ 14-5. Ricky then leaves the game. The game is the final one of Tony Gwynn‘s career. Gwynn pinch hits in the 9th and grounds out‚ then walks around the field shaking hands with hometown fans. Larry Walker‚ who sits‚ wins his third NL batting title in three years at .350. Walker and Rockies teammate Todd Helton (.336) become the first teammates to finish 1-2 since John Olerud (.363)‚ Paul Molitor (.332) and Roberto Alomar (.326) were the top 3 for Toronto in 1993.

The Astros defeat the Cardinals‚ 9-2‚ to clinch their 4th NL Central crown in 5 years. The loss leaves the Cardinals with the NL wild card spot. Albert Pujols ties Emmet “Snags” Heidrick (1899) for most hits by a Cardinal rookie when he makes his 194th

The Giants beat the Dodgers‚ 2-1‚ as Barry Bonds extends his ML record with his 73rd HR of the season. He will finish the year with a slugging percentage of .863 to break Babe Ruth‘s all-time single-season record. Bonds will have 411 total bases‚ 3rd in the NL behind Gonzalez and Sosa. He also is the only player besides Kevin Maas to have more than 20 homers and not double his home run total in RBI. (Maas had 21 HR‚ 41 RBI‚ in 1991)

The Cubs lose to the Pirates in their final game of the season‚ 4-3‚ but they become the first team in ML history to not allow an opposing pitcher to throw a complete game against them all season. Sosa closes out 2001 with his 64th homer in his final at-bat of the game and sets a new franchise record with 98 extra base hits‚ one more than Hack Wilson smacked in 1930. He also finishes with another franchise record of 425 total bases‚ the 7th best all-time total‚ 2 ahead of Wilson‚ and the most in the majors since Stan Musial‘s 429 in 1948. His 160 RBIs is the highest total in the NL since Chuck Klein knocked in 170 in 1930; Sammy’s RBI total for the past 4 years also breaks Klein’s 4-year mark set in 1929-32. To finish out the record day‚ 5 Cubs pitchers combine for 12 strikeouts as the staff sets a Major League record with 1‚246 strikeouts. The Yankees do the same‚ setting an AL mark with 1‚266 strikeouts.
October 9The Braves defeat the Astros in the opener of their NL Divisional Series‚ 7-4‚ behind Chipper Jones‘ 3-run HR. SS Julio Lugo‘s error sets up the deciding blast‚ as Rudy Seanez gets the victory in relief.

The Diamondbacks take the 1st game of their Divisional Series as Curt Schilling outpitches Matt Morris in hurling a 3-hit‚ 1-0 shutout. Steve Finley gets 3 hits for Arizona and drives home the game’s only run.

In Seattle‚ Bartolo Colon strikes out 10 while hurling 8 innings of a 6-hit shutout as the Indians take the opener of their Divisional Series with the Mariners‚ 5-0. OF Ellis Burks gets 3 hits for Cleveland‚ including a HR. The action in the bullpen comes when Indians P John Rocker throws water on some heckling fans. According to Rocker‚ the fans’ reaction is the media’s fault-“You guys should see the monster you’ve helped create. They wouldn’t be there if not for the biased coverage‚ so thank you for making my life on the road hell.”
October 10The Braves take a 2-games-to-0 lead in their series with the Astros behind Tom Glavine‘s 1-0 victory. SS Julio Lugo‘s throwing error aided the winning run‚ which crossed the plate on a double play.

St. Louis evens its series with Arizona by defeating the Diamondbacks‚ 4-1. Woody Williams notches the win for the Cardinals‚ who get a 2-run HR from rookie Albert Pujols. Randy Johnson takes his record 7th consecutive playoff loss for Arizona.

The Yankees fall to the A’s‚ 5-3‚ in the first game of their Divisional Series. Terrence Long hits a pair of HRs for Oakland and Jason Giambi adds another. Mark Mulder gets the win for Oakland while OF Johnny Damon goes 4-for-4.
October 11The Mariners even their series with the Indians with a 5-1 victory. Mike Cameron‚ Edgar Martinez‚ and David Bell smack homers to back the pitching of Jamie Moyer‚ who gets the win.

The A’s take the 2nd game of their series with the Yankees‚ 2-0‚ behind the pitching of Tim Hudson. Ron Gant homers for the A’s‚ who escape a two-on‚ nobody-out threat by the Yankees in the 9th.
October 12Atlanta defeats Houston‚ 6-2‚ to sweep their Divisional Series and move into the NLCS for the 9th time in 10 seasons. Paul Bako‚ Julio Franco‚ and Chipper Jones hit HRs to back the solid pitching of starter John Burkett. The game is the Astros 14th loss in their last 16 postseason games.

Arizona takes a 2-games-to-1 lead in its Divisional Series with St. Louis with a 5-3 victory. Craig Counsell‘s 3-run homer in the 7th inning is the deciding blow. Starter Miguel Batista gets the win for the Diamondbacks.

Minnesota manager Tom Kelly announces his retirement after 15 years at the Twins’ helm.
October 13Cleveland routs Seattle‚ 17-2‚ behind rookie P C.C. Sabathia to take the lead in their Division Series. Omar Vizquel leads the Indians with 4 hits and 6 RBIs-1 short of the Division Series record.

Jorge Posada‘s 5th inning solo homer accounts for all the scoring as the Yankees defeat Oakland‚ 1-0‚ to stay alive in their Division Series. Mike Mussina gives up just 4 hits in 7 innings to get the win.

The Cardinals defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 4-1‚ behind rookie P Bud Smith to even their Division Series at 2 games apiece. Fernando Vina hits a 2-run HR for St. Louis.
October 14Seattle ties its series with Cleveland at 2 games apiece with a 6-2 victory. Down 1-0‚ the Mariners score 6 times over the final 3 innings. Edgar Martinez‘s 2-run homer in the 9th caps the scoring as Freddy Garcia gets the win.

Yankee bats finally come alive as New York defeats Oakland‚ 9-2‚ to even their series at 2 games apiece. Orlando Hernandez gets the victory as he improves his postseason mark to 9-1. OF Bernie Williams drives home 5 runs to lead the Yankees. Oakland OF Jermaine Dye fractures his leg when he fouls a ball off his left shin. He will miss the rest of the postseason and the start of spring training next year.

The Diamondbacks advance to the NLCS with a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals. Tony Womack‘s 2-out single in the bottom half of the 9th plates the winning run and makes a winner out of Curt Schilling.
October 15The Yankees defeat the A’s‚ 5-3‚ to move into the ALCS. In doing so‚ they become the 1st team ever to win a best-of-5 series after losing the first 2 games at home. SS Derek Jeter gets a pair of hits to break Pete Rose‘s postseason record with 87. David Justice hits a PH HR for NY while Mike Stanton gets the win in relief. Jason Giambi goes 4-for-4 for Oakland.

The Mariners advance to the ALCS with a 3-1 win over Cleveland in the deciding game of their Division Series. Ichiro Suzuki gets 3 hits for Seattle‚ Mark McLemore drives home 2 runs‚ and Jamie Moyer gets the win.
October 16Randy Johnson stops his postseason losing streak with a 2-0 win over the Braves in the opener of the NLCS. Johnson allows 3 hits and strikes out 11. Reggie Sanders and Luis Gonzalez drive home runs for the Diamondbacks.
October 17The Yankees take the first game of the ALCS with a 4-2 win over the Mariners. Andy Pettitte gets the victory while Paul O’Neill hits a 2-run HR for NY.

Braves P Tom Glavine stops Arizona‚ 8-1‚ to even Atlanta’s series with the Diamondbacks at 1 game apiece. Marcus Giles‚ Javy Lopez‚ and B.J. Surhoff all homer for the Braves.

In the Arizona Fall League Championship game‚ Mike Hessman of the Phoenix Desert Dogs hits a two-out walk off grand slam in a 12-8 win over the Grand Canyon Rafters. The slam caps an 8-run 9th that started with back-to-back homers by Lamont Mathews and Mark Ellis.
October 18New York wins its 2nd straight game in Seattle‚ 3-2‚ to take a 2-game-to-0 lead in the ALCS. Mike Mussina gets the victory and 3B Scott Brosius drives in 2 runs for the Yankees.

Houston manager Larry Dierker resigns. Dierker led the Astros to 4 division crowns in 5 seasons at the helm‚ but never made it past the first round of the playoffs.
October 19Curt Schilling’s 4-hitter gives the Diamondbacks the lead in the NLCS as Arizona defeats Atlanta‚ 5-1. Schilling fans 12 for Atlanta as Craig Counsell gets 3 hits and Steve Finley drives home 3 runs.
October 20The Diamondbacks take a 3-1 lead in their series with an 11-4 victory over Greg Maddux and the Braves. Six of Arizona’s runs are unearned as a result of 3 Atlanta errors. Luis Gonzalez hits a 3-run homer for Arizona while Andruw Jones connects for the Braves. Brian Anderson gets the win in relief of starter Albie Lopez.

The Mariners clobber the Yankees‚ 14-3‚ to win their first game of the ALCS. Bret Boone ties an ALCS record with 5 RBIs as Jamie Moyer gets the win. Boone‚ John Olerud‚ and Jay Buhner all homer for Seattle.
October 21The Diamondbacks defeat the Braves‚ 3-2‚ to win the NLCS and reach the World Series for the first time in their history. They get to the Series faster than any expansion team in history‚ doing so in the 4th year of their existence. Randy Johnson gets the win for Arizona. Erubiel Durazo‘s PH 2-run HR is the key blow. Craig Counsell is named the NLCS MVP.

The Yankees take a 3-1 lead in their ALCS matchup with Seattle‚ defeating the Mariners by a score of 3-1. Bret Boone‘s 8th inning HR broke a scoreless tie‚ but Bernie Williams hits a HR in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score. NY wins on Alfonso Soriano‘s 2-run dinger in the 9th. Mariano Rivera gets the victory in relief.
October 27The Diamondbacks pound the Yankees in the opener of the WS by a score of 9-1 behind Curt Schilling. Schilling hurls 7 innings to win his 4th game of the postseason. Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez homer for Arizona as Mike Mussina takes the loss.
October 28Arizona jumps out to a 2-0 Series lead as Randy Johnson hurls a 3-hit shutout. Matt Williams hits a 3-run homer for the Diamondbacks. Andy Pettitte takes the loss for New York.

Arizona’s Curt Schilling is announced as the winner of the annual Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions to the game both on and off the field.

Commissioner Bud Selig says it is possible that two major league teams could be eliminated by the start of next season. The Montreal Expos‚ Florida Marlins‚ Minnesota Twins‚ and Tampa Bay Devil Rays are the teams mentioned as most likely to be eliminated.
October 30Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera hurl the Yankees to a 2-1 victory in Game 3 of the WS. Jorge Posada homers for New York while Scott Brosius‘ 6th-inning single drives home the winning run. Brian Anderson takes the loss for Arizona.
October 31In a thrilling contest‚ the Yankees defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 4-3 in 10 innings‚ to tie the Series at 2 games apiece. Tino Martinez‘s 2-out‚ 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9th ties the game‚ and Derek Jeter‘s blast in the bottom of the 10th wins it for New York. Both homers come off Byung-Hyun Kim who relieved Curt Schilling in the 8th inning. Mariano Rivera gets the win in relief for the Yankees.

Joe Falls of The Detroit News is voted the J.G. Taylor Spink Award‚ and will be inducted into the writer’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame next summer.

November

November 1In an amazing case of history repeating itself‚ the Yankees again come from 2 runs down with 2 outs in the 9th inning to defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 3-2 in 12 innings. Byung-Hyun Kim is again victimized‚ this time by Scott Brosius‘ 2-run HR in the 9th. Alfonso Soriano‘s single wins it in the 12th. Steve Finley and Rod Barajas homer in the 5th for Arizona’s runs.

Former Red Sox manager Jimy Williams signs a 3-year contract to take over the reins of the Houston Astros.
November 3The Diamondbacks even the Series at 3 games apiece with a 15-2 win over the Yankees in Game 6. Randy Johnson gets the win for Arizona while Danny Bautista drives in 5 runs. Arizona knocks out a WS-record 22 hits‚ and scores 8 runs in the 3rd inning.
November 4The Arizona Diamondbacks win the first WS of their 4-year existence with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Yankees. Alfonso Soriano breaks a 1-1 tie with a HR in the 8th inning to give NY the lead‚ but Arizona comes back with 2 runs in the bottom half of the 9th off Mariano Rivera to get the win. Luis Gonzalez drives home the winning run while Randy Johnson gets the win in relief. Johnson and Curt Schilling share the WS MVP award.
November 5The Tigers hire Dave Dombrowski as president and CEO to replace John McHale‚ Jr. Dombrowski ‚ 45‚ had been president and GM of the Marlins.
November 6Major league owners vote to eliminate 2 teams before the start of next season. Minnesota‚ Montreal‚ Florida‚ and Tampa Bay are the teams under consideration.

Gold Glove award winners are announced. Ivan Rodriguez wins his 10th straight to tie Johnny Bench for the most by a catcher‚ Greg Maddux wins his 12th straight to extend his NL record for pitchers‚ and Roberto Alomar wins for the 10th time‚ the most ever for a 2B.
November 9The Dodgers obtain P Omar Daal from the Phillies in exchange for minor league pitchers Eric Junge and Jesus Cordero.
November 11Cardinals’ 1B Mark McGwire announces his retirement‚ saying “I am unable to perform at a level equal to the salary the organization would be paying me.” McGwire’s 583 career HRs place him 5th on the all-time list.
November 12Cardinals’ 3B Albert Pujols is the unanimous choice for NL Rookie of the Year. In the AL‚ Ichiro Suzuki takes the honors.
November 13Randy Johnson wins his 3rd consecutive NL Cy Young Award.
November 14Seattle’s Lou Piniella is named the AL Manager of the Year. Philadelphia’s Larry Bowa takes honors in the NL.

Former NL MVP Ken Caminiti is arrested in Houston on drug possession charges after being found with crack cocaine.

After Marvin Miller‚ former head of the players union‚ calls on Bud Selig to resign because of a conflict of interest with the Twins contraction and his ownership‚ the Commissioner reacts angrily. “St. Louis is closer to Minneapolis than Milwaukee is‚” misstates Selig in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. “Are the Red Sox going to benefit if Montreal is contracted? No. I don’t think the Brewers will gain either. Its so outrageous and not worthy of comment‚” he comments.
November 15Roger Clemens wins his 6th AL Cy Young Award.
November 16A Minnesota judge issues a temporary injunction that orders the Twins to play their full home schedule and prevents owner Carl Pohlad from selling the team to anyone who will move it. While this ruling will be appealed‚ it will be difficult to get the injunction overturned in enough time to contract the Twins for a potential 2002 season.
November 19Giants OF Barry Bonds wins the NL Most Valuable Player award. He becomes the first player in history to win the award four times.
November 20Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners is named the AL Most Valuable Player. He becomes the second player in history to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same season.
November 26The Rangers sign free agent P Todd Van Poppel to a 3-year contract.
November 27The White Sox send INF Herb Perry to the Rangers in exchange for a player to be named.
November 30Arizona P Curt Schilling wins the 2001 Hutch Award‚ given each year by Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to a player who displays “honor‚ courage & dedication to baseball while overcoming adversity in their personal or professional lives.”

December

December 1The Mets sign star Japanese P Satoru Komiyama to a 1-year contract. The 36-year-old Komiyama was a 7-time All-Star in Japan.
December 3The Phillies sign free agent OF Brian Hunter to a 2-year contract.
December 4The Orioles sign free agent OF Marty Cordova to a 3-year contract.
December 6Major league baseball reportedly gives John Henry permission to sell the Florida Marlins to Montreal Expos owner‚ Jeffrey Loria. The Expos are expected to be either contracted or taken over by Major League Baseball‚ which would buy the team from Loria in case contraction is aborted‚ leaving him an opportunity to own the Marlins.
December 7Figures released by major league baseball show that the Milwaukee Brewers were baseball’s most profitable club‚ after revenue sharing‚ in 2001. Without revenue sharing‚ the Brewers were the fourth-most profitable team.

The Mets send 3B Robin Ventura to the Yankees in exchange for OF David Justice. It is the first deal between the two New York teams in 8 years.

The Blue Jays trade closer Billy Koch to the A’s. In return‚ Toronto gets minor league 3B Eric Hinske and minor league P Justin Miller.

The Orioles sign free agent OF Brady Anderson to a 1-year contract.
December 8The Yankees sign free agent P Steve Karsay to a 4-year contract.

The Braves sign free agent 3B Vinny Castilla to a 2-year contract.

The Astros sign free agent C Gregg Zaun to a 2-year contract.
December 10The Blue Jays send SS Alex Gonzalez to the Cubs in exchange for P Felix Heredia and a player to be named. The Cubs make the move after talks with SS Ricky Gutierrez reached an impasse 3 days ago‚ and the team elected not to go to arbitration. Gonzalez just completed the 1st year of a 4-year $19 million contract.

The Cardinals sign free agent P Jason Isringhausen to a 4-year contract.
December 11The Mets obtain 12-time All-Star Roberto Alomar in an 8-player deal with the Indians. In addition to Alomar‚ New York also receives P Mike Bacsik and OF-1B Danny Peoples. Cleveland gets OFs Matt Lawton and bluechip prospect Alex Escobar‚ P Jerrod Riggan‚ and pitching prospect Billy Traber.

In a swap of outfielders‚ the Reds send Dmitri Young to the Tigers in exchange for Juan Encarnacion. Cincinnati also gets P Luis Pineda in the deal.

The Mariners and Padres complete a 6-player deal that sends P Brett Tomko‚ SS Ramon Vazquez‚ and C Tom Lampkin to San Diego. C Ben Davis‚ IF Alex Arias‚ and P Wascar Serrano move on to Seattle.

Former USC P Mark Prior wins the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player in the US. Prior signed a 5-year contract with the Cubs after being selected in the June draft.

The Rangers sign free agent P Jay Powell to a 3-year contract.
December 12The Diamondbacks sign free agent OF Jose Guillen to a 1-year contract.
December 13The Yankees sign free agent All-Star 1B Jason Giambi to a 7-year‚ $120 million contract. In another move‚ New York acquired OF John Vander Wal from San Francisco in exchange for P Jay Witasick. For the oft-traveled Witasick‚ it is his 2nd stint with the Padres.

The Dodgers obtain P Paul Quantrill and IF Cesar Izturis from the Blue Jays in exchange for Ps Luke Prokopec and Chad Ricketts.

The Pirates send P Todd Ritchie and C Lee Evans to the White Sox. In return‚ Pittsburgh gets pitchers Kip Wells‚ Sean Lowe‚ and Josh Fogg.

The Red Sox send troubled OF Carl Everett to the Rangers in exchange for P Darren Oliver.

The Phillies trade P Chris Brock to the Orioles for P John Wasdin.

The Mets sign free agent OF Roger Cedeno to a 4-year‚ $18 million contract and free agent P David Weathers to a 3-year pact worth $9.4 million.

The Tigers sign free agent IF-OF Craig Paquette to a 2-year contract.
December 14The Mets send recently-acquired OF David Justice and $1.2 million to the Oakland A’s in exchange for Ps Mark Guthrie and Tyler Yates.

A federal judge upholds an arbitrator’s decision that ordered major league baseball to rehire nine of the 22 umpires who lost their jobs following a failed mass resignation two years ago.
December 15The Mariners get 2-time All-Star 3B Jeff Cirillo from the Rockies in exchange for Ps Jose Paniagua‚ Dennis Stark‚ and Brian Fuentes. Fuentes’ lone victory in 2002 will come on June 12 against the Rockies.
December 16The Red Sox acquire P Dustin Hermanson from the Cardinals in exchange for 3 minor leaguers-OF Rick Asadoorian and 1Bs Luis Garcia and Dustin Brisson.

The busy Mets make another deal‚ obtaining P Shawn Estes from the Giants in exchange for OF Tsuyoshi Shinjo and now expendable infielder Desi Relaford. They also sign free agent P Pedro Astacio‚ suffering from a torn labrum‚ to a one year contract worth $5 million.
December 17The Yankees sign free agent OF Rondell White‚ who played for the Cubs this past year‚ to a 2-year contract.

The Indians sign free agent SS Ricky Gutierrez to a 3-year contract.
December 18The Cardinals sign free agent 1B Tino Martinez to a 3-year contract.

The Royals sign 2B-OF Chuck Knoblauch to a 1-year contract.

The Reds‚ who tried to sign Pokey Reese in April to a 4-year‚ $21 million contract‚ ship the second baseman and P Dennys Reyes to the Rockies for pitchers Gabe White and Luke Hudson. In turn‚ Colorado sends Reese tomorrow to the Red Sox for C Scott Hatteberg. The Sox will make a Pokey a free agent by not tendering him a contract and he’ll sign in January with Pittsburgh. Hatteberg will go the same route and sign with the A’s.

The Indians send troubled P John Rocker to the Rangers in exchange for minor league P Dave Elder.
December 19The Red Sox sign free agent P John Burkett to a 2-year contract.

The Cubs sign free agent OF Moises Alou to a 3-year contract. They also trade OF Michael Tucker to the Royals in exchange for a player to be named.

The Rangers sign free agent P Dave Burba to a 1-year contract.

The Angels sign free agent P Dennis Cook to a 1-year contract.
December 20The Braves sign free agent P Albie Lopez to a 1-year contract.

The Dodgers sign free agent P Hideo Nomo to a 2-year contract. It is Nomo’s second tour of duty with the Dodgers‚ whom he first played for in 1995. Nomo posted an AL-high 220 strikeouts‚ the league’s lowest high mark in a non-shortened season since Bert Blyleven’s 206 in 1985.

The limited partners of the Red Sox vote unanimously to sell the team to a group led by Florida Marlins owner John Henry and former Padres owner Tom Werner. The $660 million price‚ plus an assumption of $40 in debt‚ would double the record price for a baseball team.
December 21The Red Sox sign free agent speedster OF Johnny Damon to a 4-year contract.
December 22The Rangers sign free agent P Chan Ho Park to a 5-year contract.
December 26The Angels sign free agent P Aaron Sele to a 3-year contract.

The Mariners sign free agent OF Ruben Sierra to a 1-year contract.
December 27The Mets obtain slugging 1B Mo Vaughn from the Angels in exchange for their #2 starter Kevin Appier. Vaughn did not play a game in 2001 due to injuries.

The Padres sign free agent P Alan Embree to a 1-year contract.
December 29The Mets acquire OF Gary Matthews Jr. from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations.
December 30The A’s sign free agent C Scott Hatteberg to a 1-year contract.