Baseball – 2002

Baseball in 2002

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January

January 2The Pirates sign free agent P Mike Williams to a 2-year contract. Williams began last season with Pittsburgh until being traded to Houston in July.
January 4The Twins hire 3rd-base coach Ron Gardenhire as their manager‚ replacing Tom Kelly who resigned in October.

The Rockies sign free agent C Tony Eusebio to a 1-year contract.

Tony Tavares resigns as president of Anaheim Sports Inc. He had been president of the Anaheim Angels since May 1996.
January 5The Giants sign free agent OF Reggie Sanders to a 1-year contract.
January 7The Diamondbacks obtain submarine-style relief P Mike Myers from the Rockies in exchange for OF Jack Cust and catcher J.D. Closser.
January 8Ozzie Smith is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the baseball writers in his first year of eligibility. Smith‚ named on 91.7 percent of the ballots‚ is the 37th player to be elected in his first year.
January 9The Rangers sign free agent OF Juan Gonzalez to a 2-year contract.

Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan says Bud Selig should resign because he appeared to violate major league rules in a 1995 loan from a company controlled by the owner of the Minnesota Twins. Conyers‚ The House Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat says the loan created an “irreparable conflict of interest” for Selig in his plan to fold two franchises‚ a proposal that most likely would include the Twins.” Selig rejects the suggestion saying‚ “`The suggestions made in your letter are wholly unacceptable.”
January 10The Yankees sign free agent P David Wells to a two-year contract.

The Rockies sign free agent P Rick White to a 1-year contract.

Bud Selig asks the players to accept a luxury tax that would slow the increase of salaries. He also proposes that teams vastly increase the amount of local revenue they share.
January 11The Rockies sign free agent P Todd Jones to a 1-year contract.

The Mariners sign free agent P Shigetoshi Hasegawa to a 1-year contract.
January 14The Cubs sign free agent OF Darren Lewis to a 1-year contract.
January 15The Braves obtain All-star OF Gary Sheffield from the Dodgers in exchange for OF Brian Jordan‚ P Odalis Perez‚ and minor league P Andy Brown.

The Phillies sign free agent P Terry Adams to a 1-year contract.
January 16The Mets sign free agent P Pedro Astacio to a 1-year contract.

The Brewers sign free agent 2B Eric Young to a 2-year contract.
January 17The Angels obtain DH-1B Brad Fullmer from the Blue Jays for P Brian Cooper.
January 19The Diamondbacks sign free agent P Rick Helling to a one-year contract.
January 21In a complicated three-team deal‚ the Colorado Rockies trade Alex Ochoa and 2 prospects to the Mets for veterans Benny Agbayani and Todd Zeile. The Rocks will pay $2 mil of Zeile’s $6 million contract‚ while the Mets agree to pay $3.25 million of it‚ plus a $500‚000 buyout payment on the contract. The 3rd team in the deal‚ the Brewers‚ chip in $250‚000 of Zeile’s pay. The Mets receive minor leaguers Ross Gload and Craig House from Colorado. The Brewers then send slugger Jeremy Burnitz‚ starter Jeff D’Amico‚ INF Lou Collier‚ and 2 prospects to the Mets. New York ships pinchhitter/IF Lenny Harris‚ P Glendon Rusch‚ and Ochoa to Milwaukee. The Mets have now replaced half of their 2001 roster.
January 25The Mariners deal 3B David Bell to the Giants in exchange for recently-acquired IF Desi Relaford and cash.

The Brewers sign free agent OF Matt Stairs to a 1-year contract.
January 28The Rangers continue to shore up their pitching staff by signing free agent Ismael Valdes to a 1-year contract.
January 29The White Sox trade OF Chris Singleton to the Orioles for minor league 2B Willie Harris.
January 30The Phillies sign free agent OF Ricky Ledee to a 1-year contract.

The Pirates sign free agent 2B Pokey Reese to a 2-year contract. Pittsburgh is Reese’s 4th team since the end of the 2001 season. He finished the year with Cincinnati‚ and then was traded to the Rockies and the Red Sox in a span of three days in December. Boston did not offer him a contract‚ making him a free agent.

The Mariners sign free agent P James Baldwin to a 1-year contract.
January 31Philadelphia Phillies announcer Harry Kalas is voted the Ford C. Frick Award. He will be inducted into the broadcasters’ wing of the Hall of Fame on July 28.

February

February 1The White Sox sign free agent OF Kenny Lofton to a 1-year contract. He’ll end the year with the Giants.
February 5Commissioner Bud Selig announces that major league baseball has postponed plans for contraction until 2003.
February 8Mexico defeats Puerto Rico to win the Caribbean Series title.
February 10The Astros sign free agent P Hipolito Pichardo to a 1-year contract.
February 11Major league baseball owners approve the sales of the Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos. Florida owner John Henry is selling the Marlins to Jeffrey Loria for $158.5 million‚ while Loria is selling the Expos to Baseball Expos LP‚ a limited partnership owned by the other 29 teams‚ for $120 million. The sales won’t officially close until later this week.
February 12Mets assistant general manager Omar Minaya becomes the first Hispanic GM by accepting the position with the Montreal Expos. Frank Robinson is also announced as the manager of the team‚ which will be run by Major League Baseball for the 2002 season.
February 15San Diego Padres OF Mike Darr is killed in an early morning accident when his car rolls over in Phoenix near the team’s spring training camp. Surviving is pitcher Ben Howard‚ who was sitting in the back seat wearing a seatbelt.
February 16The sale of the Florida Marlins to a group headed by Jeffrey Loria becomes official.
February 21Bob Watson is named to replace Frank Robinson as Major League Baseball’s vice president in charge of discipline.
February 27The sale of the Boston Red Sox to a group headed by John Henry becomes official.

The Astros buy back the stadium naming rights from bankrupt Enron for $2.1 million. The stadium will be known as Astros Field‚ until the rights are resold.
February 28Major league baseball announces it has rehired 5 umpires-Gary Darling‚ Bill Hohn‚ Larry Poncino‚ Larry Vanover‚ and Joe West-who had resigned during the 1999 season. Four other umpires-Drew Coble‚ Greg Kosc‚ Terry Tata‚ and Frank Pulli-are allowed to retire.

March

March 1The Red Sox fire GM Dan Duquette and hire Mike Port‚ on an interim basis.

Giants 2B Jeff Kent breaks his thumb while washing his truck and is expected to be out for the next 4-6 weeks. Rumors immediately start that the accident occurred while Kent was riding his motorcycle‚ something usually forbidden in a player’s contract under the danger clause. Two 911 calls about a motorcycle accident near Scottsdale Stadium resulted in no police report or accident found. Statesmanlike‚ Kent remarks‚ “I think what is sad is that this incident has become bigger than the game. There are so many good things that happen on this field with this team that are good for baseball. I’m not going to comment anymore on the issue.”
March 4Indians CF Alex Escobar will have reconstructive knee surgery‚ after he crashed into an OF wall‚ and will miss the entire season. Escobar‚ who was acquired in the Roberto Alomar trade‚ was once a highly touted Mets prospect. His stock has fallen considerably in recent years‚ due to injury problems.
March 11The Red Sox hired Grady Little as their new manager.

Thrown out stealing. The Yankees release OF Ruben Rivera for stealing Derek Jeter’s mitt out of his locker‚ and selling it on the black market for $2‚500. There are rumors that Rivera also took other memorabilia items‚ such as things belonging to Roger Clemens‚ but Clemens denies it. Rivera had been signed to a one year contract for $1 million.
March 12Baseball czar Bud Selig announced he’s going to start enforcing the 60-40 rule‚ which says teams can’t have an assets/debts ratio below that level. According to Doug Pappas‚ an expert on baseball finances‚ “At best‚ this is one more example of Bud’s arbitrary and selective enforcement of MLB’s rules‚ retroactively punishing owners who’ve spent more on players than Bud would like. At worst‚ it’s yet another grotesque case of Selig‚ he of the permanent conflict of interest‚ twisting the rules for his own benefit. In 1995‚ his Milwaukee Brewers were so far in debt they couldn’t borrow money to contribute to the construction of their new park. Forbes estimated that as of the 1997 season‚ the Brewers’ debt had risen to an incredible 97% of franchise value. Selig said nothing about the 60/40 rule. But the Brewers’ new park opened in 2001. The first-year attendance spike sent club revenues to a record $113 million. Isn’t it amazing how the Commissioner suddenly decided to enforce the rule just when his own club could finally meet the standard?”
March 20The Brewers trade C Henry Blanco to the Braves for C Paul Bako and P Jose Cabrera.
March 24The Expos trade prospects Jason Bay and Jim Serrano to the Mets for journeyman Lou Collier. Bay hit .361 in the class A Midwest League.
March 27In need of relief help‚ the Cubs trade RHP Julian Tavarez and three prospects to the Marlins for reliever Antonio Alfonseca and RHP Matt Clement. The three-C Ryan Jorgensen‚ and pitchers Jose Cuetro and Dontrelle Willis-are rated among the Cubs’ top 20 prospects. Alfonseca‚ nicknamed El Pulpo (octopus) because he was born with 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot-will replace the injured Tom Gordon.

April

April 1The Mets beat the Pirates‚ 6-2‚ improving their record in openers to 26-15‚ the best record in the majors.

In the opener at Boston‚ the Blue Jays take an 8-3 lead against Pedro Martinez and hold on for a 12-11 win. Darrin Fletcher‚ with 4 RBIs‚ hits a sac fly in the 9th for the win.

A cow named Cinci Freedom‚ who jumped a six-foot fence to avoid slaughter and evaded capture for 10 days before being sent to a sanctuary by artist Peter Max and his wife Mary is excused from scheduled participation in the Cincinnati Reds’ opening day parade‚ because she is too skittish. Following the parade‚ Aaron Boone’s 9th inning sac fly gives the Reds a 5-4 win over the Cubs.
April 2In beating the Padres‚ 9-0‚ the Diamondbacks became the first defending World Champions to open the season with back-to-back shutouts since the 1919 Red Sox. The Red Sox shutouts were thrown by Carl Mays and Sad Sam Jones. The last team to start the year with consecutive shutouts was the 1994 Giants. Schilling is the winner today‚ following Randy Johnson‘s 2-0 two-hitter yesterday over the Padres. The D’backs get all 9 runs off Brian Tollberg‚ who leaves after 2 2/3 innings. Damian Miller has a grand slam. Before the game the Diamondbacks receive their WS rings: Curt Schilling’s son‚ Gehrig‚ accepts for him.
April 3Indians P Chuck Finley is scratched from his start‚ after his wife was arrested and charged with spousal abuse and battery yesterday. When the police arrived at his home‚ they noticed abrasions and scrapes on him. The team says Finley’s physically able to pitch‚ but wanted to stay with his daughters. Ryan Drese starts in his place and records his first ML win‚ 6-5 over the host Angels. Drese allows 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Tribe takes the rubber game.

The Giants defeat the Dodgers‚ 12-0‚ as Barry Bonds hits a pair of HRs for the second day in a row. He becomes only the second player in history to begin a season with a pair of 2-HR games. Eddie Mathews was the other.

Playing at home, the Oakland Athletics lose to the Texas Rangers‚ 9-6‚ as the Rangers score 3 in the 8th. The loss snaps the A’s string of 20 straight wins at home stretching back to August 24. The A’s move past the 1974-75 Cincinnati Reds for most consecutive home wins over two seasons; The Reds mark was 17.

The Astros score eight runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 15-2 rout of the Brewers. Daryle Ward‘s three-run homer against Ruben Quevado‚ is the highlight of the big inning.
April 4The Rangers defeat the A’s‚ 7-5‚ snapping Oakland’s 20-game home winning streak. The last time the A’s lost at the Coliseum in the regular season was last August 24th against the Tigers.

The Devil Rays defeat the Tigers‚ 9-2‚ for their 3rd straight victory. They become the 7th team in ML history to start a season 3-0 after losing 100 games the previous year.

In a 3-2 Mets loss to Pittsburgh‚ LF Joe McEwing has a good first inning hitting a leadoff HR and making an unassisted DP. He catches Armando Rios’ soft liner and tags Jason Kendall running from 2B.

The Mets send OF Gary Matthews Jr. to the Orioles for minor league pitcher John Bale.

According to newspaper reports, major league salaries for 2002 have surpassed $2 billion, a record high.
April 5The Giants defeat the Padres‚ 3-1 in 10 innings on Barry Bonds‘ 5th HR of the year. In doing so‚ Bonds ties the mark for most HRs in the 1st 4 games of the season set by Lou Brock in 1967.

Adam Ashby and Omar Daal combine to hold the Rockies to one hit‚ a single by Todd Zeile‚ in shutting out Colorado by a score of 9-0.

At Wrigley Field‚ the Pittsburgh Pirates nip the Cubs‚ 2-1. Dave Williams pitches 6 innings for the Bucs‚ leaving after Sammy Sosa hits a homer that bounces back on the field. A new addition to Wrigley is a green tennis wind screen the Cubs erected on the fence lining the back of the bleachers in left field to block views from the rooftops on Sheffield and Waveland avenues. This is the latest skirmish in the war between the Cubs and bar owners who have put up roof top venues. FX Reprographics had 22 people at $113 apiece in the bleachers atop Michael Kaufman’s skinny building on the left-field line on Waveland. Kaufman and the other 10 rooftop owners disagree that they are stealing the Cubs’ product.

The Mets acquire RP Scott Strickland from the Expos in exchange for pitchers Bruce Chen and Dickey Gonzales‚ and IF Luis Figueroa. The Mets also receive minor leaguers Matt Watson and Philip Seibel.
April 6Highly touted Japanese pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii makes his ML debut and pitches 5 1/3 scoreless innings‚ striking out 10‚ in LA’s 9-2 win over the Rockies. Brian Jordan backs Ishii with a grand slam to give the loss to Jason Jennings. Relief pitcher Jesse Orosco of the Los Angeles Dodgers scores just the third run of his 4-decade major-league He last scored while playing for the Mets on July 22‚ 1986.

The White Sox roll by the Kansas City Royals‚ winning 14-0. Mark Buehrle allows 5 hits in 6 innings pitched. Paul Konerko has 3 runs and 3 RBIs‚ and Magglio Ordonez has 3 RBIs. Trailing 9-0 in the 8th‚ the Royals bring in Miguel Asencio‚ the youngest pitcher in the majors. Making his ML debut‚ Asencio walks Kenny Lofton on 4 pitches and does the same to the next three batters. He leaves‚ having thrown 16 pitches.

The Mets score 9 runs in the 9th inning-8 off John Smoltz-to break a 2-2 tie and defeat the Braves‚ 11-2. Rey Ordonez’s bases-loaded double is the big blow as the Mets have 15 at bats in the 9th. It is the most runs they’ve ever scored in the frame.
April 7The Diamondbacks defeat the Brewers‚ 2-0‚ as Curt Schilling strikes out 17 batters in hurling a one-hitter. Raul Casanova’s 2nd-inning single is the only Milwaukee hit.

The Phillies Pat Burrell breaks a 2-2 tie with Florida by belting a no-out 11th inning homer off Braden Looper‚ as the Phils win‚ 3-2. Burrell will win a game on April 10 with a 11th inning HR against Atlanta. It is one of three extra inning walk-off homers today in the NL: Marcus Giles‚ Atlanta‚ hits one in the 14th against the Mets Satoru Komiyama and Houston’s Daryle Ward takes the Cards Luther Hackman deep in the 12th.
April 8Houston turns back Colorado‚ 8-4‚ as Craig Biggio hits for the cycle. Biggio drives home 4 runs in recording the 6th cycle in Astros’ history. He began the day batting .174.

The Yankees pound out 22 hits in defeating the Blue Jays‚ 16-3. Alfonso Soriano gets 5 hits for NY‚ including a 2B and 3-run HR‚ while Robin Ventura drives home 6 runs.

After opening their season with 6 straight losses‚ the Tigers fire manager Phil Garner and general manager Randy Smith. Coach Luis Pujols takes over the reins on an interim basis while team president Dave Dombrowski assumes the GM’s responsibilities. Pujols will sign a 1-year deal to become the full-time manager tomorrow. Smith is the 2nd of 4 GM’s to leave their post this season. In early July‚ Chicago Cub GM Andy McPhail will give up his position to concentrate on his duties as club president‚ and Brewer GM Dean Taylor will get axed in the last week of the season.
April 10At the Superdome in New Orleans‚ a crowd of 27‚673-a record for a college baseball game-watch LSU beat Tulane‚ 9-5. Aaron Hill has 4 RBIs for LSU. The previous record was 24‚859 at consecutive games at the CWS in 1999 in which Miami played Alabama and Rice played Oklahoma State. The record will last till the San Diego State-Houston matchup on March 11‚ 2004 at newly built Petco Park in San Diego.
April 11The Orioles pound Tampa Bay‚ 15-6‚ scoring a franchise-high 12 runs in the 6th inning. They also collect a club-high 11 hits in 16 at bats. Mike Bordick leads the way with 3 RBIs.

Doug Davis (2-0) fires a 2-hit complete game as Texas beats Mark Mulder and the A’s‚ 7-0. Davis‚ an 11-game winner last season‚ had been criticized by pitching coach Oscar Ocasta in spring training for not working hard enough. He will go 1-5 in his next 8 starts and be demoted to (AAA) Oklahoma. Kevin Mench hits his first ML HR and drives in 4 runs‚ while Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro each have 3 hits.

Cubs P Kyle Farnsworth breaks his foot warming up in the bullpen and will be out of action for 6 weeks.
April 14The Twins score 8 runs in the 8th inning to overcome a 7-5 deficit and go on to defeat the Tigers‚ 13-7. David Ortiz’s pinch 3-run triple is the big blow in the inning.

The Mariners top the Rangers‚ 9-7‚ as Ruben Sierra strokes 5 hits‚ including a double. Seattle rookie DH Ron Wright makes his ML debut in the game‚ going 0-for-3 and accounting for 6 outs on a strikeout‚ double play‚ and triple play. He becomes the 2nd player since 1950 to hit into a TP in his debut (Leo Foster did it for Atlanta in 1971) when Kenny Rogers fields his comebacker in the 4th. It is Wright’s only appearance this year. Rogers allows a run in 6 innings‚ but the bullpen almost blows it for him. Alex Rodriguez has a pair of homers for Texas.
April 16Houston defeats Cincinnati‚ 8-3‚ as Lance Berkman becomes the 1st player this year to slug 3 HRs in a game. Berkman drives home 5 of the Astros’ runs.

The Tigers win for the 1st time this season‚ defeating the Devil Rays‚ 9-3. Detroit had lost its first 11 games for the 5th-worst start by a ML team this century.

The White Sox score 9 runs off Chuck Finley in the 2nd inning and go on to defeat the Indians‚ 10-5‚ ending Cleveland’s 10-game winning streak. Magglio Ordonez has a grand slam in the 2nd‚ and Royce Clayton adds a 2-run HR. Damaso Marte picks up his first ML win in relief.
April 17The Royals explode for 9 runs on 8 hits in top of the 8th inning as they rout the Twins‚ 16-3. Carlos Beltran hits a 3-run HR in the 7th for KC‚ and Joe Randa and Raul Ibanez also have 3 RBIs. Paul Byrd (3-0) is the easy winner.

Montreal scores 8 times in the 4th inning and the Expos go on to defeat the Cubs‚ 15-8. Chris Truby hits a 2-run triple in the frame and Vlad Guerrero lines a bases-loaded triple. Expo starter Tomokazu Ohka exits after failing to retire any of the first 6 batters‚ but Bruce Chin supplies 4 solid innings.

In the Braves 2-1 win over the Mets‚ B.J. Surhoff makes a 9-3 fielding play; throwing out Jeff D’Amico at 1B on an apparent RBI single. Greg Maddux leaves in the 1st with lower back pain‚ but Kevin Millwood throws 4 innings of 2-hit ball.
April 18Milwaukee fires manager Davey Lopes and hires coach Jerry Royster as interim manager in his place. In their first game under Royster‚ the Brewers beat the Cardinals‚ 7-5‚ as Richie Sexson drives home all 7 runs on 2 HRs and a triple.
April 19The Rangers shut out the Mariners‚ 9-0‚ ending Seattle’s 10-game winning streak. Seattle 3B Jeff Cirillo ties a ML mark by playing his 99th consecutive errorless game. His streak will end tomorrow.
April 20Tony Mongelluzzo of the Savannah Sand Gnats (South Atlantic League) hits 4 homers before drawing a walk in his fifth plate appearance.

USC first baseman Bill Peavey homers twice against the Washington State Cougars. His second homer clears the RF fence at the Cougars’ field and bounces on to the university’s adjacent nine-hole golf course. When the equipment manager goes to retrieve the ball‚ he is directed to the center hole of the practice green‚ where the baseball had rolled in and stuck.
April 21Rafael Furcal triples 3 times to tie the modern ML record as the Braves defeat the Marlins‚ 4-2. The last player to accomplish the feat was Lance Johnson of the White Sox in 1995.

The Diamondbacks trounce the Rockies‚ 7-1‚ as Randy Johnson strikes out 17 batters in becoming the first pitcher this year to win 5 games. It is the 6th time he has fanned 17 or more in a game.

The White Sox score 8 runs in the 1st inning off Jose Lima and hold on to beat the Tigers by a score of 11-8. PH Ray Durham strokes a 2run single in the 8th to snap an 8-8 tie.

Making his first start in almost 7 years‚ Cincinnati’s Jose Rijo allows one unearned run in 5 innings as the Reds defeat the Cubs‚ 5-3. It is Rijo’s first win since July 13‚ 1995.

Tulsa Driller manager Tim Ireland is ejected in a Texas League game for arguing about organ music at Rich Winder Field in Little Rock‚ Arkansas. Against the Travelers Ireland becomes irate when organist Rich Pharris starts playing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” while Trent Durrington bats in the 6th. Twice‚ Durrington‚ distracted by the music‚ tries to call time‚ but umpire Jason Markley refuses. Durrington‚ an Australian‚ yesterday was greeted at the plate by “Tie Me Kangaroo Down‚ Boy.” He asked Pharris to replace the song with “anything else.” Ireland expresses his irritation to umpire Markley who tosses him‚ but orders Pharris to play only between innings. As Ireland leaves the field‚ Pharris plays “Happy Trails.”
April 25The Diamondbacks jump on Greg Maddux and score 8 runs in the 5th inning and go on to defeat the Braves‚ 11-5. The D’Backs send 12 batters to the plate-11 off Maddux-and the future Hall of Famer helps by walking 4 batters-2 intentionally-in the 5th. He gives up 10 runs‚ 6 of which are earned. Damian Miller has 4 RBIs for Arizona.
April 26The Mets defeat the Brewers‚ 1-0‚ behind Shawn Estes’ one-hitter. A 7th-inning single by Eric Young is Milwaukee’s only hit.

LA pitcher Odalis Perez faces the minimum 27 batters in hurling a one-hit‚ 10-0 shutout over the Cubs. A bad-hop infield single by OF Corey Patterson leading off the 7th inning is the only Chicago hit.

The Braves shut out the Astros‚ 9-0‚ ending Houston’s club-record streak of 122 straight games without being held scoreless.
April 27Boston P Derek Lowe hurls Fenway Park’s 1st no-hitter since 1965‚ shutting out Tampa Bay‚ 10-0. It is the first career complete game for Lowe‚ who began last season as the Red Sox closer. In his first start this year‚ he hurled 7 hitless innings against the Orioles.

The Mets defeat the Brewers‚ 2-1‚ getting 6 hitless innings from their starting pitcher for the second game in a row. Pedro Astacio surrenders a single to Geoff Jenkins with 1 out in the 7th to break up his no-hit bid.

The Mariners score a run in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the Yankees‚ 1-0‚ despite being 1-hit by NY’s Ted Lilly. Desi Relaford’s single with 1 out in the 8th inning scores the only run of the game.

The Royals fire manager Buddy Bell and hire former coach Clint Hurdle to take his place.
April 28The Angels defeat the Blue Jays‚ 8-5‚ as SS David Eckstein hits a grand slam for the second day in a row‚ a 14th inning blast off Pedro Borbon. He also homered in yesterday’s 11-4 win over Toronto. Eckstein will total just 8 HRs for the year.

The Giants edge the Reds‚ 5-4‚ behind homers by Reggie Sanders and Benito Santiago. Robb Nen relieves in the 8th after Adam Dunn hits a 2-run HR. An insurance run in the top of the 9th offsets another Dunn homer‚ off Nen. Ump union head John Hirschbeck tells fellow ump Mark Carlson not to issue a warning to Reds P Gabe White after a pitch sails over the head of Barry Bonds. Hirschbeck will be sent a warning letter about this‚ which will end up before a judge.
April 29Former ML OF Darryl Strawberry is sentenced to 18 months in prison for violating the terms of his probation six times.
April 30Mike Piazza hits 2 HRs and drives home 6 as the Mets defeat the Diamondbacks‚ 10-1. Al Leiter gets the victory for NY and in doing so becomes the first pitcher to have defeated all 30 ML teams. Both Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks and Kevin Brown of the Los Angeles Dodgers have beaten 29 teams‚ but Johnson needs a win against his own team‚ the D’Backs‚ for 30.

The Rockies score 8 times in bottom of the 4th inning on the way to a 10-0 whitewashing of the Pirates. The wheels come off for Buc starter David Williams as he hits 2 batters and makes 2 balks in the 4th. Mike Hampton goes 7 innings for the win.

The Rangers defeat the Blue Jays‚ 10-3. Alex Rodriguez hits the 250th HR of his career for Texas‚ becoming the 2nd-youngest player in history to reach that number. Jimmie Foxx was 8 days younger when he did so.

The Angels hand the Indians their worst loss ever at Jacobs Field‚ defeating the Tribe by a score of 21-2. Anaheim scores in 7 innings and plates 10 runs in the 8th inning to give them their highest total in 23 years. Troy Glaus has 5 RBIs and Jeff DaVanon 4.

For the 2nd day in a row‚ Barry Bonds belts 2 homers to lead the Giants to a 12-0 rout of the Dodgers. Winner Russ Ortiz helps with a 2-run HR and batterymate Benito Santiago chips in a 3-run HR. Going back to last year‚ Bonds is now 10 for his last 14 at bats‚ with 7 homers.

The Royals name bullpen coach John Mizerock as their interim manager‚ replacing Tony Muser who was fired yesterday.

The Brewers name Jerry Royster as their permanent manager.

The Rockies‚ with permission‚ are storing their balls in a humidity- and temperature-controlled room‚ according to Rockies president Keli McGregor. The room keeps the humidity at 40 percent‚ compared with 10 percent or less humidity often felt in the mile-high city. In their first 7 Aprils‚ the Rockies and their opponents combined to average 15.1 runs per game. This April‚ the average total score at Coors was 9.8 runs-a 35.1 percent decrease. Through the first 16 games at Coors‚ scoring is off 4.69 runs a game-2.15 runs a game greater than the park with the second-biggest run decrease‚ San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. However‚ once the warm weather-and the Yankees-hits‚ run production will jump.

May

May 1The Padres defeat the Cubs‚ 4-3‚ with Trevor Hoffman saving the game for Bobby Jones. It is Hoffman’s 321st save for SD‚ a ML record for most with one team. Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley held the old mark.
May 2The Mariners rout the White Sox by a score of 15-4 as OF Mike Cameron becomes the 13th player in ML history to slug 4 HRs in a single game‚ all solo shots. Cameron is also hit by a pitch and flies out to deep right in a bid for a 5th homer. Cameron and 2B Bret Boone also become the first teammates in history to hit back-to-back HRs twice in the same inning‚ performing the feat in Seattle’s 10-run 1st inning. The duo waste little time putting their names into the record book. After Ichiro Suzuki is hit by a pitch leading off‚ Boone homers. Cameron follows with a drive off Jon Rauch that barely cleared the center-field wall and a leaping Kenny Lofton. Two outs later‚ Boone again homers on the first pitch‚ this time off reliever Jim Parque. Cameron goes to a full count‚ then homers to center again. The Mariners also tie a team record with seven homers in the game. James Baldwin is the easy winner‚ with 7 innings pitched. There had only been 39 previous occasions of a player hitting two home runs in an inning‚ according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Eric Karros was last to do it‚ on Aug. 22‚ 2000‚ for Los Angeles. Mark McGwire was the previous AL player to do it‚ on Sept. 22‚ 1996‚ for Oakland.
May 3The Braves defeat the Cardinals‚ 2-1‚ on Chipper Jones’ 2-run HR in the 11th inning. Braves’ starter‚ rookie Damian Moss‚ hurls 7 hitless innings for Atlanta‚ walking 7 and striking out 6. He leaves for a pinch-hitter in the 8th with the game scoreless.

Peoria’s Tyler Johnson loses a no-hitter when Michigan’s Brooks Conrad is credited with a single when his batted ball hits baserunner Kerry Hodges‚ who had walked with two out in the 8th inning.
May 4Barry Bonds hits his 400th HR as a Giants‚ leading the Giants to a 3-0 win over Cincinnati. Ryan Jensen relieves starter Jason Schmidt in the 1st inning and carries a no-hitter into the 8th before surrendering a single to Jason LaRue. Bonds is the first player to hit 400 homers for one team and 100 with another.

Pinch-hitter Shea Hillenbrand hits a 2-out grand slam in the 9th inning‚ off Victor Zambrano‚ to give the Red Sox a 7-5 win over host Tampa Bay. It is the 3rd straight game in which Tampa Bay has blown a lead in the 9th; According to the Elias Sports Bureau‚ the Devil Rays are the first A.L. team since the 1929 White Sox to lose three straight games after taking the lead into the 9th inning.
May 5The Indians top the Rangers by a score of 9-2. SS Omar Vizquel strokes 5 hits for Cleveland‚ including 3 doubles.

The Red Sox snap a scoreless tie with a run in the 8th and add another in the 9th on a solo HR By Nomar Garciaparra to give Tampa Bay its 10th straight loss. Frank Castillo pitches 8 innings for the win. Boston will sweep by winning tomorrow‚ 7-5
May 7The White Sox defeat the Rangers‚ 11-6‚ scoring 8 runs in the 6th inning. It is the third time this season they’ve had an outbursts of 8 or more runs in an inning.

At Atlanta‚ the Dodgers edge the Braves‚ 6-5‚ in 16 innings. Brian Jordan‚ with 4 hits including 2 homers‚ puts LA ahead in the 9th with a 2-out homer; Gary Sheffield matches that hitting one off Eric Gagne. In the 16th‚ Marquis Grissom hits a one-out single‚ steals second‚ and goes to 3B on a wild throw. After a walk‚ Paul LoDuca’s grounder scores him. Giovanni Carrara is the winner with 5 scoreless innings.

A collector from Pennsylvania buys Shoeless Joe Jackson’s famous bat‚ Black Betsy‚ for $577‚610‚ believed to be the highest price ever paid for a bat.
May 10The Angels score 8 runs in the 3rd inning on their way to a 19-0 rout of the White Sox. The Haloes join the 1923 Indians‚ 1939 Yankees and 1950 Red Sox as the only teams to beat two opponents by 19 or more runs in the same season. Earlier this year‚ the Angels beat the Indians‚ 21-2. The Anaheim calcimine of Chicago is just the 11th since 1901 in which a team scored 19 or more runs while shutting out its opponent‚ and the first such shutout in the A.L. since 1955 when Cleveland beat Boston‚ 19-0.

The Phillies Vicente Padilla holds Arizona hitless until Chris Donnels doubles with 2 outs in the 8th inning. He surrenders another hit in tossing a 4-0 victory.
May 11Tampa Bay defeats Baltimore‚ 6-4‚ breaking the Devil Rays’ 15-game losing streak. Randy Winn hits a 2-out 2-run HR off Jorge Julio in the 9th inning.
May 12The Yankees top Minnesota on Mother’s Day‚ 10-4‚ giving Joe Torre his 1‚500th career win as manager.

Milwaukee breaks the game wide open with grand slams in the 7th and 8th innings to beat the Cubs‚ 13-4. Paul Casanova and Richie Sexton each hit a salami for Milwaukee. Glendon Rusch is the victor.

The Reds take an 8-0 lead over St. Louis after 2 innings‚ but the Cardinals bounce back and score 5 runs in the 8th to pull out a 10-8 win.
May 13The Giants defeat the Braves‚ 7-6 in 11 innings‚ as an earthquake jolts Pac Bell Park during the 9th inning. The game was not stopped by the quake.

Houston tops Philadelphia‚ 17-3‚ plating 8 runs in the 8th inning to finish the scoring.
May 14For the 2nd time in 4 days‚ Orioles closer Jorge Julio serves up a 9th inning game-ending HR. Matt Lawton hits a 2-run 2-out homer to give Cleveland a 6-5 win.
May 15The Royals hire Tony Pena as their new manager replacing interim skipper John Mizerock.

The Blue Jays send P Pedro Borbon (1-2) to the Astros for a player to be named.
May 16The Mariners score 8 times in the 7th inning and go on to batter the Blue Jays‚ 15-2. LF Mark McLemore goes 5-5‚ including a double and 3-run HR‚ for Seattle.

The Tigers obtain 3B Chris Truby from the Expos in exchange for IF Jose Macias.
May 17After the Twins score 3 times in the top of the 14th‚ the Yankees come back to win‚ 13-12‚ on Jason Giambi‘s one-out grand slam‚ hitting the first pitch from reliever Mike Trombley over the RF fence. It is the 21st time in history that a player has hit a game-winning grand slam-the ultimate grand slam-with his team down by three runs. Babe Ruth‚ in 1925‚ was the only previous Yankee to have performed the feat. Giambi’s HR is one of 6 by New York as each team has 20 hits. The last time that 2 teams reached 20 hits was also on May 17-1996. Baltimore beat Seattle‚ 13-12 on 41 hits total.

The Mets score 8 runs in the 7th inning‚ highlighted by Mike Piazza‘s grand slam‚ to defeat the Padres‚ 13-4.

Erubiel Durazo hits 3 HRs and a double and drives in 9 runs for the Diamondbacks as Arizona downs Philadelphia‚ 12-9. It is Durazo’s 2nd game of the season after spending six weeks on the DL with a broken right hamate bone. Phillies 2B Marlon Anderson strokes 5 hits‚ including a double and Jimmy Rollins hits a leadoff homerun. He will hit another leadoff HR tomorrow.

The Royals send P Bryan Rekar to the Rockies. In return‚ KC receives minor league P Eduardo Villacis.
May 18After sitting through a 2-hour rain delay‚ the Red Sox defeat the Mariners‚ 4-1‚ behind the pitching of Pedro Martinez. Martinez strikes out the side in the 1st inning on 9 pitches‚ the 17th time the feat has been performed since 1970. Pedro is now 10-0 against the Mariners‚ with a 0.93 ERA against them. For the M’s‚ it is just their 4th road defeat in 21 games.
May 19The Pirates defeat the Astros‚ 5-3‚ in Houston. Prior to the game‚ the Astros retire former pitcher and manager Larry Dierker‘s uniform #49.

The Detroit Tigers stage a unique promotion-a octopus-throwing contest in honor of the Stanley Cup Western Conference Championship Series‚ which began yesterday at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. Throwing boiled octopi on the ice is a hockey tradition in Detroit. Each participant in the Tigers’ contest threw the octopi at a target with the winner getting a limo ride to the nearby Arena and tickets to the second game of the Conference Championship. Tiger pitchers Jeff Weaver and Matt Anderson try their luck along with fifty fans‚ but neither pitcher hits his target. The Rangers must’ve thought they were hitting octopus‚ as they lose the game‚ 2-1. Greisinger allows one run in 6 2/3 innings‚ and Dmitri Young’s homer in the 4th snaps a 1-1 tie.
May 20Behind a combined 2-hitter by Derek Lowe (7-1) and Rich Garces‚ the Red Sox defeat the visiting White Sox‚ 9-0. Shea Hillenbrand pokes a 3-run homer‚ a 303 ft. drive around the Pesky pole‚ one of the shortest homers in decades. It lands in the front-row lap of a youngster.
May 21The Diamondbacks set down the Giants‚ 9-4‚ behind Randy Johnson. Johnson notches the 3‚500th strikeout of his big league career in the contest.

Trailing the Dodgers 6-0‚ the Brewers score 8 times in the 7th inning to pull out an 8-6 victory.

The Devil Rays defeat the Mariners‚ 1-0‚ behind Joe Kennedy’s 4-hitter. The contest ends Tampa Bay’s streak of 194 consecutive games without a complete game. Kennedy’s only misplay is an error on a bad throw; Kennedy will make 10 errors on 41 chances this year to lead the majors in E’s.
May 22The Tigers defeat the Indians‚ 2-0‚ on Jeff Weaver’s 1-hitter. OF Chris Magruder’s double with 2 outs in the 8th inning in his Cleveland debut is the Tribe’s only safety.

The Athletics send OF Jeremy Giambi to the Phillies in exchange for IF/OF John Mabry. The trade‚ viewed as one-sided for the Phils‚ will be a good one for Oakland. Giambi will homer in his first 2 Philley at bats on the 25th‚ and be the first player in major-league history to hit eight homers in each league before the All-Star break. He’ll finish the year with 20. That‚ plus Jason’s 41‚ will give the Giambi boys the record for homers by brothers in the same season‚ topping the 59 hit in 1937 by Joe (46) and Vince DiMaggio (13).

Behind Shawn Green’s RBI triple‚ the Dodgers beat the Brewers‚ 1-0. Green also throws out Jenkins at home to complete a DP. Hideo Nomo pitches 6 innings to earn the win..

Minnesota receives a boost in its efforts to save the Twins when Governor Jesse Ventura approves a financing plan for a new $330 million stadium.

The Wichita Wranglers (Texas L) score 14 runs in the 3rd in beating Tulsa‚ 19-2. They set league records for singles (10) in an inning‚ and by having 16 straight players reach base. Five players make 2 hits in the inning.
May 23At Miller Park‚ Dodger OF Shawn Green becomes the second player this year to hit 4 HRs in a game‚ doing so in LA’s 16-3 shellacking of the Brewers. Green goes 6-6 in the contest‚ scores 6 runs (both Dodgers records)‚ drives home 7 runs‚ and sets a major league record with 19 total bases. This breaks Joe Adcock’s former mark of 18 set in 1954. According to the Elias Sports Bureau‚ six players have produced 17 or more total bases in a game with the last being Mike Schmidt in 1976. Green is the first player to collect 6 hits while hitting 4 homers‚ and his 4 homers + a double ties the NL mark for extra base hits. The Dodgers hit 8 homers in the game‚ another franchise record. Before today’s power display‚ Green had gone 0-for-15‚ and been benched May 18.

Marlins’ 2B Luis Castillo hits his 1st HR from the left side of the plate in his 600th ML game‚ pacing Florida to an 8-4 win over Cincinnati.
May 24The Dodgers lose to the Diamondbacks‚ 14-3‚ despite Shawn Green’s 5th HR in 2 games‚ tying a ML record. Green also hits 2 singles to tie another mark with 25 total bases in the 2 games.

The pilot of a small plane carrying the remains of an avid Mariners’ fan attempts to drop the ashes above SAFECO Field‚ but the canister bounces off the stadium roof and lands on the street. Fear of an attack brings police and firemen rushing to the stadium.
May 25The Rockies beat the Giants‚ 6-3‚ as Barry Bonds takes over sole possession of 5th place on the all-time HR list with the 584th round-tripper of his career.

The Dodgers top Arizona‚ 10-5‚ as Shawn Green hits 2 more HRs and drives home 6 runs. The 7 HRs in 3 games is a new ML record.

The Royals defeat the Rangers‚ 6-3. Closer Roberto Hernandez gets the save‚ becoming the 15th pitcher in history to tally 300 saves.

Expos second baseman Jose Vidro hits a no-out walk off grand slam in the 10th off Hector Mercado as Montreal outslugs the Philadelphia Phillies, 13-9. The Phils get a homer from Pat Burrell and two from Jeremy Giambi.
May 26Arizona edges Los Angeles‚ 10-9 in 10 innings. Craig Counsell gets 5 hits for the Diamondbacks‚ including a 2B.

Cory Bailey of the Kansas City Royals wins both ends of a doubleheader against the Rangers‚ becoming the first pitcher since David Wells in 1989 to do that. He pitches the top of the 9th in the first game trailing‚ 5-4; but a 3-run rally gives him the victory. In the second game‚ Bailey gets two outs to end the top of the sixth after the Rangers tied the game 7-7‚ The Royals rally to take a 9-7 lead in the bottom half and go on to win 9-8.

The Phillies and Blue Jays exchange pitchers with Cliff Politte (2-0) going to Toronto and Dan Plesac to Philadelphia. The high-priced 40-year-old Plesac had declared that this would be his last year.
May 27The Dodgers best the Brewers‚ 5-3‚ with the help of Shawn Green’s 10th HR in 7 days.
May 28Arizona’s Miguel Batista hurls 9 innings of 1-hit ball against the Giants‚ but the Giants win in 10 innings‚ 1-0. Bonds walks off Myers‚ and Jeff Kent’s 2nd hit of the game‚ off Prinz‚ moves him to 3rd. Santiago’s single wins it. Nen‚ in relief of Jason Schmidt‚ picks up the win.
May 29In an article in Sports Illustrated magazine‚ former NL MVP Ken Caminiti says that about 50 percent of current ML players use some form of steroids.

25-year-old minor leaguer Joe Bauldree dies in his sleep. The former Atlanta farmhand‚ a pitcher for the Indy Allentown Ambassadors‚ had a history of irregular heart beat.
May 31The Devil Rays score 8 runs in the 4th inning of their game against Oakland‚ but still come out on the short end of a 13-9 score. Home plate umpire Steve Rippley is forced to leave the game after being hit in the head by a pitch from Tampa Bay’s Lee Gardner‚ which hits Adam Piatt and deflects off catcher John Flaherty before hitting Rippley. He suffers a slight fracture between his left temple and cheekbone but never loses consciousness and is removed on a stretcher.

Carlos Beltran hits a grand slam and adds a solo homer in the 11th to pace the Royals to a 10-7 win over Texas. His solo shot is the first of 3 consecutive HRs in the 11th‚ as Mike Sweeney and Joe Randa follow suit.. They became just the 2nd team to hit at least 3 consecutive HRs in extra innings. The Twins had 4 consecutive HRs‚ from Tony Oliva‚ Bob Allison‚ Jimmie Hall and Harmon Killebrew‚ in the 11th inning‚ on May 2‚ 1964. Neifi Perez homers for KC‚ and Alex Rodriguez hits two for Texas.

June

June 2The Phillies score 10 runs in the 1st inning and go on to trounce the Expos by a score of 18-3. Philadelphia pitcher Robert Person gets the win‚ slugs 2 HRs and drives in 7 runs in the contest.

3rdAgainst Pedro Martinez‚ the Tigers first 2 hitters‚ Ramon Santiago and Damion Easley hit homers. Pedro does not get the decision though the Tigers‚ win‚ 7-6‚ over the Red Sox. Santiago will repeat tomorrow with another leadoff HR.

Buck Martinez is fired as Toronto manager. He is replaced by 3B coach Carlos Tosca.
June 4The Yankees ride an 8-run 6th inning to a 13-5 win over the Orioles.

The Twins score 10 runs in the 7th inning to close out the scoring in a 23-2 win over the Indians‚ the most runs in franchise history. Minnesota strokes a franchise-record 25 hits (the Washington Senators hit 24 five times) in the contest and ties the AL record as 4 players have 4+ hits–Jacque Jones‚ Dustan Mohr‚ A.J. Pierzynski and Luis Rivas: Rivas also scores 5 runs. They are the 5th team to do it On the flip side‚ the Indians tie their team record for biggest loss‚ tying the mark set in a 21-0 loss to the Tigers‚ on September 15‚ 1901. The Tribe also becomes the first team since the 1969 Padres to lose 2 games in the same season by 19+ runs. Rick Reed (6-2) is the winning pitcher‚ allowing 3 hits in 7 innings. Two of the hits are homers by Jim Thome.
June 5The Giants batter the Padres‚ 12-2‚ as Barry Bonds hits his 587th HR to move him into 4th place on the all-time list ahead of Frank Robinson.

High school players dominate the first round picks of the amateur as 16 of the 30 first rounders are prep stars. After Ball State righty Bryan Bullington is taken with the first pick‚ the next 7 are high schoolers. Tampa Bay takes SS Melvin Upton with the #2 pick; the Reds take P Chris Gruler #3; the O’s take LHP Adam Lower #4; the Expos choose P Clint Everts #5; KC takes SS Don Greinke #6; and the Brewers pick first baseman Prince Fielder‚ son of Cecil‚ with #7. Detroit takes SS Scott Moore at #8; and the Rockies take British Columbian P Jeff Francis #9. The Padres pick Clemson SS Khalil Greene with the #`13 pick; and the A’s‚ picking #16‚ take OSU 1B Nicholas Swisher‚ son of Steve. With the 21st pick the Cubs choose Bobby Brownlie‚ the #1 collegiate pitcher a year ago before injuries hit. He won’t sign until March 2003. On the 12th round‚ the Twins select Marshalltown’s Jeff Clement‚ the high school home run champion with a record 71 this year.; He broke the mark of 70 set by Drew Henson in 1998.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announces that the sport will contract by at least two teams before the 2003 season. Doesn’t happen.

The Astros announce that Astros Field is being renamed Minute Maid Park.
June 7The Reds obtain 3B/OF Russell Branyan from the Indians for minor league 2B Ben Broussard.

Tampa Bay minor league P Nick Bierbrodt is shot 3 times while sitting in a taxi as a fast food drive-in. He is listed in serious but stable condition. Bierbrodt made his ML debut last June 7.

In a Northern League (Independent) game between the visiting Gary Southshore RailCats at Midway Stadium in St. Paul‚ Saints owner Mike Veeck gives away seat cushions that feature the likeness of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig on one side and that of Players Association Executive Director Don Fehr on the other. During the seventh-inning stretch‚ an informal poll shows that about 90 percent of the fans on the cushions are sitting on Bud.
June 8The Expos defeat the White Sox‚ 2-1. Following the game‚ the Sox host their inaugural Sleepover at Comiskey Park‚ allowing fans to sleep overnight on the field.

At Seattle‚ Mark Prior pitches seven strong innings to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-0 interleague victory over the Mariners. Prior gives up just four hits and a walk while striking out 11‚ including the last five batters he faces. Sammy Sosa hits his major league-leading 21st homer in the sixth inning and Fred McGriff hits his 10th in the eighth.

In a heralded match of aces at Fenway‚ Curt Schilling (12-1) and the Diamondbacks beat the Red Sox’ Pedro Martinez‚ 3-2. Pedro‚ complaining of a sore arm‚ pitches 6 innings‚ gives up 3 runs on 7 hits‚ and strikes out 10. Schilling allows a solo HR to Carlos Baerga in the 1st‚ and a run in the 8th in winning his 9th straight.
June 9The Cubs trade C Robert Machado to the Brewers for minor league OF Jackson Melian.
June 10The Yankees best the Diamondbacks‚ 7-5. On the first pitch he sees in the majors‚ NY rookie OF Marcus Thames hits a HR off fireballing lefthander Randy Johnson.
June 11With Jared Sandberg hitting 2 homers in the frame‚ Tampa Bay scores 9 runs in the 5th inning on its way to an 11-2 win over the Dodgers.

Two days after losing a 15-inning 4.5 hour marathon‚ the Braves waste no time in doing in the Twins‚ 11-0. Andruw Jones‚ Vinny Castilla and Matt Franco hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the 7 run 5th inning. The Braves last hit 3 straight on April 18‚ 1994. Tommy Glavine (11-2) pitches 7 scoreless innings for the win.
June 14The Rangers down the Astros‚ 9-6‚ as 2B Mike Young gets 5 hits‚ including a pair of HRs.

The Reds and Expos exchange pitchers‚ with Bruce Chen going to Cincinnati and Jim Brower to Montreal.

Aaron Boone has a pair of homers‚ including a walk off HR off Mike Williams in the 11th. The Reds beat Pittsburgh‚ 4-3.

In San Diego‚ the Seattle Mariners release veteran outfielder Eugene Kingsale‚ and the Padres immediately grab him. No one informs the Mariner players or coaches that Kingsale had changed teams. After the Mariners take the field for warm-ups‚ several players run back to the clubhouse to tell the coaching staff that Kingsale had jumped ship and is wearing a Padres uniform. Mariner manager Lou Piniella is as surprised as the rest. Kingsale flies out as a pinch hitter in the 5th for Tomko as the Mariners win‚ 6-3.

.15th. Shawn Green ties the major league record by homering in 4 consecutive ABs–his last 2 on Friday and his first 2 in today’s 10-5 win over visiting Anaheim. LoDuca and Jordan also homer to back Odalis Perez (7-3)

It is a day for Shawns as Shawn Estes of the Mets becomes the 10th pitcher since the introduction of the DH in 1973 to hit a homer off an A.L. pitcher when he hits a 2-run HR off Roger Clemens of the Yankees. All 10 post-DH pitcher homers off A.L. pitching have come during interleague play. Estes throws 7 innings and strikes out 11 in the 8-0 win. He also gets a warning in the 3rd when Clemens makes his first batting appearance against the Mets since drilling Piazza 2 years ago. Estes throws his first pitch behind Clemens. Piazza answers in his own way‚ homering off Roger in the 5th‚ his 4th homer in 15 at bats against the Rocket. Rogers leaves in the 6th after hurting his foot sliding into 2B on a double.

Houston evens its series with the Texas Rangers as Wade Miller pitches 7 scoreless innings in the 4-0 win. He allows 3 hits including a double in the fifth inning by Rafael Palmeiro‚ the 1‚000th extra-base hit of his career. Palmeiro is the 25th major-leaguer to accomplish the feat. He has 505 doubles‚ 36 triples and 462 homers.
June 16Barry Zito wins his 8th straight game as Oakland beats their rivals‚ the SF Giants‚ 2-1. The win gives the A’s a 58-37 record against the National League‚ the best inter-league record of any team. The A’s will finish the season 16-2 against the NL.

The Red Sox‚ behind Derek Lowe‚ defeat the Atlanta Braves‚ 6-1. Lowe strikes out 10 to pin the loss on Tom Glavine. For the Braves‚ it is one of their few losses to AL foes; they will go 15-3 in inter-league games this year.

Mo Vaughn belts a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 8th off David Wells to give the Mets a 3-2 win over the Yankees. Mark Guthrie‚ in relief of Pedro Astacio‚ picks up the win. In the 5th‚ Piazza throws out Alfonzo Soriano‚ ending a streak of 51 successful runners against Mike‚ not counting a 1-3-6 throwout on April 16.
June 18The Cubs defeat Texas‚ 4-3‚ as for the first time in ML history‚ 4 members of the 400-HR club play in the same game. Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez start for the Rangers and Sammy Sosa and Fred McGriff for Chicago.
June 19The Braves trade OF George Lombard to the Tigers for RP Kris Keller.

The Yankees pound out 19 hits‚ including 3 HRs‚ as they defeat the Rockies‚ 20-10. But the Rockies are just the second major-league team to score seven runs in an inning (4th)‚ but still lose by 10 or more.
June 20Florida beats Cleveland‚ 3-0‚ as Marlins 2B Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 34 games‚ the longest ever by a second baseman.

Todd Zeile ends an 11-11 slugfest between the Mets and the visiting Rockies‚ by hitting a 10th inning 3-run homer off Steve Karsay.
June 21The Marlins defeat the Tigers‚ 4-1‚ as Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 35 games with a 3rd inning infield hit. Castillo’s streak is the longest ever by a Latin player‚ surpassing Benito Santiago’s 34-game streak on 1987.
June 22The Marlins score 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Tigers‚ 5-4. Luis Castillo hitless in 4 at bats to end his 35-game hitting streak.

St. Louis Cardinals P Darryl Kile is found dead in his hotel room prior to Saturday’s scheduled game against the Cubs. His room is locked from the inside and he is believed to have died in his sleep. The game between the Cubs and Cardinals is postponed.

The Texas Longhorns win the 5th College World Series‚ beating South Carolina‚ 12-6. Chris Carmichael hits a 3-run HR and closer Huston Street picks up his 4th save and is selected the Outstanding Player. Augie Garrido is the first coach to win CWS championships at 2 schools. Texas last won a CWS in 1983‚ when Roger Clemens pitched for the Longhorns.
June 23The San Diego Padres blow out the Florida Marlins‚ 18-2‚ collecting a club-record 10 hits in a 9-run fifth inning Bubba Trammell has 4 hits‚ including 2 homers‚ one a leadoff HR in the 5th. The final 11 Padres in the inning all bat with the bases loaded as the Padres score eight runs‚ one base at a time.
June 24The Twins beat the White Sox‚ 5-4‚ by scoring the winning run in the last of the eighth when Jacque Jones doubles home Luis Rivas. Jones is thrown out at third trying for a triple. When he’s called out‚ a security guard who sits in the Twins bullpen comes toward 3B‚ takes off his glasses‚ and offers them to the umpire who made the call. The guard gets ejected for his offer‚ though he won’t lose his job.
June 25The Blue Jays trounce the Devil Rays‚ 20-11‚ scoring 20 runs in a game for the first time since 1978. Shannon Stewart scores 5 runs while 7 others score 23 apiece. Vernon Wells has 6 RBIs.

History is made in Kansas City as Detroit’s Luis Pujols and KC’s Tony Pena become the first Dominican-born managers to oppose each other in a ML game. The Royals go on to defeat the Tigers‚ 8-6.

The Dodgers beat the Rockies‚ 4-0‚ as Odalis Perez hurls his 2nd one-hitter of the season. A leadoff single in the 6th inning by Bobby Estalella is the only Colorado hit.
June 26Toronto’s Shannon Stewart leads off with a homerun against Toronto‚ but the Expos answer in the bottom of the 1st when its first two batters‚ Brad Wilkerson and Jose Vidro homer. Montreal wins‚ 6-5.
June 27Gregg Zaun turns a 3-4 Houston deficit into a 7-4 win with a pinch grand slam in the 9th off Arizona’s Byung-Hyun Kim.
June 28In a steal‚ the Expos obtain pitchers Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew from the Indians in exchange for 1B Lee Stevens‚ P Cliff Lee‚ OF Grady Sizemore‚ and SS Brandon Phillips.

Tampa Bay whips their cross state rival Marlins 4-0 behind Wilson Alvarez and 2 relievers. Jared Sandberg homers for TB. In the 7th‚ Kevin Millar of the Marlins hits a towering fly that lands on one of the catwalks that hang from the stadium’s dome. It never comes down and it is ruled a double. It’s the second time a ball has gotten stuck in a catwalk at the Trop. In 1999‚ Jose Canseco hit a home run drive that lodged there. Millar joins Ruppert Jones‚ Rickey Nelson‚ Dave Kingman‚ Alvaro Espinoza and Canseco as the only players to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction. Jones and Nelson both had hits get caught in the overhead speakers at the old Kingdome. The balls hit by Kingman and Espinoza were at the Minneapolis Metrodome with Kingman’s getting stuck in a drainage valve and Espinoza’s lodging in an overhead speaker.
June 29The Orioles pound the Phillies‚ 11-1‚ as Baltimore OF Gary Matthews Jr. gets 5 hits‚ including a 2B and HR. Melvin Mora hits a leadoff HR for the 2nd straight game.
June 30In a 13-1 drubbing by the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium‚ Padres second baseman D’Angelo Jimenez comes in to pitch with 2 outs in the seventh inning. He retires the 4 batters he faces. But Jeff Suppan allows 1 run in 7 innings‚ and Raul Ibanez uses a HR and triple to drive in 4 runs for the Royals.

July

July 2The Giants scored 8 runs in the 1st inning on their way to a 18-5 rout of the Rockies. OF Tsuyoshi Shinjo gets 5 hits for SF‚ including a 2B and 2 HRs. Damon Minor‚ Shinjo‚ and Reggie Sanders each homer twice to tie a ML record. The Giants become the 16th team to have 3 players with multiple HRs in the same game.

The White Sox batter the Tigers‚ 17-9. The two teams combined to hit a ML record-tying 12 HRs‚ 6 apiece‚ in the contest‚ matching the record they set together on May 28‚ 1995. Dmitri Young and Magglio Ordonez connect for a deuce with Magglio’s 2nd a grand slam. Todd Richie gives up 5 runs in 7 innings for the win.

At Cincinnati‚ the Astros and Reds play the first inning with non-regulation baseballs‚ the result of a mix-up by an attendant in the umpires’ locker room. The attendant did not notice the word “practice” stenciled on the 144 balls he rubbed up for the game; the practice balls generally have defects such as irregular stitching or weight deviations. Astros pitcher Wade Miller notices the practice ball when warming up and informs ump Mark Hirschback‚ who rules that the practice balls must be used in the bottom of the 1st before switching. Reds starter Wade Miller served up a homer in the 1st to Lance Berkman‚ who hits another in his next at bat‚ good for 5 RBIs. He leads the NL with 74 ribbies. The Astros win in the 10th‚ 6-5. Austin Kerns has 4 hits‚ and Adam Dunn a homer for the Reds.

A combined total of 62 HRs are hit in today’s games‚ breaking the old ML mark set on April 7‚ 2000. A record 9 players have multiple HR games‚ breaking the previous mark of 8.

The Yankees obtain OF Raul Mondesi from the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league P Scott Wiggins.
July 4The Yankees defeat the Indians‚ 7-1. Jim Thome has his streak of consecutive games hitting a HR stopped at 7‚ one short of the ML record.
July 5The Cubs fire manager Don Baylor and hire Bruce Kimm in his place.

The Twins score 8 runs in the 7th inning to down the Mariners‚ 8-4.

The Yankees obtain P Jeff Weaver from the Tigers in a 3-team deal. NY sends P Ted Lilly to the Oakland A’s while the Athletics send IF Carlos Pena to Detroit. The Tigers also acquire P Franklin German and a player to be named from Oakland‚ while the A’s get OF John-Ford Griffin and P Jason Arnold from New York.
July 6The Astros defeat the Pirates‚ 10-2. Houston OF Daryle Ward becomes the first player to hit a HR into the Allegheny River beyond PNC Park’s right-field wall on the fly.

The Diamondbacks bolster their bullpen by acquiring P Mike Fetters from the Pirates in exchange for minor league prospect Duaner Sanchez.

The Phillies call up 30-year-old Joe Roa‚ winner of 20 straight games in the minor leagues. He won his last 6 decisions with Calgary in 2001 and was 14-0 at Wilkes-Barre this year. Roa was closing in on the IL record of 20 straight wins set by Jim Parnham of Baltimore‚ in 1923. The last 20-game winner in the IL was in 1950.
July 7Cardinals 2B Placido Polanco gets 5 hits in leading St. Louis to a 12-6 win over the Dodgers.

The Indians score 8 runs in the 3rd inning on their way to a 9-3 win over the White Sox.
July 8Jason Giambi outhomers Sammy Sosa‚ 7-1‚ in the final round to take the 2002 All-Star Home Run Derby.

The Class A Charleston Riverdogs defeat the Columbus RedStixx‚ 4-2‚ on “Nobody Night” in Charleston. Fans were barred from Joe Riley Stadium in the team’s attempt to set an all-time record low attendance for a single game. The previous mark is believed to have been 12 set in 1881. Fans are let into the park after the 5th inning‚ at which time the attendance is officially recorded as 0.
July 9In a controversial finish‚ the All-Star Game ends in a 7-7 tie after 11 innings as both the National and American leagues run out of pitchers. Both managers discuss it with commissioner Bud Selig‚ who calls the game. Alfonso Soriano and Barry Bonds hit HRs in the contest.
July 10Clemson SS Khalil Greene is named winner of the 2002 Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur baseball player.
July 11The Mets score 8 runs in the 8th inning to break a 1-1 tie and defeat the Phillies‚ 9-1.

The Indians fire manager Charlie Manuel and replaced him on an interim basis with coach Joel Skinner.

The Marlins trade P Ryan Dempster to the Reds for OF Juan Encarnacion‚ IF Wilton Guerrero‚ and minor league P Ryan Snare. A casualty of the trade is 15‚000 Dempster bobblehead dolls that the Marlins are stuck with. Florida then sends OF Cliff Floyd‚ IF Guerrero‚ minor league P Claudio Vargas and $1.5 million to the Expos in exchange for pitchers Carl Pavano and Graeme Lloyd‚ IF Mike Mordecai‚ and minor leaguer Justin Wayne.
July 13The Tigers defeat the White Sox twice‚ 5-3 and 3-1‚ to mark their first sweep of a double-header in almost 9 years.
July 14The Royals defeat the Angels‚ 12-3‚ as Raul Ibanez hits a grand slam in the 1st inning and a 3-run HR in the 2nd inning to tie a club record with 7 RBIs.

The Twins beat the Rangers‚ 5-4‚ despite a pair of HRs by Alex Rodriguez. The round-trippers give Rodriguez his 6th 30-HR season‚ breaking Ernie Banks‘ record for shortstops.

Jared Fernandez of the Cincinnati Reds wins his first major-league game‚ pitching 7 strong innings to beat Houston‚ 8-3. The game is played with Houston’s retractable roof closed because of the heat. The 30-year-old is the third knuckleballer in the majors joining Steve Sparks of the Detroit Tigers and Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox. Scott Sullivan takes over for Fernandez‚ retiring Jeff Bagwell‚ who is 0-for-22 against him.

Cleveland’s Bill Selby turns a 6-7 deficit into a 10-7 Indians win with a 9th inning grand slam. His 2-out blast comes off Yankees ace Mariano Rivera.

Nelson “The Admiral” Barrera‚ the Mexican League‘s all-time home run leader dies in Campeche‚ Mexico. He is electrocuted when he tried to free roofing that had blown into high-tension lines on his property. Barrera hit 455 home runs during a 26-year career in the Mexican Baseball League. Up to 2 months‚ the 44-year-old Barrera was the player-manager of the Campeche Pirates of the Southern Division of the MBL. He also has the career record for RBIs with 1‚944.
July 15The Phillies slug 3 HRs in an 8-run 9th inning to come from behind and overtake the Expos‚ 11-8.

Reds P Chris Reitsma hurls a 5-hitter‚ shutting out the Brewers‚ 2-0. The win ends a streak of 151 starts by Cincinnati pitchers without a complete game.
July 16The Red Sox defeat the Tigers‚ 9-4‚ as OF Manny Ramirez gets a career-high 5 hits‚ including a 2B and HR. Detroit 2B Damion Easley ties a major league record by being hit by pitches 3 times.
July 17Minnesota’s Torii Hunter‚ angered after he is hit by a pitch‚ picks up the ball and fires it at Indians pitcher Danys Baez in the fifth inning of an 8-5 Twins win. Hunter’s throw hits the pitcher in the leg but he stays in the game. After the game Baez goes into the Twins clubhouse to apologize. Thome‚ Selby and Broussard homer for the Tribe‚ while David Ortiz and Dustan Mohr hit 2-run homers. Rick Reed (7-5) wins but has to shoo away a seagull‚ which walks out to the mound: it’s the gull’s 3rd straight appearance.
July 18The Blue Jays beat the Orioles‚ 5-4‚ as Baltimore SS Melvin Mora ties a major league record by being hit by a pitch 3 times.

Kenny Lofton hits a leadoff HR for the White Sox‚ who take a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th against KC. But Carlos Beltran leads off with a homer and Michael Tucker hits 2-run homer for the game ender. Lofton will hit another leadoff HR tomorrow‚ also a Sox loss.
July 19Anaheim OF Tim Salmons strokes 5 hits in the Angels 15-3 win over the Mariners. He drives home 5 runs in the contest‚ including 3 on his 15th HR of the year. The Angels score 8 runs in the 6th inning to break open the game.

Oakland defeats Texas‚ 10-0‚ behind Cory Lidle‘s 1-hitter. The Rangers’ only hit is Juan Gonzalez‘s leadoff 2B in the 8th inning.

The Cardinals acquire veteran P Chuck Finley from the Indians for minor league 1B Luis Garcia and outfielder Covelli “Coco” Crisp, the Cards minor league player of the year in 2001. Finley will go 7-4 but retire at the end of the season. Coco will be a solid addition but Garcia, considered the key to the deal for Cleveland, will flop.
July 20Leading 4-1‚ the Blue Jays score 7 runs in the 5th inning to take an 11-1 lead over the Devil Rays. Tampa Bay‚ however‚ comes back with 7 runs of their own in the next inning. Toronto holds on for a 12-10 win.

Pittsburgh defeats St. Louis‚ 15-6. Pirate OF Adam Hyzdu drives home 7 runs with 4 hits‚ including a pair of HRs.
July 21The Royals score a run in the bottom half of the 10th inning when Raul Ibanez is HBP with the bases loaded. Heath Murray does the plunking after giving up a hit and 2 walks. KC pulls out a 13-12 win over the Indians‚ overcoming homers from the first two Tribe batters‚ Chris Magruder and Omar Visquel. Ibanez helps KC with a homer and triple and 5 RBIS‚ while Carlos Beltran s a grand slam. Milton Bradley gets 5 hits and 5 RBIs for Cleveland‚ including 3 doubles and a HR.

Orioles’ P Scott Erickson is arrested after getting into a domestic dispute with his girlfriend. He is charged with second-degree assault.
July 22The Twins top the White Sox‚ 11-6‚ as OF Jacque Jones gets 5 hits‚ including a HR.
July 23Nomar Garciaparra strokes 3 HRs and drives in 8 runs on his birthday as the Red Sox pummel the Devil Rays‚ 22-4 in the opener of a day-night doubleheader. The round-trippers give him 5 in 2 games to tie a ML record. Boston scores 10 runs in the 3rd inning to break the game open. Tampa Bay comes back to take the second game‚ 5-4.

The Reds obtain P Brian Moehler and IF Matt Boone from the Tigers in exchange for IF David Espinosa and two players to be named. Moehler‚ 1-1 with a 2.29 ERA‚ will go 2-4 with a 6.02 ERA as a Red.

The Dodgers get IF Tyler Houston from the Brewers in exchange for pitchers Ben Diggins and Shane Nance.
July 24Damian Moss allows only a single safety in 7 innings as the Braves hold the Marlins to that one hit in a 10-0 victory. Derrek Lee’s leadoff single in the 5th inning is Florida’s only hit.

The Tigers shut out the Royals‚ 3-0‚ in 1 hour and 41 minutes-the fastest 9-inning game in the major leagues since 1984.

Oakland defeats Anaheim‚ 5-1‚ as Miguel Tejada hits his 22nd HR of the season. It is the 117th round-tripper of his career‚ breaking Eddie Joost’s career record for an Athletic SS.

Blue Jays veteran catcher Darrin Fletcher retires. Tom Wilson‚ with 68 ML games‚ is now the Jays vet backstop.
July 25The Athletics obtain 2B Ray Durham from the White Sox in exchange for Triple-A P Jon Adkins.

The Dodgers sent OF Hiram Bocachica to the Tigers for minor league P Tom Farmer and a player to be named.
July 26The Rangers defeat the Athletics‚ 12-4‚ as Carl Everett becomes the first Ranger ever to homer twice in the same inning. He does so in Texas’ 9-run 7th.
July 27The Mariners defeat the Angels‚ 3-1‚ ending Jarrod Washburn’s 12-game winning streak‚ the longest in the majors this season.

Alex Rodriguez has a pair of homers‚ including a 10th inning grand slam of Billy Koch‚ to lift the Rangers to a 10-6 win over Oakland.

Jason Giambi has a homer and 5 runs scored as the Yankees double the Indians‚ 14-7. Nick Johnson also homers to back David Wells.
July 28The Oakland Athletics scores 8 runs in the 9th inning to complete their 12-2 win over the Texas Rangers. Dave Burba allows 7 of the runs in a third of an inning. Miguel Tejada hits a 3-run triple for the A’s and teammate David Justice’s 2-run homer provide the punch in the inning.

The White Sox trade OF Kenny Lofton to the Giants in exchange for minor league pitchers Felix Diaz and Ryan Meaux.

The Indians send P Paul Shuey to the Dodgers. In return‚ the Tribe gets P Terry Mulholland and minor league pitchers Ricardo Rodriguez and Francisco Cruceta.

Ozzie Smith is inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Cleveland Indians score 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th off Juan Acevedo to beat Detroit Tigers, 9–6. Jim Thome, who has 5 RBIs on 3 hits, caps the scoring with a walkoff grand slam.

The Cleveland Indians score 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th off Juan Acevedo to beat the Detroit Tigers, 9–6. Jim Thome, who has 5 RBIs on 3 hits, caps the scoring with a walkoff grand slam.

At Tropicana Field, the New York Yankees back Andy Pettitte with two homers, a solo by Jorge Posada and a grand slam by Robin Ventura, to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 9–1.
July 29The Phillies send soon-to-be free agent All-Star 3B Scott Rolen to the Cardinals in exchange for 3B Placido Polanco‚ and pitchers Bud Smith and Mike Timlin. Rolen will re-up with the Cards.

The White Sox trade C Sandy Alomar Jr. to the Rockies. In return‚ Chicago gets P Enemencio Pacheco.
July 30Montreal OF Cliff Floyd is traded for the second time in 3 weeks‚ going to the Red Sox in exchange for minor league pitchers Seuny Jun Song and Sun Woo Kim.
July 31The Angels obtain OF Alex Ochoa and C Sal Fasano from the Brewers in exchange for C Jorge Fabregas and two players to be named.

The Red Sox get P Bobby Howry from the White Sox in return for pitchers Frankie Francisco and Byeong Hak An.

The Cubs and Pirates swap outfielders with Chad Hermanson going to Chicago and Darren Lewis to Pittsburgh.

The Rockies send OF Todd Hollandsworth and P Dennys Reyes to the Rangers for OF Gabe Kapler and IF Jason Romano.

The Rockies trade P John Thomson and OF Mark Little to the Mets in exchange for OFs Jay Payton and Robert Stratton‚ and P Mark Corey.

The Mets get pitchers Steve Reed and Jason Middlebrook from the Padres for pitchers Bobby Jones and Josh Reynolds‚ and minor league OF Jason Bay‚ obtained in March.

August

August 1The Rangers clobber the Red Sox‚ 19-7‚ as Texas OF Carl Everett hits a pair of HRs and drives home 7 runs against his former teammates.

A.J. Burnett (11-7) fires his 4th shutout of the year‚ beating the Cardinals‚ 4-0‚ on 4 hits. The high point for St. Louis is a 6th inning triple play (9-6-3)‚ just the 11th in history started by a right fielder. With runners on 1st and 2B‚ J.D. Drew snags Eric Owen’s line drive and throws to SS Edgar Renteria who steps on 2B and relays to first baseman Tino Martinez. Jay Buhner was the last right fielder to start a triple play‚ accomplishing the feat for the 1992 Mariners.

Ken Griffey‚ Jr. ends a 4-4 tie with the Dodgers by belting a 13th inning 2-run HR off the Dodgers Omar Daal.

Next time‚ walk him. For the 2nd time in 3 days‚ Vlad Guerrero hits a walk-off HR to beat the Diamondbacks. He hit a 10-inning HR on July 30 off Kim‚ and today breaks a 1-1 tie by hitting a solo homer off Curt Schilling in a 2-1 win.
August 3The Giants defeat the Pirates‚ 11-6‚ as Barry Bonds hits his 30th HR of the season. In doing so‚ he extends his NL record streak to 11 consecutive seasons with 30 or more homers.

The Mariners wallop the Indians‚ 12-4. Seattle’s Edgar Martinez ties a ML record with 3 sacrifice flies‚ becoming the 11th player in history to do so. The last was Juan Gonzalez for Texas in 1999. Cleveland’s Ellis Burks homers for the Tribe‚ extending his ML record of hitting a homer in 41 different parks.
August 4Cincinnati defeats San Diego‚ 15-10‚ as LF Russell Branyan slugs 3 HRs and drives home 5 runs for the Reds.

The Braves edge the Cardinals‚ 2-1‚ as Damian Moss and John Smoltz combine on a 1-hitter. Mike Matheny‘s single is the only St. Louis hit.

The Athletics defeat Detroit‚ 4-0‚ as Cory Lidle‚ Ricardo Rincon‚ Chad Bradford‚ and Billy Koch combine on the 1-hit shutout. Tiger OF Wendell Magee’s single is the only Detroit safety.
August 6The Athletics down the Red Sox‚ 9-1‚ but SS Miguel Tejada‘s 24-game hitting streak comes to an end. The streak began the day after the All-Star break‚ July 11‚ and is the second-longest in the majors this year behind Luis Castillo’s

The Blue Jays nearly blow a 13-2 lead‚ but hold on to defeat the Mariners‚ 14-12. P Mark Hendrickson makes his ML debut for Toronto. Hendrickson also played pro basketball‚ thus becoming the 10th major leaguer to have also played in the NBA.

In the 13th inning of an AA game‚ Tom Nevers‚ a first baseman for Chattanooga‚ takes the mound and pitches 5 innings. He gets the victory as the Lookouts beat the Huntsville Stars‚ 8-7 in 18 innings. He also goes 3-for-8 with a homer and two RBIs at the plate.
August 7The Mariners upend the Blue Jays‚ 5-4‚ despite Toronto SS Chris Woodward’s 3 HRs.

In a historic move‚ ML baseball players end their long-held opposition to mandatory drug testing by agreeing to be tested for illegal steroids beginning in 2003.
August 8Atlanta defeats Arizona‚ 4-1‚ as Braves RP John Smoltz reaches 40 saves in a season faster than any pitcher in history.
August 9Barry Bonds hits the 600th HR of his career‚ but the Giants still fall to the Pirates by a score of 4-3. Bonds joins Hank Aaron‚ Babe Ruth‚ and Willie Mays (his godfather) in the exclusive club.

The Reds defeat the Padres‚ 12-10‚ as Cincinnati 3B Aaron Boone hits 3 HRs. Two of the blasts come in Cincinnati’s 9-run 1st inning. Brother Brett Boone has also homered twice in one inning.

The Expos trounce the Brewers‚ 11-4‚ as OF Vladimir Guerrero ties Ken Griffey Jr. as the 2nd-youngest player ever to reach 200 HRs.

Erubial Durazo accounts for all of Arizona’s runs with a pair of homers in the D’back’s 2-1 win over Florida. His 2nd homer‚ off Braden Looper‚ snaps a 1-1 tie in the 9th.
August 10The Diamondbacks beat the Marlins‚ 9-2‚ as Randy Johnson fans 14 Florida batters to move past Tom Seaver into 5th place on the all-time list.

The Giants beat the Pirates‚ 8-3‚ as Barry Bonds draws 3 intentional walks to give him an ML-record 46 for the season. The 3 intentional passes also tie a record for a 9-inning game. Bonds will receive 68 intentional walks this year‚ 23 more than the old record‚ set by the Giants’ Willie McCovey in 1969.

The Cubs wallop the Rockies‚ 15-1‚ as Sammy Sosa clouts 3 HRs and drives home 9 runs. His three homers come in three consecutive innings‚ just the 6th to do that. Andres Galarraga did it in 1995.
August 11The Cubs defeat Colorado‚ 12-9‚ as Sammy Sosa hits a grand slam and drives home 5 runs. The RBIs give him an NL-record 14 in 2 consecutive games.

The Phillies beat the Dodgers‚ 5-3‚ as Philadelphia SS Jimmy Rollins strokes 5 hits and steals 2 bases.

Chipper Jones strokes 5 hits‚ including a pair of 2Bs‚ as the Braves rout the Astros‚ 13-3.
August 12The Astros down the Cubs‚ 9-6‚ despite Sammy Sosa‘s 5th HR in the last 3 games. Sosa’s blast makes him only the 3rd player in NL history with 5 straight 40-HR seasons.
August 13Warring Mets co-owners Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday finally complete their deal to transfer full ownership of the team to Wilpon within the next 30 days. But Nelson will question the valuation of the team by the independent arbitrator‚ and the transaction will not be resolved until the fall.
August 14Reds C Jason LaRue has a bad first inning with knuckleballer Jared Fernandez on the mound‚ and allows 3 consecutive passed balls and a run scoring wild pitch. LaRue will lead the majors this year with 20 passed balls. The Diamondbacks break a tie in the 6th as Womack singles off reliever John Riedling to win‚ 7-2‚ their 18th out of 22 games. Luis Gonzales misses the game because of a strained rib cage‚ and breaks his ML high streak of 446 consecutive games played.

Two contests in the AL go 14 innings. Geronimo Gil hits a 2-out 14th inning homer to give Baltimore a 6-5 victory over Minnesota‚ while the Yankees overcome a straight steal of home by Mike Sweeney to beat the Royals‚ 3-2. Bernie Williams hits an RBI single to give Ramiro Mendoza (8-3) the win.
August 15The Yankees top the Royals‚ 7-5‚ as Bernie Williams gets 5 hits‚ including a double.

The Mets trade P Shawn Estes to the Reds for minor leaguers Pedro Feliciano and Elvin Andujar‚ and two players to be named.

Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs strikes out 12 batters in 6 innings, including 7 in a row, but gets no decision as the Cubs trip the Houston Astros, 6–4. Chicago plays long ball with homers from Moises Alou, Fred McGriff, Corey Patterson, Mark Bellhorn, and Sammy Sosa. Jeff Bagwell homers for Houston.
August 16The Twins down the Red Sox‚ 5-0‚ in the process ending Pedro Martinez’s scoreless inning streak at 35. It is the longest such streak in the majors since 2000.

Major league players announce a tentative strike date of August 30 if an agreement cannot be reached with the club owners‚
August 17The Yankees defeat the Mariners, 8–3, as Alfonso Soriano homers to become the first 2B ever to hit 30 HRs and steal 30 bases in a season. NY OF Bernie Williams singles in his 1st at bat to give him 11 consecutive hits. He gets out his next time up to fall 1 short of the ML record. His 5-for-5 and 4-for-4 in back-to-back games, the first in 45 years, won’t be duplicated until the Pirates’ Jayson Werth matches him in 2007.

The Rangers pound the Blue Jays‚ 9-5‚ as Alex Rodriguez clouts 3 HRs. By doing so‚ he becomes the 6th player ever with 5 straight 40-HR seasons.

The Padres down the Expos‚ 6-5. In doing so‚ they set a new ML record for pitchers used in a season.

Houston scores 5 runs in the 9th inning to beat Cincinnati‚ 6-1. SS Jose Vizcaino gets 5 hits‚ including a leadoff HR.
August 18The Rangers stop the Blue Jays‚ 10-7‚ as SS Alex Rodriguez ties an ML record by becoming the 4th player to hit 6 HRs in a 3-game span. His 2 round-trippers give him the AL lead with 44.
August 19Chipper Jones hits consecutive homers in the 8th and 9th to lift Atlanta to a 7-6 win over the Rockies. Jones 2nd homer follows a homer by Gary Sheffield‚ both off Jose Jimenez. Jose tosses just 7 pitches in the 9th.
August 20The Pirates shut out the Cardinals‚ 8-0‚ on a combined one-hitter hurled by Kris Benson (7 innings)‚ Brian Boehringer (1)‚ and Al Reyes (1). Kerry Robinson‘s one-out single in the 1st inning is St. Louis’ only safety.

Jacques Jones hits a leadoff HR for the Twins‚ and that is all the runs Kyle Lohse needs as he shuts out the White Sox‚ 5-0‚ striking out 8. For Jones‚ it is his 2nd leadoff HR in 2 games.
August 21The Cardinals defeat the Pirates‚ 4-1‚ for Tony La Russa’s 1‚887th career win as a manager‚ moving him into 10th place on the all-time list.

The Athletics win their 8th straight game behind Cory Lidle‘s 1-hitter‚ beating Cleveland by a score of 6-0. Lidle gives up a 2-out single to Ellis Burks in the 1st inning‚ walks the next batter‚ then retires the last 25 batters. It is the 4th straight start for Lidle in which he’s been part of a shutout‚ but it is the only one he’s completed.

The Astros obtain RP Tom Gordon from the Cubs in exchange for minor league P Russ Rohlicek and two players to be named.
August 23Cleveland’s rookie C Josh Bard hits a game-winning 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9th inning against Seattle in his 1st ML appearance. The Tribe wins‚ 4-2.

The Padres score 9 runs in the 5th inning on their way to an 18-2 win over the Marlins. Bubba Trammell‚ who has 2 homers in the game‚ starts the scoring in the 5th with a homer.7 players have RBIs in the 5th‚ and the last 11 hitters come up with the bases loaded. Jake Peavy is the easy winner.

Bobby Abreau hits a solo homer in the 14th to give the Phillies a 5-4 win over the Cards in 5 hrs: 13 minutes. Scott Rolen is 4-for-5 in his 1st appearance against his old team.

The Orioles spot the Blue Jays 6 runs and then roar back with 4 homers to win‚ 11-7. The win puts Baltimore (63-63) at .500. From here on it’ll downhill.
August 24The Angels defeat the Red Sox‚ 2-0. Manny Ramirez’s streak of reaching base in 14 straight plate appearances is stopped 2 short of the ML mark.

The Orioles drop a pair to the Blue Jays‚ losing 4-1 and 8-3. This is the start of a miserable 4-31 year-end slide. In game 1‚ a makeup of a July 23 rainout‚ Vernon Wells has 4 hits‚ including a homer‚ and scores 3 runs. Pete Walker pitches 7 innings for the win. The bright spot for Baltimore is Mike Bordick‚ who fields 4 chances flawlessly to set a ML record with 428 straight chances without an error. It breaks the mark that Cal Ripken set in 1990. Wells and Chris Woodward hit homers in game 2.
August 25Arizona’s Randy Johnson (19-4) strikes out 16 Cubs as the Diamondbacks defeat Chicago‚ 7-0. Johnson complete game win gives him an 11-0 record against the Cubs‚ the best lifetime mark of any current pitchers.
August 26The Red Sox score a 10-9‚ 10-inning victory over the Angels as Manny Ramirez gets 5 hits‚ including a pair of HRs.
August 27Barry Bonds slugs 3 HRs and a double to lead the Giants to a 7-4 win over the Rockies. It is the 4th three-homer game of Bonds’ career.

The Angels defeat the Devil Rays‚ 7-3. as OF Darin Erstad gets 5 hits‚ including a pair of doubles‚ for Anaheim.

The Players Union and the ML owners agree for the first time to test players for steroids. If more than 5% of the anonymous tests next year are positive‚ mandatory testing will go into effect and the players will face a scale of penalties. First time offenders will remain anonymous but will be placed in treatment. At the end of next year‚ 5-7% will test positive.

The Twins top the Mariners‚ 5-2. Minnesota SS Cristian Guzman is held hitless‚ ending his 23-game hitting streak.

The White Sox down the Blue Jays‚ 8-4. Rookie 3B Joe Crede’s 9th inning 2-run homer ties the score and his 10th inning grand slam wins it. Crede drives home 7 runs in the game.
August 28Odalis Perez of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo homer‚ off Arizona’s Rick Helling‚ for the only run of the game. He is the first pitcher (and the 12th ever) since Bob Welch in 1983 to hit a solo homer for the only run.

The Cardinals obtain P Jamey Wright from the Brewers in exchange for minor league OF Chris Morris and cash.
August 291B Mark Bellhorn becomes the 1st player in NL history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same inning‚ doing so in the Cubs’ 10-run 4th inning in Chicago’s 13-10 win over the Brewers. He also ties a team record with 5 RBIs in the inning.

The IOC votes to drop baseball from the Olympics and replace it with golf. The reason is that the competition does not draw the best players‚ since MLB does not release their players to play.
August 30Major league baseball players and owners agree to a historic contract that prevents the players from going out on strike.
August 31The Mets are shut out by the Phillies‚ 1-0‚ to mark their 13th consecutive home defeat. In doing so‚ they become the first NL team to lose all their home games over the course of a month.

The Astros acquire free-agent-to-be Mark Loretta from the Brewers for cash and a player to be named. In 2 days‚ the player turns out to be Keith Ginter‚ hitting .264 at New Orleans.

September

September 1Boston trims the Indians‚ 7-1‚ behind the strong pitching of Tim Wakefield‚ who doesn’t allow a hit before Matt Lawton’s HR in the 5th. Manny Ramirez and Brian Daubach hit back-to-back Hrs‚ and Johnny Damon scores 3 runs. Jim Thome reached 100 walks for the 4th consecutive year and the 6th time in his career. Thome is the only player in Indians history to ever have consecutive 100 walks seasons.

Arizona tips the Giants‚ 7-6‚ as Tony Womack smacks 2 homers and lays down a 9th inning bunt single to load the bases. David Pellucci follows with a 2-run double to win it. Jeff Kent has 2 RBIs to reach the 100-RBI mark for the 6th straight time‚ a record for secondbasemen. D’Back pitchers continue to respect Barry Bonds‚ walking him 4 times today. They walked him twice yesterday and 4 rimes on the 30th‚ giving him 10 walks in three straight regulation-length games. Barry will have tomorrow off and get a walk on the 3rd.
September 2The A’s defeat the Royals‚ 7-6‚ for their 19th straight victory to match the longest winning streak in AL history. The 1906 White Sox and the 1947 Yankees both reached 19.

The Dodgers pummel the Diamondbacks‚ 19-1‚ with only a 9th inning score preventing them from tying the team mark for most lopsided shutout ever. The 24 hits ties the mark for the team in Los Angeles.. They score 8 of their runs in the 7th inning‚ with Beltre and Kinkade homering in the frame. The last hit for LA is the first ML homer by Dave Ross‚ and it comes off Mark Grace‚ who pitches the 9th inning.

The Cubs beat the Brewers‚ 17-4‚ to salvage a split in their doubleheader after Milwaukee takes the opener by a score of 4-2 on solo homers by Ron Belliard (2)‚ Eric Young and Jose Hernandez. Glendon Rusch wins his 8th straight over the Cubs. Chicago P Kerry Wood ties a ML record in the second game by fanning four Brewers in the 4th inning. Wood also homers off Andrew Lorraine‚ one of 5 gophers he serves up. Another is Sammy Sosa‘s 494th homer‚ moving him ahead of Lou Gehrig on the all-time list.

Four pitchers post their first win of the year:

Braden Looper (1-5) in his 66th relief appearance of the year‚ extends the Mets home losing streak to 15 in the 12-inning first game of a doubleheader. Florida wins 3-2. Preston Wilson ties the game in the 9th with a HR‚ and Juan Encarnacion wins it with an RBI double. The Mets take the nightcap‚ 11-5‚ overcoming back-to-back home runs in the 2nd by Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell. Mike Piazza drills a pinch 3-run HR. The win snaps the Mets home loss streak at 15 games‚ a NL record set the 1911 Braves. They last won at home on July 31.

Jon Rauch (1-1)‚ the tallest pitcher in major league history lowers his career ERA from 9.82 to 9.72 with 2 ER in 2 IP in his first appearance since May 2. The White Sox win‚ 5-4‚ as Jose Valentin hits a pair of homers‚ the 2nd snapping a tie.

Pittsburgh’s Salomon Torres (1-0)‚ pitching in the majors for the first time since July 20‚ 1997‚ starts and goes 8.1 scoreless innings against the Braves. He also collects his first hit since 1994. as the Pirates win‚ 3-0. Torres‚ 30‚ retired as an active player in 1997 and served as Montreal’s pitching coach in the Dominican Summer League before signing with Pittsburgh in January. Fortunately for the Braves‚ only 18‚931 fans‚ the smallest crowd in Turner Field history‚ see the game.
September 3Three Rangers pitchers combine to 1-hit the Orioles‚ winning by a score of 7-1. Starter Aaron Myette was ejected after throwing two pitches and replaced by Todd Van Poppel who threw 2 hitless innings. Van Poppel was in turn replaced by rookie Joaquin Benoit who did not give up a hit until Jerry Hairston’s leadoff triple in the 9th. Benoit got credit for a 7-inning save‚ the longest since saves were first recorded in 1969.

Pittsburgh P Salomon Torres makes his 1st ML appearance since 1997 as he defeats the Braves‚ 3-0. Torres retired in 1997‚ became a coach in the Dominican Republic‚ then began his comeback in January.

Andy Van Hekken (1-0)‚ with a fastball topping out in the mid-80s‚ becomes the first American Leaguer to throw a complete game shutout in his debut since Mike Norris in 1975‚ and the first Tiger since Schoolboy Rowe in 1933. He stops Cleveland 4-0. The Holland‚ Michigan native was 5-0 at Toledo (AAA) before his promotion.

The Mets lose the 1st game of their doubleheader against the Marlins‚ 3-2‚ but bounce back to take the nightcap‚ 11-5. The loss in the opener sets a new NL record for consecutive home losses with 15.
September 4The Athletics set an AL record by defeating the Royals‚ 12-11‚ for their 20th straight win. Oakland blows an 11-0 lead‚ but score in the bottom of the 9th for the victory.

Aaron Myette‚ ejected yesterday for 2 pitches behind Mora‚ starts today’s game‚ allowing 6 of the 11 walks in an 8-3 loss to Baltimore. According to the New York Times‚ it is the first back to back start by a pitcher since Steve McCatty in 1980 [though 5 pitchers-Dennis Martinez (Baltimore)‚ Bert Blyleven (Cleveland)‚ Pete Vuckovich (Milwaukee)‚ Rick Langford (Oakland)‚ and Juan Eichelberger (San Diego).made the last start before the 1981 strike and the first start after].

By beating the Dodgers‚ 7-1‚ Randy Johnson (20-5) wins his 20th to join Arizona teammate Curt Schilling. Big Unit strikes out 8 in his CG victory. Only Sean Green’s 40th homer‚ with 2 out in the 9th‚ prevents the shutout. Matt Williams‚ with a 3 run homer‚ and Steve Finley hit back-to-back homers off Allan Ashby in the 1st to provide Johnson with his cushion.
September 5

Texas pounds Baltimore‚ 11-2‚ as SS Alex Rodriguez homers twice to give him 50 for the year. He becomes the 5th player in history to record successive 50-HR seasons.
September 6The Twins shut out the A’s‚ 6-0‚ to end Oakland’s AL-record winning streak at 20 games.

The Cardinals defeat the Cubs‚ 11-2‚ as brothers Andy and Alan Benes oppose each other in the 7th matchup of brothers in ML history. Andy gets the win while Alan takes the loss. The Cards score all 11 of their runs in the 3rd inning.
September 7The Tigers defeat the Yankees‚ 2-1. Detroit 1B Eric Munson hits a HR in his 1st ML at bat.

Texas pounds Tampa Bay‚ 11-2‚ with Herbert Perry’s 3-run home run being the big blow. The round-tripper enables the Rangers to tie a ML record of hitting homers in 25 consecutive games.
September 8The Rangers set a ML record by homering in their 26th consecutive game as Texas falls to Tampa Bay‚ 6-3. Rafael Palmeiro‘s solo shot in the 6th inning is the record-breaker. The streak will be ended at 27 games on the 10th.

The Mariners score 8 runs in the 11th inning and go on to defeat the Royals‚ 16-9. This ties the AL mark for most runs by a team in the 11th‚ last tied in 1991.

In Houston’s 6-2 win at Los Angeles‚ Dodger P Kazuhisa Ishii is struck by a line drive off the bat of Brian Hunter that fractures his skull. Ishii will be out of action until next spring.
September 9The Diamondbacks beat the Padres‚ 5-2‚ as Randy Johnson reaches 300 strikeouts for the 5th consecutive season‚ extending his ML record.

Texas shrugs off two Seattle homers from their first two batters‚ Ichiro Suzuki and Desi Relaford‚ and beats Seattle‚ 12-7. Alex Rodriguez hits two 3-run homers for Texas and Dennys Bayes throws 3 scoreless innings of relief for the win.

For the 3rd time this season‚ Alex Gonzalez ends a game with a HR‚ as the Cubs beat Montreal‚ 3-2. His 9th inning solo HR off Jim Brower snaps a 2-2 tie.
September 10
September 11At Yankee Stadium the Yankees remember the tragedy of last year with a special monument in Monument Park memorializing those killed as part of the 50-minute pregame ceremony. The Orioles wear 5-sided patches honoring the victims of the attack on the Pentagon. The game goes 11 innings‚ before Nick Johnson ends in with an RBI single. The Yankees win‚ 5-4‚ despite striking out 14 times. Orlando Hernandez issues a walk in the 8th when he goes to his mouth on a 3-2 count while standing on the mound. It was the first walk in 6 full games (65 innings) by a Yankee pitcher‚ the longest steak since WW2‚ according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Steve Karsay later hands out another walk.

The Mets and Braves split a doubleheader‚ with Atlanta winning the 1st game‚ 8-5‚ and New York taking the nightcap‚ 5-0. John Smoltz gets the save in the opener‚ making him the 7th pitcher in history to record 50 saves in a season. Smoltz will set the NL season saves record with 55‚ topping the old mark of 53 shared by Randy Myers and Trevor Hoffman. Chicago’s Bobby Thigpen set the major league record of 57 in 1990.
September 13The White Sox score 8 runs in the 9th inning to seal a 13-2 win over the Yankees.
September 14P Derek Lowe wins his 20th game as the Red Sox beat the Orioles‚ 6-4. Lowe becomes the 1st pitcher in history to win 20 games the season after saving 20. He is also the 1st to record at least 40 saves and later win 20. Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz did it the other way around.

The Yankees beat the White Sox‚ 8-4‚ in a rain-shortened affair. Chicago C Miguel Olivo hits a 3-run HR in his 1st ML at bat.

The Diamondbacks shut out the Brewers‚ 5-0‚ as Randy Johnson wins his 22nd game of the season. Johnson fans 17 Milwaukee batters in the contest.
September 15The Minnesota Twins become the first team to clinch a spot in the playoffs‚ defeating the Indians‚ 5-0. Minnesota will be making its 1st postseason appearance since 1991‚

The Angels trounce the Rangers‚ 13-4‚ as 3B Troy Glaus strokes 3 HRs.

The Diamondbacks beat the Brewers‚ 6-5‚ as Curt Schilling fans 8 batters to give him 300 on the season. He and Randy Johnson become the 1st teammates to record 300 strikeouts in the same season.

The Cubs shut out the Reds‚ 6-0‚ as OF Sammy Sosa drives in his 100th run of the season on a 3-run HR in the 8th inning. In doing so‚ he joins Mel Ott and Willie Mays as the only NL players to post 8 consecutive 100-RBI seasons.
September 17Alfonso Soriano gets 5 hits‚ including a 2B and HR‚ as the Yankees fall to the Devil Rays‚ 9-7. Bernie Williams scores his 100th run in the loss to reach that mark for the 7th straight year. He is the 4th Yankee to score 100 this year‚ the first Yankee team to do so since 1941. Williams and Jeter combine to tie the ML record for consecutive years for teammates both having 100+ runs.
September 18The Diamondbacks trounce the Padres‚ 10-3‚ as 1B Greg Colbrunn hits for the cycle. Colbrunn adds a 2nd HR among 5 hits and drives home 4 runs for Arizona. Colbrunn is the first player to hit 2 HRs in a game while hitting for the cycle since George Brett (May 28‚ 1979).
September 19The Braves defeat the Phillies‚ 6-0‚ as Bobby Cox becomes the 12th manager in ML history to reach the 1‚800-win mark.

The Expos beat the Marlins behind Bartolo Colon. Colon becomes just the 2nd pitcher in ML history to win 10 games in both leagues in a single season‚ joining Hank Borowy who turned the feat for the Yankees and Cubs in 1945.

Toronto beats Baltimore‚ 9-3‚ as Blue Jays OF Shannon Stewart gets 5 hits‚ including a double and HR.

In Chicago‚ the Royals top the White Sox‚ 2-1. In the 9th inning of the contest‚ KC 1B coach Tom Gamboa is attacked by 2 shirtless fans that jump out of the stands. He suffers several minor cuts‚ and the father‚ William Ligue‚ Jr.‚ and son pair are arrested and charged with assault.

Minnesota rookie OF Mike Ryan gets 2 hits‚ scores 2 runs‚ and drives home 2 runs‚ all in the 1st inning of his ML debut. Unfortunately‚ the game is rained out after 2 innings and all records are washed away.
September 20The Cardinals clinch the NL Central title with a 9-3 win over the Astros.

Baltimore’s Mike Bordick sets a ML record with his 102nd consecutive errorless game at SS as the Orioles drop a 4-2 decision to the Red Sox. He also extends his ML mark of errorless chances at SS to 504.
September 21The Yankees beat the Tigers‚ 3-2‚ to clinch the AL East for the 5th straight year.

The Rockies collect 20 hits and crush the Diamondbacks‚ 15-8‚ as OF Juan Pierre strokes 5 base hits. The Snakes blow a 5-run lead‚ but need just one win to clinch the NL West. They also lose P Brian Anderson who is forced to leave the game after suffering a broken foot when he is hit by a line drive off the bat of Bob Petrick in the 3rd.

Florida’s Brad Penny goes to 3-0 this year against the Braves‚ winning 6-4. Kevin Millar‚ whose 25-game hit streak was stopped yesterday‚ has an RBI in the 8th.

Behind Wade Miller‘s 12th straight win‚ Houston beats the Cardinals‚ 6-3. Miller’s streak ties a club record. Lance Berkman has a double and homer‚ driving in 3 runs‚ and Eli Marrero hits a HR for the 3rd straight game. Miller’s battery mate Brad Ausmus collects his 1000th career hit‚ but also ties the NL record with his 30th GIDP of the season. Ernie Lombardi had 30 GIDP to set the mark. .
September 22In the final game to be played at Cinergy Field (the former Riverfront Stadium)‚ the Phillies top the hometown Reds‚ 4-3.

The Braves beat the Marlins‚ 4-1‚ as Greg Maddox joins Cy Young as the only pitchers in ML history to win 15 or more games in 15 consecutive seasons.

Pedro Martinez (20-4) allows 2 runs in the 1st inning‚ then coasts to his 20th win of the season as the Red Sox beat the hapless Orioles‚ 13-2. Trot Nixon hits a grand slam and Johnny Damon a pair of homers to keep the Sox playoff hopes alive. Martinez joins Derek Lowe in giving the Sox the first pair of 20-game winners since 1949..

Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals and Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox are locked in a tight race for the American League batting title. After play today‚ Sweeney has a lead of less than .001 over Ramirez‚ .346578 to .346062. But‚ by Thursday‚ Ramirez will move ahead by .003099 after going 4-for-11 to raise his average to .3465116 while Sweeney will go 2-for-10 to put his mark at .343413.

The Pirates beat the Cubs‚ 5-4‚ as Kris Benson wins his 5th straight. Fred McGriff hits his 30th HR for the Cubs‚ setting several marks with the round-tripper. He is the first player to hit 30 homers for 5 different teams‚ and it is the 42nd ML park he has homered in‚ breaking a tie with Ellis Burks at 41.
September 23The Cardinals use 9 consecutive 2-out hits to score 10 runs in the 7th inning on their way to a 13-1 win over the Diamondbacks. The D’Backs lose more than the game when Luis Gonzalez separates his shoulder in an outfield collision with Womack’s knee.

The Red Sox edge the visiting Orioles‚ 5-4 in 15 innings. Johnny Damon walks‚ goes to 3B on a wild throw to 1B by Willis Roberts‚ then scores on a wild pitch. Both teams score in the 14th‚ as Jeff Conine homers to make up for an error in the inning. Gibbons has 2 solo HRs for Baltimore‚ and Shea Hillenbrand one for Boston. The O’s have lost 26 of 30.
September 25The Braves beat the Phillies‚ 7-1‚ as OF Andruw Jones clouts 3 home runs and drives home 4 runs.

Casey Fossum gives up solo homers to Frank Thomas and Joe Crede‚ but the Red Sox score 4 in the 6th off Jon Garland to beat Chicago‚ 4-2. Fossum helps his cause by snaring a pop bunt in the first inning and trotting to 1B to complete an unassisted DP.

Completing the worst season in the franchise’s 34-year history‚ the Milwaukee Brewers replace Wendy Selig-Prieb as president and Dean Taylor as general manager. Ulice Payne takes over as president while Doug Melvin replaces Taylor. Milwaukee (56-106) is one of 4 teams this year to lose 100 games‚ a first in major league history. Kansas City will finish 62-100‚ Detroit (55-106) and Tampa Bay (55-106). The last season with three 100-game losers was 1985 (Cleveland‚ Pittsburgh and San Francisco).
September 26Livan Hernandez (12-16) pitches a masterful 2-hitter as the Giants beat the Padres‚ 6-0. Hernandez is tied with Ben Sheets for most losses in the NL. The Giants stay 3 games ahead of LA for the wild card spot. Reggie Sanders connects twice for homers‚ and Barry Bonds walks in his 16th straight game to tie Jack Clark‘s NL record set in 1987. He’s walked 194 times; he’ll end the year with 198 passes‚ a new ML record topping Ruth’s mark of 1923. Bonds will finish with a .582 on-base percentage‚ easily topping the old mark of .553 that Ted Williams had set in 1941.
September 27The Pirates beat the Cubs‚ 13-3. Brian Giles scores 5 runs for Pittsburgh and drives home 6 with a double and a pair of HRs. Giles will hit a pinch 2-run HR‚ his 38th homer of the year‚ tomorrow to finish the year with 103 RBIs. He now has 4 years in a row when he’s reached 35 homers‚ joining just 3 others-Alex Rodriguez‚ Sammy Sosa‚ and Rafael Palmiero.

The Dodgers keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a 1-0‚ 10-inning win over the Padres. Paul Lo Duca’s homer off Jeremy Fikac is the winner.
September 28At San Francisco‚ the Giants clinch the NL wild card over LA by defeating the Astros‚ 5-2. The two clubs set a ML record by using 16 pitchers in the game. Barry Bonds has 2 RBIs‚ including a splash homer‚ his 46th of the year. It’s the 20th he’s plopped in the bay; only 26 have been hit there. Bagwell and Lane homer for the Astros.

The Diamondbacks clinch the NL West title by virtue of a 17–8 win over the Rockies. The 17 runs ties a club mark. Matt Williams and Steve Finley each homer twice and Rob Barrajas has 4 hits and 4 RBIs.
September 29The D’Backs clinch the home field advantage with an 11-8 thumping of the Rockies. John Patterson is the winner over fellow rookie Stark (11-4). In the 2nd‚ Patterson is thrown out at 1B by RF Gabe Kaplar 9-3‚ on an apparent hit‚ and serves up a HR to Juan Pierre‚ his first homer in 590 at bats. Pierre avoids matching Harold Reynolds‚ who went homerless in 1989. Curt Schilling‚ in his first relief appearance since 1992‚ tees up a 3-run HR to Brant Butler in the 8th. Chad Moeller leads the Snakes with a 4-for-4 effort‚ including 2 homers and 6 RBIs.

The Cardinals win their 97th‚ beating the Brewers‚ 4-0. Andy Benes pitches 5 innings before leaving with a back twinge. Wayne Franklin pitches 7 innings for the Brewers. Edgar Renteria knocks in the game’s 1st run in the 8th with the 1st of 2 RBIs. He finishes with 82 RBIs‚ the highest for a Bird SS since Doc Lavan‘s 82 in 1921. Albert Pujols has no RBIs‚ but finishes with 127‚ one behind NL leader Lance Berkman. Pujols is the first batter since Ted Williams in 1939-40 to drive in more than 250 runs in his first two seasons in the majors. Pujols drove in 257 runs in his first two campaigns. Just 4 big-leaguers have posted 250 or more RBIs in their first two years in the majors. Joe DiMaggio holds the record with 292 ribbies in his first two; Dale Alexander with 272‚ is in 2nd place.

The Florida Marlins report their second-largest crowd of the year-28‚599-thanks to the purchase of 18‚000 tickets by an unnamed fan. Thus the Marlins end the season with an attendance mark of 813‚118 just ahead of the Expos reported 812‚545. The Marlins reward the fans with a 4-3‚ 10th-inning win over the Phillies. Luis Castillo‚ with 3 stolen bases in the game‚ scores from 3B on a foul fly. He finishes the year with 48 steal‚ high in the NL. The Marlins finish below .500 again‚ and have only finished above .500 in 1997‚ when they won the WS. The Phils (80-81) finish below .500 for the 14th time in 16 years.

The Cubs fire manager Bruce Kimm‚ who took over from Don Baylor on July 5. Kimm requested that the announcement be made prior to the game‚ a 7-3 Cubs win. Kerry Wood (12-12) strikes out 9 in 6 innings‚ and the Cub relievers add 6 more. The Cubs end the season leading the majors in strikeouts by batters (1‚269) and pitchers (1‚333)‚ the first team to accomplish the feat since Boston (UA) in 1884. Sammy Sosa hits his 49th to lead the NL; it is 499th career homer (45 have come in starts by Wood). Pluses for the Bucs include 2 homers‚ one by Tony Alvarez‚ his first in the majors. Josh Fogg (12-12) sets a modern club record for starts by a rookie (33); Sam Leever had 39 in 1899.
September 30The Devil Rays and Tigers both fire their managers‚ with Hal McRae leaving Tampa Bay and Luis Pujols exiting from Detroit.

October

October 1The Yankees score 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to come from behind and defeat the Angels‚ 8-5‚ in the 1st game of their division series. Derek Jeter‚ Jason Giambi‚ Bernie Williams‚ and Rondell White all homer for NY while Troy Glaus hits a pair of HRs for Anaheim. Steve Karsay gets the win in relief. This is the Angels first time in the playoffs since 1986‚ but hey face the same starting pitcher today as they did in their last playoff appearance: Roger Clemens.

The Cardinals pound Randy Johnson for 6 runs in 6 innings and go on to defeat Arizona‚ 12-2‚ in the opener of their division series. Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen homer for St. Louis while Matt Morris gets the victory.

In a sloppily played game‚ the Twins bounce back from a 5-1 deficit to beat Oakland by a score of 7-5 in their division series opener. Corey Koskie and Doug Mientkiewicz go deep for Minnesota and Brad Radke gets credit for the win.

The Mets fire manager Bobby Valentine. In Texas‚ the Rangers do the same to manager Jerry Narron.
October 2The Angels even their series with the Yankees at 1 game apiece by coming from behind to take an 8-6 decision. Anaheim gets HRs from Tim Salmon‚ Garret Anderson‚ Troy Glaus‚ and Scott Spiezio while Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter stroke round-trippers for NY. Francisco Rodriguez gets his 1st ML win in relief.

The Giants shock the Braves by pounding Tom Glavine for 6 runs in 5 innings on their way to an 8-5 win in the 1st game of their division series. Gary Sheffield and Javy Lopez homer in the 8th to make the game close‚ but Robb Nen comes in to save the game for starter Russ Ortiz.

The Athletics pummel the Twins‚ 9-1‚ to even their division series at 1 game each. Christian Guzman homers for Minnesota’s run while Eric Chavez hits a round-tripper for Oakland. Mark Mulder gets the win with 6 strong innings for the A’s.

The Brewers fire manager Jerry Royster.

Alex Cabrera hits his 55th HR of the season‚ off Osaka reliever Akira Okamoto‚ to tie the Japanese League record set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by Tuffy Rhodes last year. Like Rhodes‚ Cabrera will see few good pitches for the remaining games.
October 3The Cardinals take a commanding 2 games to none lead in their series with the Diamondbacks by eking out a 2-1 victory. JD Drew homers for St. Louis and Jeff Fassero gets the win in relief.

The Braves defeat the Giants‚ 7-3‚ to even their series at 1 game apiece. Kevin Millwood hurls 6 strong innings for the victory while Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla support his pitching with HRs. Rich Aurilia‚ Barry Bonds‚ and JD Snow all homer in a losing cause for SF.
October 4The Yankees blow a 6-1 lead as the Angels bounce back for a 9-6 victory and a 2 games to 1 lead in their division series. Tim Salmon and Adam Kennedy homer for Anaheim and Francisco Rodriguez again gets the win in relief.

The A’s hit 4 HRs and Barry Zito hurls the club to a 6-3 win over the Twins to give Oakland a 2 games to 1 lead in their division series. Ray Durham hits an inside-the-park homer to open the game and Scott Hatteberg follows with another round-tripper. Jermaine Dye and Terrance Long also homer for Oakland.
October 5The Angels shock the Yankees by scoring 8 runs in the 5th inning and going on to a 9-5 victory. The win give Anaheim its first postseason series victory ever‚ as they win their divisional matchup‚ 3 games to 1. Shawn Wooten homers for Anaheim while Jorge Posada adds a round-tripper for NY. Jarrod Washburn gets the victory for the Angels.

The Cardinals oust the defending world champion Diamondbacks by taking a 6-3 win to sweep into the NLCS. David Dellucci and Rod Barajas homer for Arizona‚ but it’s not enough to stop St. Louis. Jeff Fassero picks up his second win of the series in relief.

The Braves take a 2-1 lead in their series with SF by pounding the Giants‚ 10-2. Keith Lockhart homers for Atlanta and Barry Bonds for SF. Greg Maddux goes the first 6 innings for the victory.

The Twins even their series with the A’s behind Eric Milton‚ winning by a score of 11-2. Doug Mientkiewicz homers for Minnesota and Miguel Tejada for Oakland.
October 6The Twins defeat the A’s‚ 5-4‚ to take their division series and move on to the ALCS against the Anaheim Angels. Brad Radke wins his second game of the series for Minnesota while being backed by AJ Pierzynski’s HR. Ray Durham and Mark Ellis homer for Oakland in a losing cause. The Twins win comes one month to the day after they ended Oakland’s 20-game winning streak.

The Giants even their division series at 2 games apiece by defeating the Braves‚ 8-3. Livan Hernandez gets the win while Tom Glavine takes his second loss in the series. Rich Aurilia homers for SF.
October 7The Giants beat the Braves‚ 3-1‚ to move on to the NLCS against St. Louis. Russ Ortiz gets his second win of the series while Barry Bonds hits HR number 3.
October 8The Twins take the opener of the ALCS‚ defeating the Angels‚ 2-1‚ behind 8 innings of 4-hit pitching by Joe Mays. Corey Koskie and AJ Pierzynski drove in runs for Minnesota.
October 9The Angels jump out to a 4-0 lead then hold on to defeat the Twins‚ 6-3‚ to even the ALCS at a game apiece. Russ Ortiz’s pitching is backed by HRs by Darin Erstad and Brad Fullmer.

Kirk Reuter hurls the Giants to a 9-6 win over the Cardinals in the opener of the NLCS. Kenny Lofton‚ Benito Santiago‚ and David Bell homer for SF while Albert Pujols‚ Miguel Cairo‚ and JD Drew connect for St. Louis.

The Tigers name Alan Trammell as their new manager.
October 10The Giants take a 2-games-to-0 lead in the NLCS with a 4-1 win over the Cardinals. Jason Schmidt pitches shutout ball into the 8th inning while SS Rich Aurilia drives home 3 of SF’s runs with a pair of HRs.
October 11The Angels defeat the Twins‚ 2-1‚ to take the lead in the ALCS. Troy Glaus’ 8th inning HR is the deciding blow. Jarrod Washburn hurls 7 strong innings for Anaheim‚ with Francisco Rodriguez getting the win in relief.

The Rangers sign Buck Showalter as their new manager‚ giving him a 4-year contract.
October 12Three Cardinals HRs help St. Louis to a 5-4 win over the Giants‚ who lead their NLCS by 2 games to 1. Jim Edmonds‚ Eli Marerro‚ and Mike Matheny clout round-trippers for the Cards while Barry Bonds adds one for SF. Chuck Finley gets the win for St. Louis.

The Angels take a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead over the Twins in the ALCS with a 7-1 victory. Rookie John Lackey hurls 7 3-hit shutout innings for Anaheim to get the win. Brad Fullmer and Benjie Molina each drive in a pair of runs for the Angels.
October 13The Angels score 10 runs in the 7th inning on their way to a 13-5 win over the Twins to give Anaheim its first pennant in the team’s history. Adam Kennedy was the hero for Anaheim with 3 HRs and 7 RBIs. Scott Spiezio also homers for the Angels‚ with Francisco Rodriguez getting the win in relief.

The Giants defeat the Cardinals‚ 4-3‚ to move within 1 game of the World Series. Benito Santiago’s 2-run HR in the 8th inning is the deciding blow. Tim Worrell wins the game in relief for the Giants.
October 14The Giants beat the Cardinals‚ 2-1‚ to take the NLCS and move on to the World Series against Anaheim. Kenny Lofton‘s base hit in the bottom of the 9th scores David Bell with the winning run. Tim Worrell gets the win in relief for SF.
October 19The Giants take the WS opener with a 4-3 win over the Angels. Barry Bonds‚ Reggie Sanders‚ and JT Snow homer for SF as Jason Schmidt gets the win. Troy Glaus hits a pair of round-trippers for Anaheim.
October 20The Angels even the Series with an 11-10 win over the Giants. Tim Salmon goes 4-4 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs for Anaheim. Reggie Sanders‚ David Bell‚ Jeff Kent‚ and Barry Bonds connect for SF. Postseason sensation Francisco Rodriguez gets the win in relief.
October 22The Angels pound out 16 hits in a 10-4 win over the Giants. Ramon Ortiz goes 5 innings for the victory. Rich Aurilia and Barry Bonds homer for SF while Scott Spiezio drives in 3 runs for Anaheim.

Cleveland 1B Jim Thome is announced as the winner of the 2002 Roberto Clemente Award for excellence on and off the field.
October 23David Bell drives home a run in the bottom half of the 8th inning to lead the Giants to a 4-3 victory to even the Series at two games apiece. Troy Glaus homers for Anaheim and Tim Worrell gets the win in relief for the Giants.
October 24The Giants stroke 16 hits in a 16-4 rout of Anaheim in Game 5 of the WS. Jeff Kent hits a pair of HRs and drives home 4 runs for the Giants while Rich Aurilia also hits a round-tripper. Chad Zerbe gets the win in relief.
October 26With the Giants leading 5-0 after 6 1/2 innings‚ the Angels score 3 runs in the 7th and 3 more in the 8th to come away with a 6-5 victory that evens the Series at 3 games apiece. Scott Spiezio hits a 3-run homer for Anaheim while Darin Erstad also connects. Brendan Donnelly gets the win in relief. Shawn Dunston and Barry Bonds homer for SF.
October 27The Angels win their 1st WS ever as they defeat the Giants‚ 4-1‚ in Game 7. Rookie John Lackey gets the Series-clinching win. Garret Anderson’s bases loaded 2B in the 3rd inning scores 3 runs for Anaheim. Troy Glaus is named Series MVP.
October 28The Mets name former Oakland manager Art Howe as their new skipper.

Lou Piniella is named manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Mariners send SS Antonio Perez to Tampa Bay for OF Randy Winn as part of the compensation package.
October 29The Athletics name coach Ken Macha as their new manager‚ replacing Art Howe.

The Indians name Eric Wedge as their new manager. At 35‚ he is the youngest manager in the ML.

The Brewers name Ned Yost as their new manager.
October 31The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association votes 9-6 to prohibit the use of metal bats in the state high school tournament in 2003. Twenty five of 40 leagues will switch to wood for the regularly season. The state is the first to outlaw metal bats.

November

November 4Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Eric Hinske is named Rookie of the Year in the AL‚ and Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings is named the NL’s top Rookie. Hinske‚ 25‚ was acquired from Oakland in the Billy Koch deal‚ and hit .279 with 24 homers. He had 122 points to finish ahead of Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez (15-9) with 97 points. Jennings had 150 points to runner-up Brad Wilkerson with 59 points. Jennings was 4-1 in 2001‚ and posted a 16-8 record this season‚ including 9-4 at Coors Field. He is the first Rockie to win the award.
November 5Arizona’s Randy Johnson wins the NL Cy Young Award‚ his 5th overall and 4th in a row. Johnson is the first NL player since the Mets’ Dwight Gooden to win the pitching triple crown‚ going 24-5 with a 2.37 ERA and 334 strikeouts. He led the major leagues in strikeouts for the ninth time.

The Silver Slugger Award-winners are announced. Barry Bonds and Mike Piazza win their 10th awards.
November 6Oakland’s 24-year-old Barry Zito wins the AL Cy Young Award.

Anaheim’s Mike Scoscia wins the AL Manager of the Year award while St. Louis’ Tony LaRussa takes NL honors.

The Giants announce that manager Dusty Baker won’t be returning with the team.
November 11Barry Bonds wins his record 5th MVP award‚ becoming the unanimous choice of the baseball writers.
November 12Oakland SS Miguel Tejada wins the AL MVP award‚ Texas’ Alex Rodriguez finishes second in the voting.
November 13The Diamondbacks trade C Damian Miller to the Cubs for P David Noyce and OF Gary Johnson.

The Giants announce Felipe Alou as their new manager.

The AL Gold Glove winners are announced. Three Mariners-Bret Boone‚ John Olerud‚ and Ichiro Suzuki-take awards.
November 14The NL Gold Glove winners are announced. Braves P Greg Maddux wins his 13th straight award.
November 15The Mariners name Bob Melvin as their new manager.

The Cubs name Dusty Baker as their new manager‚ signing him to a 4-year deal.
November 16In a swap of large contracts‚ the Rockies trade P Mike Hampton and OF Juan Pierre to the Marlins for OF Preston Wilson‚ C Charles Johnson‚ P Vic Darensbourg‚ and INF Pablo Ozuna. It is the start of a three way deal.

Oakland deals P Cory Lidle to Toronto for minor leaguers INF Mike Rouse and P Chris Mowday.
November 18The Marlins send P Mike Hampton to the Braves. In return‚ they obtain the young arms of Tim Spooneybarger and Ryan Baker. Spooneybarger had a 2.63 ERA in 51 games as a 22-year-old rookie (he also pitched in 4 games in 2001). Baker‚ 24‚ had a 3.72 ERA in class A.

When the financial dust clears‚ the cash-strapped Rockies move a 6-year $84.5 million commitment they had to Mike Hampton‚ plus the 3-year $6.6 million commitment they had to Juan Pierre. In return they take on $1.1 million due Vic Darensbourg‚ a 3-year $25 million commitment to Charles Johnson as well as a 3-year $28 million contract of Preston Wilson. They also will pay Atlanta $11 million left on Hampton’s contract. Colorado saves $26 million over the next 6 years. Florida agrees to pay $34 million on Hampton’s contract and takes on Pierre’s contract. The net savings to Florida is $13.5 million. The Braves have Hampton for 6 years at a cost of $39.5 million.
November 22A Diamondbacks-Rockies trade falls apart when Matt Williams chooses to remain in Arizona‚ so he wouldn’t have to move his children. Larry Walker also wouldn’t agree to the Diamondbacks’ desire to defer some of his salary.

Astros RF Richard Hidalgo is shot in the left forearm during a carjacking in Venezuela. He is released from the hospital and is expected to go to Houston for more tests.
November 25Detroit sends 1B Randall Simon to Pittsburgh for minor league P Adrian Burnside and a pair of minor leaguers to be named.

The Red Sox sign 28-year-old Theo Epstein as their new general manager. He becomes the youngest GM in ML history.
November 26The Cubs obtain C Paul Bako from the Braves.
November 29The Reds and Padres reach an agreement to trade Ken Griffey, Jr. for Phil Nevin‚ but Nevin‚ with a no-trade clause in his contract‚ nixes the deal. He says he would only agree to a trade to a West Coast team that trains in Arizona. Griffey tore a tendon in his knee during the first week‚ setting up another season limited by leg injuries. He also pulled a hamstring and strained hip muscles‚ limiting him to 70 games‚ a .264 average‚ 8 homers and 23 RBIs. In a week‚ the White Sox will turn down an offer of Griffey for Magglio Ordonez.

December

December 2In the biggest free-agent signing this year‚ the Phillies sign Indians 1B Jim Thome to a 6-year contract.

The Cubs sign free agent P Mike Remlinger to a 3-year $10 million contract.

In support of a national strike‚ the Venezuelan professional league suspends its games. Many of the 8 teams in the league belong to news media owners opposed to President Hugo Chavez. When the strike continues‚ the league will cancel its season on January 13.
December 3The Athletics send P Billy Koch and two minor leaguers to the White Sox in exchange for P Keith Foulke‚ C Mark Johnson‚ minor league P Joe Valentine‚ and cash.

The Dodgers trade 1B Eric Karros‚ 2B Mark Grudzielanek and cash to the Cubs. In return‚ they get C Randy Hundley and OF Chad Hermansen.
December 6In a sinister move‚ the Yankees offer the same two-year $4.6 million contract to three lefty relievers-Mike Stanton ‚ Mark Guthrie and Chris Hammond-and give each 15 minutes to decide. Hammond‚ 37‚ signs for $4.8 million over 2 years. Hammond‚ out of baseball for 2 years‚ had a remarkable season‚ posting a .095 ERA in 63 games and did not allow an earned run after June 28. He is the 3rd pitcher since 1900 to post a sub-one ERA while pitching 70+ innings. The veteran Stanton doesn’t bother to respond to the step-child treatment and‚ preferring to remain in the New York area‚ will sign a 3-year contract with the Mets in a week.

The Indians send C Einar Diaz and P Ryan Drese to the Rangers in exchange for P Aaron Myette and 1B Travis Hafner. Indians GM Mark Shapiro denies that the trade is “Jim Thome-motivated.” In his last 4 minor league seasons‚ Hafner has averaged .316‚ 23 homers‚ and 93 RBIs.

The MLB Players Association agrees to allow the Montreal Expos to play 22 home games in Puerto Rico next summer.
December 7The Giants sign free agent 2B Ray Durham to a 3-year contract.
December 10The Devil Rays sell 1B Steve Cox to the Yokohama Bay Stars‚ pending Cox clearing waivers.
December 11The Brewers sign free agent SS Royce Clayton to a contract.
December 12The Red Sox get 2B Todd Walker from the Rockies in return for 2 minor leaguers to be named.

The Yankees sign free agent P Chris Hammond to a 2-year contract.

The Elias Sports Bureau announces that Anaheim OF Darin Erstad set the AL record for consecutive errorless chances for an OF this season and didn’t know it at the time.
December 13The Cardinals sign free agent P Chris Carpenter to a contract.
December 15A four way trade is announced at the winter meetings in Nashville. The A’s get 1B Erubiel Durazo from the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks get P Elmer Dessens‚ who sported the 5th best ERA (3.03) in the NL‚ from the Reds. The Reds get SS Felipe Lopez from the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays get Jason Arnold from Oakland.

The Red Sox acquire Jeremy Giambi from the Phillies for P Josh Hancock‚ 24‚ For Giambi‚ it is his 3rd uniform this year.

The Mets trade slick fielding SS Rey Ordonez to the Devil Rays for two minor leaguers to be named. The Mets also throw in $4.25 million to help offset Ordonez’s $6.25 million salary. Ordonez‚ who had called the Mets fans “stupid”‚ departs as 3B Edgardo Alfonzo signs a 4-year deal with the Giants‚ opening up the left side of the Mets infield. Nineteen-year-old Jose Reyes‚ the Mets top prospect‚ is expected to have first shot at the shortstop’s job.

The Padres traded P Brett Tomko to the Cardinals for P Luther Hackman and a player to be named later.

The Pirates agree to terms with free agent OF Matt Stairs.

The Giants announce that free agent 3B Edgardo Alfonzo has agreed to a 4-year deal.
December 16The Mets agree to terms on a 3-year contract with free agent P Mike Stanton.

The Braves obtain P Ray King from the Brewers in exchange for IF Wes Helms and P John Foster.

The Cardinals sign free agent C Joe Girardi to a contract.

The Orioles sign free agent SS Deivi Cruz to a contract.

The Padres sign free agent IF Mark Loretta to a contract.

The Ortizes move. The Twins released 1B David Ortiz yesterday and today the Giants trade P Russ Ortiz to the Braves for P Damian Moss and minor league P Manuel Mateo.
December 17The Braves sign free agent P Paul Byrd to a 2-year contract.

The Cubs sign free agent OF Troy O’Leary to a one-year contract for $750‚000.
December 18The Astros sign free agent 2B Jeff Kent to a 2-year‚ $18.2 million contract‚ with a $9 million option for 2005. Kent will play 2B and all-star second baseman Craig Biggio will move to the OF.

The Red Sox sign free agent P Mike Timlin to a contract.

The Yankees sign free agent 3B Todd Zeile to a contract.

The Rangers sign free agent OF Doug Glanville to a contract.
December 19The Yankees sign Japanese OF Hideki Matsui to a 3-year contract.
December 20The Mets sign free agent OF Cliff Floyd to a 4-year contract.

The Braves trade P Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for C Johnny Estrada. Meanwhile‚ according to Braves GM John Schuerholz‚ “The economics in baseball stink. The economics stink‚ and if this isn’t a clear enough signal to the doubters and naysayers‚ to be forced to trade an 18-game winner to your arch enemy . . . The economics stink.”

The Cubs sign free agent P Shawn Estes to a contract.

The White Sox sign free agent C Sandy Alomar to a contract.

The Blue Jays sign free agent SS Mike Bordick to a contract.
December 22The Rangers sign free agent P Ugueth Urbina to a contract.

The Blue Jays sign free agent P Tanyon Sturtze to a contract.
December 24The Yankees agree to terms on a 4-year contract with Cuban P Jose Contreras.

The Red Sox sign free agent P Chad Fox to a contract.

The A’s sign free agent OF Chris Singleton to a contract.

The Padres sign free agent P Jay Witasick to a 2-year contract.
December 25In a meeting with baseball commissioner Bud Selig in Milwaukee‚ Pete Rose admits that he bet on baseball, “Four or five times a week‚ but never against my own team‚ and I never made any bets from the clubhouse.” The account of this conversation will be in Rose’s book‚ published in January 2004.
December 26The Rangers sign free agent P Esteban Yan to a contract.
December 27The Mets sign free agent SS Rey Sanchez to a contract.
December 29The Red Sox sign free agent P Ramiro Mendoza to a 2-year contract.

Cinergy Field‚ formerly Riverfront Stadium‚ is demolished. This former home of the Cincinnati Reds was opened in 1970. The site will become the western concourse of Great American Ball Park and will include the Reds’ Hall of Fame when it opens in 2004.
December 30The Angels sign free agent OF Eric Owens to a contract.

The Blue Jays sign free agent OF Frank Catalanotto to a contract.