Baseball – 2005

Baseball in 2005

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January

January 3The Anaheim Angels announce the change of their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
January 4Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the sportswriters‚ Boggs in his 1st year of eligibility.

The Tigers sign free agent SS Ramon Martinez to a contract.
January 5The Devil Rays sign free agent IF Alex Gonzalez to a contract.
January 6The White Sox sign free agent C AJ Pierzynski to a contract.

The Rockies sign free agent OF Dustan Mohr and IF Desi Relaford to contracts.

The Tigers acquire C Vance Wilson from the Mets in exchange for Minor league SS Anderson Hernandez.

The Marlins sign free agent P John Riedling to a contract.

The Cardinals sign free agent 2B Mark Grudzielanek to a contract.
January 7The Braves sign free agent P Gabe White to a contract.
January 8The Indians sign free agent P Kevin Millwood to a contract.
January 10The Cubs obtain P Stephen Randolph from the Diamondbacks in exchange for a player to be named.

The Mets sign free agent IF Miguel Cairo to a contract.

The Blue Jays sign free agent P Billy Koch to a contract.
January 11The Yankees obtain P Randy Johnson from the Diamondbacks. Arizona receives pitchers Javier Vazquez and Bret Halsey‚ C Dioner Navarro‚ and cash from NY. Arizona then sends Navarro and Ps Danny Muegge‚ Beltran Perez‚ and William Juarez to the Dodgers in exchange for OF Shawn Green and cash.

The Mets sign free agent OF Carlos Beltran to a 7-year contract.

The Phillies sign free agent P Terry Adams to a contract.

The Toronto Blue Jays sign free agent P Scott Schoeneweis to a 2-year contract.

The Padres sign free agent P Chris Hammond to a contract.

The Dodgers sign free agent P Derek Lowe to a 4-year contract.
January 12The Diamondbacks sign free agent P Shawn Estes‚ 15-8 with the Rockies. Arizona also sends IF Shea Hillenbrand to the Blue Jays in exchange for P Adam Peterson.
January 13Major League Baseball announces an agreement on a new steroid-testing policy with the Players Association‚ effective from 2005 through 2008.

The Dodgers sign free agent C Paul Bako to a contract.

The Devil Rays sign free agent OF Danny Bautista to a contract.
January 17The Devil Rays sign free agent 2B Roberto Alomar to a contract.
January 18The Indians sign free agent IF Alex Cora to a two-year contract.
January 19The Braves sign free agent OF Brian Jordan to a contract.

The Brewers sign free P Ricky Bottalico to a contract.

The Nationals sign free agent Ps Esteban Loaiza and Antonio Osuna to contracts.
January 21The Orioles sign free agent P Steve Reed to a contract.
January 23The Yankees sign free agent SS Rey Sanchez to a contract.

The Astros sign free agent P John Franco to a contract.
January 24The Diamondbacks sign free agent 1B Tony Clark to a contract.
January 27The Mets acquire 1B Doug Mientkiewicz from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league 1B Ian Bladergroen.

The Marlins sign free agent 1B Carlos Delgado to a 4-year contract.

February

February 2The Cubs send OF Sammy Sosa to the Orioles for 2B Jerry Hairston‚ IF Mike Fontenot‚ and P Dave Crouthers. Chicago then signs free agent OF Jeromy Burnitz to a contract.

The Marlins sign free agent P Jim Mecir to a contract.
February 4The Rangers sign free agent P Pedro Astacio to a contract.
February 6The Diamondbacks trade P Casey Fossum to the Devil Rays in exchange for OF Jose Cruz Jr.
February 7Mazatlan Venados of Mexico wins the Caribbean Series with a 4-3 win over the Dominican team‚ Cibao Aguilas.
February 9The Tigers obtain P Kyle Farnsworth from the Cubs. In return‚ Chicago receives P Roberto Novoa‚ IF Scott Moore‚ and OF Clarence Flowers.
February 13The White Sox trade OF Alex Escobar to the Nationals for OF Jerry Owens.
February 14Juiced: Wild Times‚ Rampant ‘Roids‚ Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big‚ by former Oakland Athletics star Jose Canseco‚ is published. In the book‚ Canseco says he injected Mark McGwire‚ and introduced Ivan Rodriguez‚ Juan Gonzalez‚ Rafael Palmeiro‚ and Jason Giambi to steroids. All those named deny the accusations.
February 16The Yankees sign free agent IF Rey Sanchez to a contract.
February 22Jerry Coleman is announced as the 2005 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award honoring baseball broadcasters.

March

March 2The Veterans Committee fails to elect anyone to the Hall of Fame. Gil Hodges and Ron Santo come closest‚ each receiving 65 percent of the vote. A mark of 75 percent is needed for election.

Jackie Robinson is posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal‚ more than a half century after breaking baseball’s color barrier. Robinson is the second baseball player ever to get the award. The first was Roberto Clemente in 1973.
March 17Several prominent modern day major league players testify before a House hearing on steroid use in the major leagues. Former HR king Mark McGwire refuses to deny he used the illegal substances‚ repeatedly saying he’s “not here to talk about the past.” Rafael Palmiero comes off the best‚ condemning steroid use and wagging his finger at the Senators saying‚ “he’s never taken them.”
March 20The Mets trade C Jason Phillips to the Dodgers for P Kaz Ishii and cash considerations.
March 21A line drive fractures the arm of Cubs reliever Joe Borowski Kansas City Royals. Borkowski was recovering from a partially torn rotator cuff injury that ended his 2004 season last June.
March 22The Red Sox send OF Adam Hyzdu to the Padres. In return‚ SD sends P Blaine Neal to Boston.

During a 10-minute impromptu press conference Barry Bonds uses the word “tired” 14 times and raises the issue of his retirement blaming the press for his troubles. Bonds, using crutches after his second knee operation in two months, continues to be plagued with questions about steroids. And two days ago Kimberly Bell talked about her nine-year relationship with the married Bonds. She alleged that Bonds used steroids, gave her $80,000 he supposedly had received for signing baseballs, and told her how to deposit the money to avoid an IRS audit. Ms. Bell has supplied no evidence to support the allegations regarding Bonds’s steroid use, while Bond’s former business partner, who claims it was he who gave Bell the $80,000, admits he has no idea whether Bonds paid taxes on the money.
March 24In Tucson‚ a swarm of bees interrupts a Cactus League game between the Rockies and the Diamondbacks. The bees chase Rocks pitcher Darren Oliver from the mound and the game is delayed 20 minutes. Oliver thinks it is the coconut oil gel in his hair that attracted them. By the time play is resumed the bees have spread all over the field and SS Sergio Santos is chased to deep center field. The game is called after five innings.

In Jupiter‚ Cards PH Rick Ankiel hits an 8th in double in a 5-1 win over the Nationals. It is Ankiel’s first hit since switching from pitching to playing the outfield.
March 28The Astros get C Humberto Quintero from the Padres in exchange for P Tim Redding and cash.
March 29The Angels obtain P Bret Prinz from the Yankees for C Wil Nieves.

The Cardinals send lefty Mike Myers to the Red Sox. In return‚ St. Louis receives OF Carlos de la Cruz and P Kevin Ool.

The Indians trade P Cliff Bartosh to the Cubs for P Ronald Bay.

The Mets get IF Benji Gil from the Mariners for cash.
March 30The Pirates get C David Ross from the Dodgers for cash.

The Rockies obtain P Byung-Hyun Kim from the Red Sox in exchange for P Chris Narveson‚ C Charles Johnson‚ and cash.
March 31The Devil Rays acquire IF Nick Green from the Braves for P Jorge Sosa.

April

April 3The Yankees defeat the Red Sox‚ 9-2‚ to open the 2005 baseball season. Randy Johnson gets the win for NY‚ while Hideki Matsui gets 3 hits‚ including a HR‚ drives home 3 runs‚ and robs Kevin Millar of a 2-run HR.

Devil Rays OF Alex Sanchez is suspended 10 days for violating baseball’s new policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
April 4The Detroit Tigers defeat the Kansas City Royals‚ 11-2‚ as Dmitri Young drives in five runs while becoming the third player in history to hit three homers on opening day. George Bell (1987) and Tuffy Rhodes (1994) were the others. Jeremy Bonderman gets the win for Detroit‚ becoming the youngest starter to win on opening day since Dwight Gooden in 1986.

The Washington Nationals fall to the Phillies‚ 8-4‚ in their first regular season game since relocating from Montreal.

Rookie Clint Barmes’ 2-run HR off Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the 9th gives the Rockies a 12-10 comeback win over the Padres. Aaron Miles has 5 hits for Colorado‚ including a pair of doubles.

The Mariners defeat the Twins‚ 5-1‚ as Seattle 1B Richie Sexson hits HRs in his first 2 plate appearances for his new team‚ and drives home all 5 of their runs.

The Chicago Cubs pound out 23 hits as they cruise to a 16-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chicago third baseman Aramis Ramirez‚ who inked a four-year $42 million contract this morning‚ is 3-for-4 with a homer and 4 RBIs. Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano gets tossed in the fifth inning.

Seattle’s Damian Moss and Ryan Christianson are among 38 players suspended for violating baseball’s minor league steroids policy‚ a group that includes eight players from the Mariners’ organization. Oakland’s David Castillo is suspended for 60 games‚ the penalty for a third violation. All the others are suspended for 15 games‚ the ban given to first offenders.
April 5The Twins down the Mariners‚ 8-4‚ as Cy Young winner Johan Santana wins his 1st game of the season. In giving up 4 runs‚ however‚ Santana’s streak of 22 straight starts allowing 3 or fewer runs is halted. It is the 2nd-longest streak of its kind in ML history.
April 6The Nationals defeat the Phillies‚ 7-3‚ for the team’s first win while representing the city of Washington. Brad Wilkerson is the hero for the Nationals‚ hitting for the 2nd cycle of his career. He also accomplished the feat against the Pirates on June 24‚ 2003.
April 7Down 5-2‚ the Cleveland Indians Casey Blake, Coco Crisp and Ron Belliard hit three home runs in the 9th inning to tie the White Sox. Cleveland scores 6 more in the 11th to win the game, 11-5.
April 9The Brewers manage only 1 hit off Victor Zambrano‚ Chad Fox‚ and LaTroy Hawkins-a 2nd inning single by Russell Branyan-as the Cubs set them down 4-0. It is the 1st loss of the season for Milwaukee‚ the last undefeated ML team.

The Blue Jays down the Red Sox‚ 12-5. Toronto jumps out to a 5-1 advantage in the 3rd inning on consecutive HRs by Vernon Wells‚ Corey Koskie‚ and Shea Hillenbrand.
April 10Atlanta’s John Smoltz pitches 7+ innings striking out 15 batters‚ but he loses‚ 6-1 to the Mets. Pedro Martinez is even better‚ allowing 2 hits in a complete game victory. Smoltz is just the 15th pitcher since 1960 to strike out 15 batters and lose (according to Retrosheet).
April 12The Twins fight back to defeat the Tigers‚ 5-4. Shannon Stewart’s ground rule double off Troy Percival in the bottom of the 9th plates the winning run. It is the first run scored by the Twins off Percival in 40 innings over the past 6 years.
April 13The Mariners defeat the Royals‚ 2-1‚ to give manager Mike Hargrove his 1‚000th career victory. He is the 51st skipper in history to reach the mark.
April 14The Nationals beat the Diamondbacks‚ 5-3‚ in the first game played in Washington‚ DC‚ since 1971. Livan Hernandez gets the win for Washington and Vinny Castilla hits a HR and drives in 4 runs.
April 15The Mets down the Marlins‚ 4-0‚ behind Aaron Heilman’s 1-hit shutout. Luis Castillo’s 4th inning infield single is the only safety recorded by Florida as Heilman hurls the 1st complete game of his career.

San Francisco scores 9 runs off Jamey Wright in 4 innings and scales the Rockies‚ 13-6. Noah Lowry is just slightly better allowing 9 hits and 6 runs in 5+ innings for the win. Pedro Feliz helps with a grand slam and 5 RBI‚ whiel the Rocks get offense from Clint Barmes‚ with 4 hits including 2 homers‚ and Mike Restovich with 3 hits. It won’t assure Restovich of a job‚ however: he was acquired from the Twins on April 6‚ who had gotten him from Tampa Bay on March 31. Colorado will send him to Pittsburgh on May 11‚ and the Bucs will pass on him in November. In January 2006 the Cubs will sign him.

The Astros pound the Reds‚ 11-2‚ collecting 9 extra base hits including a pair of homers by Jason Lane. It is the 12th straight win for Houston over Cincinnati. The scoring might have been greater except for a unassisted DP by Reds catcher Jason LaRue who snags a popped bunt and tags the runner from 3B.
April 16In the 8-0 Blue Jay win at Texas‚ Reed Johnson ties a big-league record when he is hit by a pitch three times; the Blue Jay outfielder is the 21st player plunked thrice. Johnny Gomes will tie this on August 15.
April 18The Yankees score an AL record-tying (for the inning) 13 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to a 19-8 thrashing of the Devil Rays. Alex Rodriguez leads the 20-hit attack with 5 safeties‚ including 2 doubles and a pair of HRs‚ and 6 RBI. He scores 5 runs. Tino Martinez also drives home 6 runs for NY. The last time the Yankees scored 13 runs in an inning was in 1945; the team record of 14 in an inning was set in 1920 against the Senators.

The Dodgers down the Brewers‚ 7-3‚ as Milton Bradley becomes the 7th Dodger to hit HRs from both sides of the plate in the same game.
April 19The Mets slug a team record 7 HRs in a 16-4 pasting of the Phillies. Jose Reyes and Victor Diaz each hit a pair of round-trippers and Mike Piazza‚ Doug Mientkiewicz‚ and David Wright also homer. Wright’s blast is a grand slam.
April 25The Red Sox drub the Toronto Blue Jays‚ 12-7 jumping on the first two pitchers for the Jays‚ Bush and League. Together the two (a.k.a. Dave and Brandon) surrendered nine runs in four and two-thirds innings.
April 26The Yankees pound the Angels‚ 12-4. Alex Rodriguez strokes 3 HRs and a single for NY‚ and becomes the 11th player in history to drive in 10 runs in a game.

The Blue Jays defeat the Devil Rays‚ 7-5. TB starter Dewon Brazelton takes the loss‚ giving him a lifetime record of 0-13 on the road. He is the first pitcher in 56 years to begin his career with that many consecutive road losses. Cincinnati’s Kent Peterson did so in 1947-49.
April 27The Cardinals defeat the Brewers‚ 6-3‚ as 2B Mark Grudzielanek hits for the cycle.

The Pirates edge the Astros‚ 2-0‚ behind Kip Wells. Jose Mesa sets Houston down in order in the 9th for his 300th career save. He becomes the 19th pitcher in ML history to reach the mark.
April 29The Cubs defeat the Astros‚ 3-2‚ in the first matchup of 300-game winners in nearly 18 years. Greg Maddux outduels Roger Clemens for his 306th career victory‚ even though The Rocket has two hits off him. The last match-up of 300 game winners in the National League was 1892.
April 30The Athletics defeat the Mariners‚ 6-5‚ in 10 innings. Oakland’s Mark Kotsay strokes 5 hits‚ including a game-winning single.

The Nationals down the Mets‚ 5-3‚ in a rain-soaked game that is called before the bottom half of the 8th inning. In an unusual move‚ both managers protest the contest due to the horrible playing conditions.

Commissioner Bud Selig asks players to agree to a 50-game suspension for first-time steroid offenders and a lifetime ban for a third violation under what he calls a “three strikes and you are out approach” to doping. Selig proposes a 100-game ban for a second offense‚ and also asks the union to ban amphetamines and to have more frequent random drug tests.

May

May 1The Brewers defeat the Reds‚ 13-3. Lyle Overbay leads the 19-hit Milwaukee attack with 5 safeties‚ including a double and HR.

The Angels edge the Twins‚ 2-1‚ with HRs by Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Molina accounting for their only 2 hits. The loss goes to Johan Santana‚ ending Santana’s 17-game winning streak (over 2 seasons).
May 2In the greatest comeback in team history‚ the Cardinals score 7 runs in the 9th inning to overcome a 6-run deficit and give them a 10-9 win over the Reds. It is the first time the Reds blow a 6-run 9th inning lead since 1952.

The Yankees shrug off Andy Phillips’s record-tying 5 strikeouts and beat Tampa Bay‚ 6-2.
May 6The Dodgers explode for 10 runs in the 1st inning and go on to trounce the Reds‚ 13-6. Jeff Kent matches a franchise record with 5 RBIs in the frame‚ while Hee-seop Choi has 2 homers‚ one in the 1st inning. Veteran Paul Wilson is guilty of allowing most of the runs‚ giving up 8 runs‚ all earned‚ on 5 hits‚ a walk and two hit batsmen. He and Blake Stein are the only pitchers since 1960 to give up 8 runs without recording an out.

The Padres defeat the Cardinals‚ 6-5‚ as Trevor Hofman gets his 400th career save. He becomes the 3rd pitcher in history to reach the plateau‚ following Lee Smith (478) and John Franco (424).
May 8The Cardinals score 11 runs in the 1st inning and go on to defeat the Padres‚ 15-5.

Behind Mike Hampton’s 2-hitter‚ the Braves pound the Astros‚ 16-0. The Braves sweep the 4-game series and hand Houston its 11th straight road loss. Hampton hits his 15th career HR to go along with 2 homers and a double by rookie Ryan Langerhans (6 RBI)‚ and one each by Andruw Jones and Eddie Perez.

It took a while for the Saints to wake up Sunday morning but when they did they brought their bats. Tim Marks’ two-run RBI single in a three-run eighth inning lifted St. Paul to a 6-6 tie with Sioux Falls in the earliest professional baseball game ever started: 5:35 a.m. A crowd of 2‚253-including some 280 fans who stayed overnight-attended at Midway Stadium. The game was called after nine innings due to mutual agreement.
May 9Oakland knuckles under to Tim Wakefield (4-1) and the Red Sox‚ 13-5‚ as Trot Nixon and Kevin Millar help with homeruns. A’s manager Ken Macha of the Oakland A’s gets thumbed out by ump Mark Carlsen‚ the first ejection he’s evr had had. He was never rejected as a player beginning in 1974.
May 10Tony Pena resigns as manager of the Royals and coach Bob Schaeffer takes over the position on an interim basis. Last year‚ with the Royals at 7-15‚ Pena vowed‚ “We are going to win the Central.” They finished last and this year had dropped 16 of their last 19.
May 11The Padres down the Reds‚ 7-2. Mark Loretta leads the Pods attack with 5 hits‚ including a double.
May 14Kevin Brown allows 5 runs in 6 innings but still wins his 100th AL game as the Yankees pummel Oakland‚ 15-6. Brown has now won 100 games in each league‚ the 9th player to do so. He’s backed by homers from Derek Jeter‚ Arod‚ Posada‚ and Tino Martinez‚ who drives in 5 runs.

For the second time in a week‚ White Sox leadoff batter Scott Podsednik steals four bases‚ in a 9-6 loss to the Orioles. Rickey Henderson‚ of the Yankees in 1991‚ was the last to do it twice in a season. Scott steals 2B and 3B on his two singles Tomorrow‚ Tony Womack of the Yankees will steal 4 bases for the second time in four days to match Podsednik.
May 15The Mariners defeat the Red Sox‚ 5-4. Manny Ramirez hits the 400th HR of his career for Boston in a losing cause. He is the 39th player in ML history-and the 5th fastest-to reach the number.

Brandon Backe tosses a 4-hitter as the Astros shut out the Giants‚ 9-0. Morgan Ensberg clouts 3 HRs and drives in 5 of the runs.

The Orioles down the White Sox‚ 6-2. The game marks the first time this season that Chicago has not led a contest. The run of 37 straight games is the 3rd-longest ever.
May 17The Indians pound Ervin Santana in his ML debut‚ sending the Angels down to defeat‚ 13-5. In the first 10 pitches he throws‚ Santana is clocked for a cycle‚ surrendering a triple‚ double‚ single‚ and HR.
May 18The Mets down the Reds‚ 10-6‚ to give them a sweep of their 3-game series. Sean Casey gets 5 hits for Cincinnati‚ including a 2B and HR‚ in a losing cause.

Mets groundskeeper Pepe Valila is arrested as part of a $360 million Mafia gambling ring. Valila will admit to placing bets within Shea Stadium for two Mets employees and will be suspended today from his $80‚000 a year job and later fired. Mets clubhouse manager Nick Priore is named as one of the Mets employees placing a bet.

The Mariners defeat the Yankees‚ 7-6‚ to snap New York’s 10-game winning streak.
May 20Minnesota’s Carlos Silva throws just 74 pitches in a 7-1 complete game win against the Milwaukee Brewers. The only Brewer run is a homer by Damian Miller. Juan Catro has a HR for the Twins and Nick Punto 4 hits.
May 21The Rangers explode for 8 runs in the 2nd inning on their way to an 18-3 win over the Astros. Mark Teixeira‚ Rod Barajas‚ Hank Blalock‚ and Laynce Nix all homer in the frame to tie a club record.

The Braves score 6 runs off starter Tim Wakefield and beat the Red Sox‚ 7-5. Rookie Kyle Davies wins in his ML debut‚ the furst Brave pitcher to do so since David Nied debuted on Spetember 1‚ 1992.

The Mets batter Randy Johnson for 9 hits in 3+ innings and beat the Yankees‚ 7-1. Kris Benson pitches into the 7th inning before being lifted for Dae-Sung Koo. Koo K’s two and then in the bottom of the inning hits a double over Bernie Williams‘ head in CF. Koo goes to 3rd on a sac bunt and continues home when Posada is late covering the plate and scores sliding. Koo later admits he has not been on base in nearly 20 years.
May 22The Twins score 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th off Derrick Turnbow to tie the Brewers at 5 apiece. Shannon Stewart’s homer is the big blow. The Twins then win in 11 innings‚ 6-5. Lew Ford has 3 hits and 3 runs including the game-winner. Minnesota ties their team record with 17 strikeouts in an extra inning game. The mark was set in 1987.
May 23Lefthander Mark Mulder of the St. Louis Cardinals becomes just the 12th NL pitcher since 1976 to throw a complete game shutout of 10 innings or more when he blanks the Houston Astros, 1-0, in 10. Greg Maddux in 1988 posted the last NL extra-inning shutout in 1988.
May 25The Astros break a 7-game losing streak beating Greg Maddux and the Chicago Cubs‚ 5-1. Maddux gets 17 of his 23 outs on the ground in the loss. LaTroy Hawkins of the Cubs retire the Houston Astros in the 9th inning on three pitched balls.
May 27The Mets defeat the Marlins‚ 12-4. SS Jose Reyes clouts 2 triples for New York‚ giving him 7 in his last 10 games. It is the most triples hit in 10 games by any major leaguer.

Cubs P Mark Prior has to leave the game‚ in the 4th inning after being hit in the elbow by a line drive off the bat of Brad Hawpe. A MRI shows a fracture that will sideline the ace indefinitely‚ but he will be back in action next month. Todd Wellemeyer fills in to earn the 10-3 win over the Rockies. Derrek Lee hits two homers‚ Neifi Perez has a HR and 4 RBI‚ and Corey Patterson adds a solo shot.
May 28The Red Sox pound out 27 hits in a 17-1 rout of the Yankees. Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez each get 4 hits for Boston.

In Phoenix‚ Javier Vazquez holds off a Dodger rally in 6th and clubs a homer in the 7th off reliever Duaner Sanchez to tie the game. He then gets lifted before throwing another pitch as the Diamondbacks earn a 5-4 win over Los Angeles. Luis Terrero‚ batting against Sanchez‚ hits a bouncer up the middle that goes high over Sanchez’s head. Sanchez throws his glove at the ball and hits it‚ knocking it down. His throw to first is late but no matter as Terrero is awarded a unique infield triple.
May 31The Royals hire Buddy Bell as their new manager.

The Cubs down the Dodgers‚ 2-1‚ in 10 innings. Carlos Zambrano‚ Michael Wuertz‚ and Ryan Dempster combine to hold Los Angeles to one hit-a 3rd inning bloop double by Cesar Izturis.

Making his 2005 debut‚ Indians outfielder Juan Gonzalez aggravates a strained hamstring running out a ground ball in the first inning. He’ll miss the rest of the year except for this one at bat. Victor Martinez hits a 2-run homer in the 6th to help C.C. Sabathia to the win.

June

June 1The Twins down the Indians‚ 6-2. Torii Hunter is the story for Minnesota as he goes 5-for-5‚ with a double and a grand slam‚ and drives in all 6 runs.

In Boston, the Orioles down the Red Sox, 9-3, behind the pitching of Sidney Ponson. Sammy Sosa, Benji Gil and Miguel Tejada hits HRs over the Green Monster against Tim Wakefield. Tejada adds 3 doubles for 4 extra base hits. For Sosa, it is 16 years between homers at Fenway (June 21, 1989), a ML record.

Florida loses its 9th in a row in Pittsburgh‚ 9-1‚ and drops a game behind the Braves in the NL East. Rob Mackowksi hits his 2nd career grand slam and Jack Wilson is 4-for-4 to pace the attack. The last Marlin win in Pittsburgh was September 8‚ 2002

Roy Oswalt improves to 14-0 against the Reds‚ a ML record‚ as Houston wins 4-1. Lance Berkman homers to back Oswalts pitching. Pedro Martinex is 13-0 against Seattle.

The Cubs trounce the Dodgers‚ 9-5. Derrek Lee continues his torrid hitting with 5 hits‚ including a HR‚ to raise his BA to .380.
June 3The Diamondbacks obtain P Matt Herges from the Giants for OF Doug DeVore.
June 5Mike Lieberthal’s controversial 3-run HR in the 6th lifts the Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks. Lieberthal’s hit is first ruled a double but then is changed to a HR on appeal. Arizona manager Bob Melvin gets tossed for arguing otherwise. Luis Gonzalez‘s 300th career HR in the 8th closes the gap to 6-5.
June 6Bambi’s revenge. Colorado SS Clint Barmes‚ hitting .329‚ falls while carrying frozen venison up a flight of stairs and breaks his collarbone. Barmes initially says he was carrying groceries up the stairs‚ but later‚ he will change his story saying it was not groceries‚ but a package of deer meat that he got from Todd Helton. Helton will confirm that they were riding all terrain vehicles‚ but insists that breach of contract was unrelated to the injury. The Rockies place SS Clint Barmes on the 60 day DL but he is out for the season. The Rocks call up C Danny Ardoin and INF Tim Olson.
June 7The Diamondbacks select high school SS Justin Upton with the 1st pick of the baseball amateur draft. Alex Gordon‚ a 3B from the U of Nebraska‚ goes #2 to Kansas City. Seattle takes USC catcher Jeff Clement with #3‚ while Ryan Zimmerman of U of Washington goes to the Nationals with the #4 pick. Washington will bring him up in 2005 and he will hit a sparkling .397 (23-58). Pitcher Joey Devine‚ picked #21 by St. Louis‚ is the other first round pick to make it to the Bigs this year‚ becoming the first player from this year’s amateur draft to play in the majors when he makes his debut on August 20. Devine will be 0-1. Ryan Braun‚ a first team all-American DH (Baseball America) goes to Milwaukee with the 5th pick. Cal State-Fullerton P Ricky Romero goes to the Blue Jays at #6. Picking 9th‚ the Mets take 6’7″ Wichita State pitcher Mike Pelfray‚ who is still available because of his agent Scott Boras. Questions about his signability will be answered in early 2005 when he signs for $5.25 million.

After Carl Crawford hits a 3-run HR in the 2nd against the Reds‚ Tampa Bay blows the 6-1 lead and loses 9-7. Winning pitcher Randy Keisler pitches 6 1/3 innings for the win‚ the first Reds reliever to pitch 6 innings in 15 years. He also hits a HR and a double‚ the first reliever with two extra base hits in 35 years. Ken Griffey‚ Jr. chips in with his 510th career homer.

The Blue Jays lose more than a 6-7 decision to Texas when ace Roy Halladay (12-4) is struck on the leg by a line drive off the bat of Kevin Mench. It is diagnosed as a non displaced fracture in his lower left leg and he will miss the season.
June 8The Yankees pound the Brewers‚ 12-3‚ as Alex Rodriguez strokes the 400th HR of his career. He becomes the 40th-and youngest-player to reach the plateau.

The Phillies obtain P Ugueth Urbina and IF Ramon Martinez from the Tigers in exchange for IF Placido Polanco. According to Booth Newspapers‚ the Tigers decided to trade Urbina after he drank too much and fought with his teammates during a flight to Los Angeles.

The Royals send OF/C Eli Marrero to the Orioles. KC get minor league IF Pete Maestrales in return.
June 10The Orioles down the Reds‚ 4-3. The interleague matchup marks the first time in history that three 500-HR players appear in the same game-Sammy Sosa‚ Rafael Palmeiro‚ and Ken Griffey Jr.

In their first meeting since 1918‚ the Cubs beat the Red Sox‚ 14-6‚ at Wrigley using a 20-hit attack. Winning pitcher Greg Maddux hits his 1st homer in six years and Jeromy Burnitz hits 2 homers and Todd Hollandsworth one. David Ortiz has a pair of homers for the Sox.

The Brewers trade 2B Junior Spivey to the Nationals for P Tomo Ohka.

The 1919 contract that sent Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees brings a staggering $996‚000 at auction.

Terry Mulholland of Minnesota and Mike MacDougal of Kansas City both throw one pitch and each pockets a loss when that is hit for a home run. Hee-Seop Choi of the Dodgers hits his 2nd of the game of Mulholland in the 9th to give LA a 6-5 win. Eric Gagne is the winner as the Dodgers relievers retire 21 batters in a row following Moreau’s triple in the 3rd. It is the first meeting of the two teams since the 1965 WS.

After blowing an 11-3 lead in the 8th‚ Troy Glaus of Arizona homers off Mike MacDougal in the 10th to give Arizona a 12-11 win over Kansas City. The D’Backs took the lead on Shawn Green’s two homers and 5 RBI‚ but 10 walks to the Royals help bring them back. Ruben Gotay (HR) and David DeJesus (3B) each drive in 2 runs in the Royals’ 6-run 8th. KC starting pitcher Zack Greinke hits a homer but they pay him to pitch and he allows 15 hits and 11 runs in 4+ innings‚ recording just 13 outs. Greinke joins Eppa Rixey (1927)‚ Bill Sherdel (1931) and Scott Sanders (1998) as the only pitchers to give up 15 hits while recording 13 outs or fewer in a game (Elias Sports Bureau)‚
June 11Marlon Anderson hits a rare pinch hit game-tying inside-the-park homerun in the 9th inning as the Mets match the Angels‚ 2-2. The Angels plate a run in the top of the 10th but Cliff Floyd’s 3-run homer in the bottom of the frame ends it‚ 5-3.
June 12The Athletics defeat the Braves‚ 11-5‚ as Eric Chavez gets 5 hits‚ including a pair of HRs. Chavez also had a double and 4 RBI.

The Dodgers edge the Twins‚ 4-3‚ as Hee-Seop Choi connects for 3 HRs‚ giving him a total of 6 in the 3-game series.
June 13The Red Sox trounce the Reds‚ 10-3. In a ceremony prior to the game‚ the Sox honor Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and the 12th inning HR he hit to win Game 6 of the 1976 WS by naming the foul pole where it landed the “Fisk Pole.”
June 14The Cardinals shut out the Blue Jay‚ 7-0‚ behind Chris Carpenter‘s one-hitter. Russ Adams’ 2-out double in the 6th inning is Toronto’s only safety.

The Red Sox down the Reds‚ 7-0‚ as David Wells‚ Mike Timlin‚ and Keith Foulke combine on a one-hitter. Ryan Freel’s 6th inning single is the only Cincinnati hit.

The Mariners defeat the Phillies‚ 3-1. Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki collects his 1‚000th major league hit in the 1st inning‚ becoming just the 3rd player since 1900 to reach the plateau in less than 700 games.

The Nationals down the Angels‚ 6-3. Even before a pitch is thrown in the 7th, Nationals manager Frank Robinson calls for an inspection of Angels reliever Brendan Donnelly’s glove. Both benches clear and Robinson and Angels manager Mike Scioscia have to be physically separated. Donnelly is ejected from the game for having a foreign substance on his glove, and he will eventually be suspended for 10 days for the offense.
June 16The White Sox score 10 runs in the 6th inning on their way to a 12-6 come-from-behind victory over the Diamondbacks.
June 17The Braves double the Reds‚ 10-5‚ as Andruw Jones and Kelly Johnson each homer twice for Atlanta. One of Johnson’s homers is a grand slam as he drives in 6 runs to join fellow rookie Ryan Langerhans who drove in 6 runs on May 8. The 1987 Red Sox were the last to have a pair of rookies each drive home six. Felipe Lopez has 3 RBIs on 4 hits‚ including a HR‚ for the Reds.

That’s called slamming the door. Jason Shmidt of the Giants pitches 8 shutout innings against the Tigers‚ but gives up singles to the first three hitters in the 9th. Tyler Walker relieves with the bases loaded and proceeds to strike out three straight batters for the save as the Giants win‚ 4-0. Walker is the first to do this since the save became an official stat in 1969. Schmidt’s batterymate Methany has 3 hits.
June 18The Orioles beat the Rockies‚ 7-2‚ as Sammy Sosa hits the 583rd HR of his career to tie Mark McGwire for 6th place on the all-time list.

In inter-league play‚ Derek Jeter hits his first career (5‚770 at bats) grand slam to pace the Yankees to an 8-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Jeter connects in the 6th inning‚ off Joe Borowksi‚ then adds a solo shot in the 8th. Jason Dubois’s first ML homer‚ off Chien-Ming Wang‚ is the only score for the Cubs.

The Homer (Michigan) HS baseball team loses to Saginaw Nouvel in the Michigan State Division III final. The aptly named Homer team set a high school record for the longest winning streak two weeks ago with 74 straight wins.
June 19Rafael Palmeiro hits his 560th career HR and Sosa adds a clutch-RBI single to push the Orioles to a 4-2 win over Colorado. 20-year-old Hayden Penn (2-0) goes 6 2/3 innings for the win. Manager Lee Mazzilli is thrown out of the game in the 6th inning for protesting a foul call. He tosses a tray of bubble gum onto the field and will earn a one-game suspension for it. In 2003 Devil Rays pitcher Jeremi Gonzalez tossed a bucket of sun flower seeds onto the field and earned no time off; last year Billy Wagner got a two-game suspension for tossing a stack of cups and then followed by trying to heave the water cooler onto the field.
June 21The Yankees overcome a 10-2 deficit and score 13 runs in the 8th inning on their way to a 20-11 shellacking of the Devil Rays. The Bombers set a total bases record in the frame with 27‚ while the two teams combine for a AL record-tying 77 total bases (TB 32‚ NY‚ 45) in the game. Derek Jeter leads the 23-hit NY attack with 5 hits‚ including a 2B and HR and scores 5 runs; Gary Sheffield hits a pair of homers and drives in 7 runs.

The Angels trip the Rangers‚ 8-6‚ as Darin Erstad has 3 hits and extends his hitting streak to 21 consecutive games.

The Reds fire manager Dave Miley (27-43) and replace him with bench coach Jerry Narron for the remainder of the season.
June 22The Yankees trail the Devil Rays‚ 10-2‚ before rallying to score 13 in the 8th and and winning 20-11. According to Elias‚ they tie the major league record for largest margin of victory by a team with a 8+ run comeback. The record was originally set by the Indians‚ who also trailed the Devil Rays 10-2 and beat them 20-11‚ in 1999. Yankees SS Derek Jeter has 5 hits (1 2B‚ 1 HR)‚ while DH Hideki Matsui has 4 hits (1 2B‚ 1 HR‚ 1 BB). The 31 runs is the biggest total at home for the Yankees‚ while the 3 homers with 2 out ties a June 28‚1939 mark.
June 24The Mets defeat the Yankees‚ 6-4 behind Pedro Martinez’s strong 8 innings pitched. The Mets set a NL record by hitting 3 sacrifice flies (Castro‚ Reyes‚ Cameron) in the 3-run 2nd inning. One of the balls is dropped by Bernie Williams for an error. The last team to have three sac flies in an inning was the White Sox whodid it against Cleveland in the 1st game of a doubleheader on July 1‚ 1962. The Mets tie another NL mark with 4 sac flies in the game.

Nebraska junior 3B Alex Gordon wins the Golden Spikes award as college baseball’s best player. Gordon was selected by the Royals with the 2nd pick in this year’s amateur draft.
June 25The Mets down the Yankees‚ 10-3‚ behind the pitching of Tom Glavine and two homers by Cliff Floyd. David Wright also has a homer and double. Both teams are now at .500 (37-37).

The Astros retire Jimmy Wynn‘s uniform #24 prior to their game with the Texas Rangers.
June 26The Cubs set down the White Sox‚ 2-0. Mark Prior‚ Jerome Williams‚ and Ryan Dempster combine to throw Chicago’s 3rd 1-hitter of the season. Pablo Ozuna’s single in the 3rd inning is the White Sox only hit.

The Red Sox defeat the Phillies‚ 12-8‚ for their 7th straight win. Manny Ramirez hits a grand slam for Boston‚ the 19th of his career to tie him with Eddie Murray for 2nd place on the all-time list.

The Pirates turned six double plays and beat the Cardinals in 10 innings. 5-4. The 6 twin killings is a franchise record and each one of the DPs is different (In order the scoring is 2-4; 5-4-3; 9-4; 4-6-3; 5-2-3; and 6-4-3). Pirate pitchers allow 11 hits and walk 8. Jason Bay has a 3-run HR in the 3rd and a game-tying solo shot in the top of the 9th. Jose Castillo hits a solo in the 10th for the victory.

Texas beats Florida‚ 6-2‚ to win its 6th College World Series title. David Maroul‚ the Longhorns #8 hitter‚ is named the series’ outstanding player.
June 28Travis Hafner has 3 hits‚ including the go-ahead grand slam in the top of the 9th‚ to power the Indians to a 12-8 win over Boston. Hafner drives in 6 runs. Grady Sizemore scores 4 runs for the Tribe on no hits
June 29The Astros defeat the Rockies‚ 7-1 as Craig Biggio sets the modern record for being hit by pitches with the 268th of his career to break a tie with former record-holder Don Baylor.

The Rangers defeat the Angels‚ 7-6‚ in 11 innings. Prior to the game‚ Texas P Kenny Rogers has a run-in with 2 photographers that will ultimately result in his receiving a 20-game suspension from ML baseball.
June 30The Rangers pound the Angels‚ 18-5‚ as Kevin Mench hits 3 HRs in 3 successive innings and drives home 5 runs. He’s just the 8th major leaguer to hit three in three straight innings. The last was Shea Hillenbrand‚ in 2003.

July

July 1Led by Reed Johnson‚ who did not even start the game‚ the Blue Jays roll to a 15-2 victory over the Red Sox. Johnson comes in as a pinch hitter for Frank Catalanotto in the 6th and hits a grand slam‚ then follows with a two-run single in the 7th. Ted Lilly is the winning pitcher.

The Twins down the last-place Devil Rays‚ 7-4‚ when Jacque Jones hits a 3-run triple in the 4-run 8th inning. The win goes to Jesse Crain (8-0) in relief of Johan Santana. The Canadian born Crain gives up a 2-run HR to Jorge Cantu but gets the win; coupled with his 3-0 record last year‚ he sets a mark for most consecutive relief wins (11) to start a career.

The Yankees send veteran Paul Quantrill to the Padres for pitchers Darrell May and Tim Redding and cash.
July 4The Dodgers edge the Rockies‚ 4-3‚ in 11 innings. Rookie SS Oscar Robles gets 5 hits for LA.
July 6The Marlins come from behind against the Brewers to win‚ 5-4‚ in the 12th inning on Juan Encarnacion’s RBI single. Nine of the first 17 Brewers reach base against AJ Burnett before he retires 10 in a row. The next 18 hitters don’t reach base either for a total of 28 in a row. Marlin pitchers strike out 22 batters‚ including 14 by Burnett‚ who ties the franchise record.
July 7The Indians trade 2B Alex Cora to the Red Sox in exchange for IF Ramon Vazquez.
July 8The Tigers beat the Devil Rays‚ 7-3. TB outfielder Carl Crawford becomes just the 5th player in ML history to steal 150 bases and have 500 hits before turning 24 years old. Ty Cobb‚ Cesar Cedeno‚ Sherry Magee‚ and Rickey Henderson are the only others to have turned the trick.

Indians reliever Rafael Betancourt receives a 10-day suspension from baseball for testing positive for a banned substance.

The International Olympic Committee announces that baseball and softball will be dropped for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
July 9The Orioles down the Red Sox‚ 9-1‚ as Rafael Palmeiro drives in 6 runs and Miguel Tejada goes 5-for-5 including two doubles and a triple. Palmiero hits a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd after O’s CF Luis Matos robs David Ortiz of a 3-run homer by reaching over the fence to grab the fly. Johnn Damon has 2 hits to extend his hitting streak to 24 games.

A bitter cup of coffee. As the Cubs defeat the Marlins‚ 8-2‚ Chicago OF Adam Greenberg makes his ML debut in the 9th inning and is hit in the head by the first pitch he sees from Valerio de los Santos. Greenberg will go on the DL‚ then go to the minors‚ then be released on November.

The Rockies defeat the Padres‚ 1-0‚ behind Jason Jennings 7 innings pitched It is the first 1-0 game in the history of hitter-friendly Coors Field; there have been three 2-0 games. Coming in the 847th game at Coors‚ it breaks the previous record of 635 games held by the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association from 1882 to 1891 at the Jefferson Street Grounds.
July 11The Twins acquire 2B Bret Boone from the Mariners for a player to be named‚ but they wil release the former MVP in three weeks.

Bobby Abreu wins the All-Star Home Run Derby by clouting a record 41 round-trippers. Ivan Rodriguez finishes 2nd in the contest.

Major League Baseball announces plans for an 18-day World Baseball Classic to be held next March.
July 12The American League downs the National League‚ 7-5‚ in the All-Star Game. Miguel Tejada is named the game’s MVP.
July 13The Red Sox obtain P Chad Bradford from the Athletics in exchange for OF Jay Payton.

The Rockies acquire OF Eric Byrnes‚ minor league IF Omar Quintanilla‚ and cash from the Athletics. In return‚ Colorado sends pitchers Joe Kennedy and Jay Witasick to Oakland.

The Nationals trade P Zach Day‚ OF J.J. Davis‚ and a player to be named to the Rockies for OF Preston Wilson and cash.
July 14Rich Harden of the Athletics takes a perfect game into the 8th inning before Alfonse Soriano’s one-out single stops it. Harden finishes with a 2-hit‚ 6-0 win over Texas giving the A’s their 14th win in 17 games. Eric Chavez‘s homer off Chan Ho Park (8-4) is all the scoring Harden needs.
July 15The Orioles beat the Mariners‚ 6-3. Baltimore’s Rafael Palmeiro doubles in the 5th inning for the 3‚000th hit of his ML career. Palmeiro is the 26th player to reach he milestone‚ and just the 4th to have 3‚000 hits and 500 HRs. Hank Aaron‚ Willie Mays‚ and Eddie Murray are the only others to have done so.
July 16The Yankees obtain P Al Leiter from the Marlins for a player to be named. Leiter will pitch tomorrow night and win.
July 18The Devil Rays edge the Red Sox‚ 3-1. Johnny Damon goes 0-for-5 for Boston‚ to put an end to his 29-game hitting streak‚ the longest in the majors this season. Only three Sox have reached 30 consecutive games. The Sox lose 2B Mark Bellhorn to a thumb injury and will initially put him on the DL‚ then cut him. Bellhorn is hitting .216 with 109 strikeouts in 283 AB.

At Americaquest Field‚ the Yankees edge the Rangers‚ 11-10‚ getting homers from Posada‚ Matsui and Sheffield. Texas is paced by Alfonso Soriano who has 4 hits‚ including his 23rd HR‚ and 4 RBI.

Soriano will have 36 homers this year and joins Ryne Sandberg and Bret Boone as the only 2B in major league history to have 4 straight 20-homer seasons.

The Indians send OF Jody Gerut to the Cubs. In return‚ Cleveland gets bluechipper Jason Dubois.
July 20The Dodgers score 9 runs in the 5th inning on their way to a 10-2 victory over the Phillies.

The Red Sox acquire B Tony Graffanino from the Royals for OF Chip Ambres and P Juan Cedeno.
July 21The Phillies send veteran P Todd Worrell to the Diamondbacks in exchange for IF Matt Kata.
July 23The Padres obtain 3B Joe Randa from the Reds. In return‚ the Padres send pitchers Justin Germano and Travis Chick to the Reds.
July 25The Athletics wallop the Indians‚ 13-4. The game marks the first time since the DH rule was adopted in 1973 that both team’s DHs bat 9th. Dan Johnson goes 3-for-3 for Oakland while Jason Dubois goes hitless in 3 ABs for the Tribe.

Behind the pitching of Andy Pettitte‚ the Astros defeat the Phillies 7-1‚ beating Cory Lidle. Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman hit back to back homers twice‚ connecting in the 1st and 3rd innings‚ a first in Astros history
July 26The Giants down the Cubs‚ 3-2‚ in 11 innings. Chicago starter Greg Maddux becomes the 13th pitcher in ML history to record 3‚000 strikeouts when he fans Omar Vizquel in the 3rd inning.
July 27The Reds beat the Dodgers‚ 7-6‚ as Ryan Freel sets a franchise record by stealing 5 bases.
July 28The Blue Jays defeat the Angels‚ 2-1‚ in 18 innings. Orlando Hudson’s RBI single ends the longest game of the season and the longest in Jays’ history. Pete Walker throws 3 innings for the win.

The Yankees acquire P Shawn Chacon from the Rockies in exchange for minor league pitchers Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra. Ramirez was signed by the Yankees in a deal with the Hiroshima Carp.
July 30Devil Rays down the Royals‚ 7-3. Rookie OF Jonny Gomes becomes the first player in Devil Rays history to hit 3 HRs in a game. He is the first rookie to accomplish the feat since Colorado’s Jose Ortiz did so in 2001.

After the Red Sox fax an offer for Byrnes to the Rockies‚ and then renege citing as the reason the demands of the attempt to trade Manny Ramirez‚ the Orioles send OF Larry Bigbie to the Rockies for OF Eric Byrnes. The Rockies owner publicly criticizes the Sox.
July 31For the second day in a row‚ the Yankees rally from a 4-run deficit to win against the Angels‚ 8-7 in 11 innings. Chris Bootcheck‚ making his first ML start‚ allows one run in 6 innings‚ while Bengi and Jose Molina each hit HRs off Randy Johnson to give the Angels a 6-2 lead. The Yanks tie it up but Mariano Rivera gives up a run in the 10th before the Yanks again tie. Tony Womack drives in the game winner in the 11th. Jason Giambi has a pair of homers to give him 300 for his career and 14 for the month‚ tying him with Mantle who hit 14 in a month in 1961. The Molina homers are just the 21st time a pair of brothers have homered for the same team in the same game; the last pair to do it were the Giambi brothers on August 11‚ 2001.

Ryne Sandberg and Wade Boggs are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Braves acquire P Kyle Farnsworth from the Tigers in exchange for pitchers Roman Colon and Zach Miner.

The Cubs exchange outfielders with the Pirates‚ sending recently acquired Jody Gerut to Pittsburgh for Matt Lawton. Lawton won’t last the month in the Friendly Confines‚ as the Cubs send him to the Yankees for a minor leaguer.

The Red Sox get OF Jose Cruz Jr. from the Diamondbacks‚ sending IF Kenny Perez and P Kyle Bono to Arizona.

The Padres trade 1B/OF Phil Nevin to the Rangers for pitcher Chan Ho Park and cash. Nevin had turned down trade offers from several East coast teams.

The Mariners send OF Randy Winn to the Giants for C Yorvit Torrealba and P Jesse Foppert.

August

August 1Orioles 1B/OF Rafael Palmeiro is suspended 10 days for violating MLB’s steroids policy. Tomorrow Mariners P Ryan Franklin is also suspended 10 days for the same reason.
August 2For the 2nd straight year the minor leagues set an attendance record with 41‚333‚279 million fans. Thirteen of 15 leagues showed improvement with the PCL becoming the first league to top 7 million fans in a season.

Nineteen-year old Marlins batboy Nick Cirillo is suspended 6 games by the team for accepting a dare from pitcher Brad Penny. Penny offered Cirillo $500 before a game last month if he could drink a gallon of milk in an hour without throwing up. Cirillo said he drank the milk in 59 minutes‚ then vomited outside the clubhouse‚ so he didn’t collect the money.
August 3The Marlins upend the Mets‚ 5-4‚ to give manager Jack McKeon the 1‚000th win of his career. McKeon is the 52nd skipper to reach the level‚ and now ranks 7th on the active list.

The Cardinals down the Astros‚ 4-2‚ as Chris Carpenter becomes the 1st pitcher this year to reach 20 wins. By doing so‚ he also becomes the 1st pitcher since Bob Gibson in 1970 to win 10 consecutive road decisions‚ and the 1st since Gibson in 1968 to win 11 straight decisions overall.
August 4The Brewers defeat the Mets‚ 12-9. Geoff Jenkins accounts for 5 of Milwaukee’s 21 hits with 4 singles and a 2B.

The Orioles fire manager Lee Mazzilli‚ and name bench coach Sam Perlozzo the interim manager for the remainder of the season. It won’t help. The Orioles will join the 1978 A’s as the only teams since 1900 to be 14 games over .500 then fall at least 14 games under .500 in the course of a season.

At Atlanta‚ Jason LaRue hits a pinch grand slam in the 12th to power the Reds to a 8-3 win over the Braves. The Reds overcome two homers and a triple by Marcus Giles to win their first in 6 games. Ken Giffey‚ Jr‚ hits his 536th career homer to tie Mantle on the all-time list‚ but leaves the game in the 12th with an apparent twisted ankle. But he is out for the rest of the year having pulled part of a tendon off the bone.
August 5The Cardinals trounce the Braves‚ 11-3. Albert Pujols becomes the 1st player in ML history to hit 30 HRs in each of his first 5 seasons.

The Brewers defeat the Reds‚ 6-1 as Jeoff Jenkins gets 5 hits for Milwaukee‚ including a pair of doubles.

Felix Fernandez‚ 19‚ gives up 4 hits in 7 innings as Seattle downs the A’s‚ 2-0. Joe Blanton is the hard-luck loser. Blanton is helped by two unassisted double plays‚ one on a popped bunt to Eric Chavez and one by his batterymate. Jason Kendall. When Yorvit Torrealba strikes out in the 5th and then is called for interference as Kendall tried to throw out Yuniesky Betancourt stealing second. Kendall earned his other U-DP in 2001 while with the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to Retrosheet‚ Mike Piazza of the New York Mets leads all active backstops with four.

Livan Hernandez gives up a 2-run HR in the 9th‚ but he wins his 15th as the Nationals use a 4-run 8th to defeat the Marlins‚ 5-2. Hernandez has a pair of hits‚ giving him 152 for his career‚ and drives in a run. According to the Elias Sports Bureau‚ Livan Hernandez joins Don Newcombe (238 hits)‚ Rick Rhoden (181)‚ Mike Hampton (161) and Mickey McDermott (156) as the only pitchers since 1946 to amass at least 150 hits in their careers.
August 6The Cubs Glendon Rusch loses his perfect game in the 7th but beats the Cardinals‚ 5-2. Derrek Lee‚ on his 30th birthday‚ hits his 40th HR‚ and Corey Patterson also homers. Cardinals rightfielder Hector Luna makes two errors on two separate plays on the same batter in the same at bat. Neifi Perez hit a foul flyball and Luna drops it for an error. Perez hits another ball down the line for a double‚ which Luna misplays for another error.

The Pirates fire Lloyd McClendon as manager. Bench coach Pete Mackanin is named interim skipper for the remainder of the season.
August 7In a battle of Zambranos‚ the Mets’ Victor defeats the Cubs’ Carlos‚ 6-1. It is the 4th time in ML history that starting pitchers with the same last name face each other‚ and the 2nd time that each had the same number of career wins going into the contest.

The Diamondbacks defeat the Rockies‚ 9-4. Craig Counsell leads the Arizona attack with 5 hits.

Manny Ramirez is 4-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBI to back Tim Wakefield in the Red Sox 11-7 victory over the Twins. Manny doubles in the 5-run 1st inning when the Sox bat around against Joe Mays. Wakefield (11-9) goes 8 innings to join Cy Young and Roger Clemens as the only pitchers to pitch 2‚000 innings in a Boston uniform.

David Eckstein hits a 9th inning grand slam off Chris Reitsma to give the Cardinals a 5-3 win over the Braves. Eckstein also hit a walkoff grand slam as a member of the California Angels in 2002. The last time a Card hit a game-winning grand slam was Tommy Herr on April 18‚ 1987.

Dontrelle Willis tosses a shutout in Cincinnati‚ winning‚ 2-0‚ over the Reds. Willis has yet to be scored on in 16 innings at the Great American Ball Park. Both runs are unearned and come on three throwing errors in the first 5 innings by Reds P Ramon Ortiz. Each one is a pickoff attempt on Juan Pierre. When Ortiz walks Pierre in the 7th‚ a loud voice shouts‚ “Don’t throw to first base.” It could have been Reds manager Jerry Narron who said later‚ “I probably should have told him before the game only try it if you can make a good throw.”

The Marlins beat the Nationals‚ 12-1‚ as Dontrelle Willis becomes the 2nd pitcher this year to win 20 games in the NL.

The A’s‚ down by 4 runs to the Mariners going into the bottom of the ninth inning. score five runs in the bottom of the frame to win the game. 8-7. The last time the A’s scored 5 in the 9th to overcome a 4-run deficit was July 4‚ 1957‚ according to the Elias Sports Bureau. After Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez hit 2-run doubles‚ Steve Swisher walks with the bases loaded to score the winner.

Mariners SS Mike Morse is suspended 10 days for violating ML baseball’s steroids policy. Morse admits to having taken steroids in 2003‚ but claims to being clean since then.

Orioles 1B Rafael Palmeiro leaves the team‚ to rehabilitate his right ankle and knee‚ and says he plans on returning before the season’s over. No‚ he doesn’t.
August 8The Tigers defeat the blue Jays‚ 9-8‚ in 12 innings. Alex Rios gets 5 hits for Toronto in a losing cause‚ including a HR.

The Rockies and Marlins play a doubleheader‚ necessitated by a snowout on April 27 and 28. The Rockies start two Kims‚ Sunny and Byung-Hyun Kim and win 4-3 and 5-3. Sunny Kim was picked up on waivers August 5 from the Nationals. Game 1 is won in the 11th on Dustan Mohr’s walk off homer with two out. In the second game Byung-Hyun pitches 7 strong inning for the win. Danny Ardoin hits a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 6th for the lead. The last time two pitchers with the same name started in a doubleheader was in 1974‚ when the Cleveland Indians started brothers Gaylord and Jim Perry against the Boston Red Sox.

Miguel Cabrera leads the Marlins to an 8-4 victory over the Nationals. Cabrera belts his 30th HR of the season and drives in 3 runs. By doing so‚ he becomes the youngest player in ML history to reach 30 homers and 100 RBI in back-to-back seasons.
August 9The Indians score 11 runs in the 9th inning to come from behind and record a 13-7 win over the Royals. The loss is KC’s 11th in a row.
August 10Marlins 3B Mike Lowell pulls to hidden ball trick to nab Luis Terrero at 3B in the 8th inning and prevent the potential tying run from scoring. Reliever Todd Jones sells the trick by walking around the mound to help Lowell pull the ruse off for the second time in a year. Florida beats the Diamondbacks‚ 10-5.
August 11Jason Kendall and the A’s steal a win from the Angels‚ 5-4‚ and moves into first place in 1st place in the AL west. When reliever Francisco Rodrguez muffs a routine throw from the catcher‚ Kendall alertly sprints from 3B to score the winning run in the 9th. It is the 2nd one-run win for the streaking A’s over the Angels. The A’s trailed LA by 8 1/2 games on July 18 and have now won 20 of 23.

In Kansas City‚ Jeff Lieter hits a 7th inning grand slam‚ off D.J. Carrasco‚ to propel the Indians to a 4-2 win over the Royals. For the Royals it is their 13th consecutive loss.

Greg Maddux (9-9) stops the Cubs’ eight-game losing streak with an 11-4 complete game victory over St. Louis. It is his 314th career win‚ tying him for 16th on the all-time list.
August 12Dontrell Willis gives up a 6th inning HR to Randy Winn and that spells a loss as San Francisco edges Florida‚ 1-0. Noah Lowry is the winning pitcher and raises his BA to .289 with 2 hits.

Josh Towers‚ backed by 4 homers‚ pitches a CG shutout as Toronto whips the Orioles‚ 12-0.

Behind Dan Haran’s 7+ shutout innings‚ the Oakland A’s slow baseball’s hottest team‚ Cleveland‚ 2-0. It ends the Indians’ 7-game win streak. Jason Kendall has 2 hits‚ an RBI‚ and is hit by a pitch for the 194th time in his career‚ 8th on the list.

Devil Rays’ OF prospect Delmon Young is named Minor League Player of the Year for 2005 by Baseball America. The Rays did not call up Young in September‚ causing Young and his agent to blast the Rays.
August 13The Braves down the Diamondbacks‚ 9-5 as ancient Julio Franco has a 3-run HR and 4 RBIs. Hot hitting rookie Jeff Francouer (.388) is just 1-for-4 but does throw out a runner. He will notch 9 outfield assists in his first 35 games.

Clint Barmes 2-run single ignites a six-run 2nd inning for the Rockies and they beat the Dodgers‚ 6-4. Sunny Kim (5-2) is the winner. The Dodgers outfield helps the Rocks’ scoring as each Dodger outfielder is charged with an error. Left fielder Rickie Ledee starts with a throwing error‚ RF Jose Cruz‚ Jr.‚ follows with a fielding error on the next play. One play later‚ CF Jason Werth completes the trifecta by bobbling a ball for the third outfield error of the inning. According to Retrosheet‚ it was the first time since 1960 that all three of a team’s outfielders have been charged with an error in the same inning.

For the third time this season the Yankees score 17+ runs against the Devil Rays‚ winning today 17-3. This was the 3rd time the Yankees scored 17+ runs in a game against the Devil Rays. The last time a team did that to another team was the 1939 Yankees‚ vs. the Athletics.

Despite the loss‚ the Devil Rays win the season series‚ 11-6.

Josh Beckett and the Marlins beat the Astros‚ 4-2‚ in Houston. Paul LoDuca’s 2-run HR in the 8th snaps a 2-2 tie. Carlos Delgado has 3 hits including his 30th homerun of the year‚ the 9th straight season he’s reached that plateau. Only 3 players in history have longer streaks with Barry Bonds doing it 13 straight seasons.

Luis Gonzalez of the Diamondbacks is recognized for his philanthropic efforts by being named winner of the Branch Rickey Award for 2005.
August 14Tampa Bay’s Travis Lee cracks a pinch hit homerun off Bob Wickman for the game’s only score and TB beats Cleveland‚ 1-0. This is just the 3rd time a solo pinch homer has accounted for the only score (Bill Taylor in 1954 and Candy Maldonado in 1985).

The Red Sox defeat the Blue Jays‚ 5-3. David Ortiz hits his 42nd HR of the season for Boston. It is his 38th as a designated hitter‚ setting a new ML record. Edgar Martinez held the previous mark of 37 set in 2000.

The Phillies beat the Braves‚ 12-4‚ despite Andruw Jones’ league-leading 50th HR of the season‚ and 300th of his career. By doing so‚ Jones becomes the 12th player in ML history to reach 300 before his 30th birthday.
August 15The Giants down the Reds‚ 7-3‚ as Randy Winn hits for the cycle. It is Winn’s first appearance at SF’s Great American Ball Park since being obtained in a trade with the Mariners on July 30.
August 16The Giants edge the Reds‚ 10-8. Both Pedro Feliz and Deivi Cruz get 5 hits for SF. Feliz’s hits include a 2B and 3B‚ while Cruz’s include a 2B and HR.

The Tigers Craig Monroe hits a 10th inning grand slam in 10-7 loss‚ just the 4th times in ML history a player has hit a grand slam in extra innings in a loss. David Ortiz hits a game-tying HR in the 9th‚ then hits a 3-run homer in the Red Sox 7-run 10th. Jason Varitek adds a 2-run homer in the 10th‚ his second of the game.

At age 87‚ Bobby Bragan makes a historic appearance as the oldest manager of a pro baseball team. Bragan takes over at the helm of the Fort Worth Cats to surpass Connie Mack‘s record by 8 days. True to form he gets tossed in the 3rd inning when he asks why the ump ejected one of his players. When told that the player had said the ump was calling a lousy game‚ Bragan said he agreed with the player.

Felipe Lopez gets a career-high 5 hits‚ including a double‚ to lead the Reds to an 8-2 victory over the Pirates.

Rod Barajas has a 2-run homer for Texas off 19-year-old Felix Hernandez and Texas triumphs over Seattle‚ 5-2. It is the 246th HR for the Rangers‚ tying the club record‚ and the 4th highest total in ML history. Michael Young extends his batting streak to 14 games with a pair of hits‚ and reaches the 200 hit mark. The Ranger shortstop joins Charlie Gehringer‚ Rogers Hornsby‚ Johnny Pesky and Derek Jeter as the only middle infielders to record three or more consecutive seasons of 200 hits.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Rick Camp is sentenced to federal prison for roughly three years for conspiring to steal more than $2 million from a mental health agency. Camp‚ a lobbyist‚ is sentenced along with four others‚ including former state Rep. Robin Williams‚ who will serve 10 years
August 17The Astros shut out the Brewers‚ 7-0. Craig Biggio hits his NL-career record 43rd leadoff HR for Houston.

The Phillies score 10 runs in the 9th inning to send the Marlins to a shocking 10-2 defeat. * The Phils are just the 3rd team to have been shut out going into the 9th and then scoring 10 runs‚ joining the 1912 Reds (vs. Cubs‚ who trailed 9-0‚ scored 10 in the top of the 9th and lost when they gave up 2 in the bottom of the inning) and 1962 White Sox (vs. Indians‚ trailed 2-0‚ won 10-2). Phillies 3B David Bell has 3 hits.

The Cardinals become the 1st team to clinch a spot in the playoffs by beating the Cubs‚ 5-1. It is their 4th division title in the past 6 years.

Cuba downs South Korea‚ 3-0‚ to win its 8th straight baseball World Cup‚ and its 24th since the competition began in 1938.
August 18The Rangers defeat the Mariners‚ 8-6. They hit 5 HRs in the contest to break the ML record for most HRs at home‚ surpassing the Colorado Rockies who hit 149 in 1996.
August 20The Royals defeat the A’s‚ 2-1‚ to stop their club-record 19-game losing streak. It is the longest such streak in the ML in 17 years. The A’s leave 11 on base.

The Tigers edge the Blue Jays‚ 3-2‚ when Magglio Ordonez hits an RBI double in the bottom of the 13th. Franklyn German (4-0) earns the win. Craig Monroe and Ivan Rodriguez hit solo HRs for the Bengals. Detroit turns 3 DPS including a rare double play in the 6th on a sacrifice fly‚ just the third time this century that two outfield assists are recorded on the same play. On Frank Catalanotto’s sac fly to CF‚ Frank Menachino‚ on 2B‚ attempts to reach 3B and is caught (8-2-5-6-7-4).

Four Red Sox-Ramirez‚ Ortiz‚ Varitek and Nixon-collect 4 hits apiece to pace Boston to a 15-2 shellacking of Tampa Bay. Manny Ramirez has 2 homers and 3 RBI‚ and David Ortiz hits HRs #45 and #46‚ while Trot Nixon has a triple and homer. The 4 hitters with 4 hits ties the AL record held by five clubs and last accomplished by the Twins on June 2‚ 2002.

The Rockies wallop 23 hits on their way to a 20-1 pasting of the Padres. OF Matt Holliday drives home 8 runs for Colorado in the rout. Sean Burroughs becomes the first position player this season‚ and the 169th since 1960‚ to pitch when Padres manager Bruce Bochy puts him on the mound in the eighth.

Bartolo Colon becomes the 1st AL pitcher to reach 20 wins as he hurls the Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers.
August 21The Nationals down the Mets‚ 7-4. as NY rookie Mike Jacobs hits a 3-run HR as a PH in his 1st ML at bat.

The White Sox beat the Yankees‚ 6-2‚ scoring all its runs in the 4th inning‚ clocking Randy Johnson for 4 HRs in the frame‚ including 3 in a row. The Big Unit had never given up 4 homers in an inning.
August 22Chipper Jones drills a 2-run HR in the 4th against Carlos Zambrano‚ then does the same in the 9th against reliever Kerry Wood‚ and the Braves win‚ 4-2. Tim Hudson is the CG winner.
August 23The Twins edge the White Sox‚ 1-0‚ despite getting only one hit. Jacque Jones’ leadoff HR in the 8th inning accounts for Chicago’s only hit off of Freddy Garcia.

The Dodgers Oscar Robles knocks in 4 runs and Jeff Weaver has 3 hits and 3 RBI to pace LA to an 8-3 win over Colorado. Weaver extends his record to 12-8 while Robles extends his attempted steals streak to 0-for-7. Robles won’t try it again the rest of the year and it will stand as a rookie record (Dave Meier of the Twins was 0-for-6 in 1985). The Dodgers ignore the pre-game clubhouse tumult when Milton Bradley lashes back at Jeff Kent saying‚ “The problem is he doesn’t know how to deal with African American people. I think that’s the cause of everything.” Kent had criticized Bradley regarding his base running in a game against Florida.

With the help of 2 errors in the 9th inning‚ the Indians beat the Royals 7-6‚ to stay in the hunt for the AL Central title. It is their 9th straight win over KC. Travis Hafner hits a homer in his 6th straight game‚ tying a club mark of Jim Thome‘s. Thome had 7 HRs in his 6 games.
August 24The Mets crush the Diamondbacks‚ 18-4‚ behind a 20-hit barrage. Rookie Mike Jacobs gets 4 hits‚ including a 2B and pair of HRs‚ and scores 5 runs in his 4th ML game. With the homers‚ Jacobs becomes the 1st player in ML history to hit 4 HRs in his 1st 4 days since his ML debut. David Wright also gets 4 hits‚ including a 2B and a pair of HRs. David Wright ties a NL record by scoring 8 runs in two consecutive games.

The Padres down the Astros‚ 7-4‚ as Trevor Hoffman gets his 425th save to move past John Franco into 2nd place behind Lee Smith on the all-time saves list.
August 25With 3 hits and a homer from Travis Hafner‚ 4 hits from Victor Martinez‚ and a grand slam from Rafeal Belliard‚ the Indians roll over Tampa Bay‚ 12-4. Martinez had 7 straight hits before making an out in his last at bat. Travis Lee drives in all 4 TB runs.
August 26Victor Martinez has his 2nd straight 4-hit game and Travis Hafner has 2 homers as Cleveland beats the Blue Jays‚ 9-3. Grady Sizemore has a clean steal of home in the 1st.

The Marlins ask pitcher A.J. Burnett to leave the team and say they won’t offer him a multiyear deal when he becomes a free agent during the offseason. Burnett criticized manager Jack McKeon and the coaching staff yesterday.
August 27The Cubs trounce the Marlins‚ 14-3. Prior to the game‚ Chicago holds a ceremony to retire Ryne Sandberg‘s uniform number.

The Yankees obtain OF Matt Lawton from the Cubs in exchange for minor league P Justin Berg.

The Braves clinch their 14th consecutive division title with a 12-3 win over the Rockies
August 28Hawaii defeats Curacao‚ 7-6‚ on a walkoff HR by Michael Memea to win the Little League WS.

The Padres defeat the Giants‚ 9-1‚ to clinch the 4th division title in franchise history.

Wookie of the year candidate‚ Chewbacca‚ throws out the first pitch at Fenway. Chewie is there to promote a Star Wars exhibition at a local museum. But the main exhibition is by Ted Lilly‚ who beats the Red Sox‚ 7-2‚ to leave Boston tied with Cleveland for the wild card and a game back of New York for the AL East. The Jays hit three homers off Bronson Arroyo‚ including one by Frank Catalanotto‚ who adds a double and triple.

Scott McClung pitches 8 innings as Tampa Bay downs to the Indians‚ 1-0.
August 29Days before Kerry Wood undergoes season-ending arthroscopic surgery‚ the Cubs continue to write off the season by trading OF Todd Hollandsworth to the Braves for minor league pitchers Todd Blackford and Angelo Burrows.

In one of the latest trades in history‚ the Red Sox acquire Mike Stanton from the Nationals to have him for the final three-game series against the Yankees.

Interim manager Jerry Narron is named skipper of the Reds for the 2006 season.
August 30The Angels obtain P Jason Christiansen from the Giants in exchange for minor league Ps Dusty Bergman and Ronnie Ray.

The Mariners down the Athletics‚ 4-1‚ as Ichiro Suzuki becomes the 1st player in ML history to reach 200 hits in each of his first 5 seasons.
August 31The Rangers defeat the White Sox‚ 9-2. SS Michael Young hits his 20th HR of the year for Texas‚ joining the other 3 members of the Rangers infield in performing the feat. The quartet of Young‚ 1B Mark Teixeira‚ 2B Alfonso Soriano‚ 3B Hank Blalock‚ and SS Young also accomplished the deed last season. Prior to that‚ the 1940 Red Sox were the only other club to perform the feat.

The Angels cool off the A’s‚ winning 2-1 behind John Lackey’s 7 scoreless innings. The Angels score both runs in the 4th‚ ending the scoring when Maicer Izturis singles to center‚ scoring a run‚ but is out trying to stretch when Jay Payton runs the ball in and tags Izturis at second for the 3rd out.

The Dodgers shut out the Cubs‚ 7-0‚ behind Derek Lowe‘s 1-hitter. Jerry Hairston’s leadoff single is Chicago’s only safety. Lowe retires 27 straight batters.

The Cardinals down the Marlins‚ 10-5. Florida’s only bright spot is a PH grand slam by rookie Jeremy Hermida in his 1st ML at bat. He becomes the 1st player ever to accomplish the feat in a pinch-hitting appearance. Pitcher Bill Duggleby is the only other player ever to hit a slam in his 1st AB‚ doing so for the Phillies in 1898. Albert Pujols drives in his 100th run of the year for St. Louis. In doing so‚ he joins Ted Williams‚ Joe DiMaggio‚ and Al Simmons as the only players in history to reach the mark in each of their first 5 ML seasons.

October

October 1The Yankees clinch their 8th straight AL East title with an 8-4 win over the Red Sox. Although Boston could still tie NY with a win on Sunday‚ the Yankees won the season series to ensure them first place in the division. The Yankees and Red Sox both set new home attendance records this season; the Sox passed the three million mark at Fenway for the first time and the Yankees joined the Blue Jays and Rockies as the only teams to draw four million in a season.
October 2The Phillies defeat the Nationals‚ 9-3‚ as Jimmy Rollins hits safely in his 36th consecutive game. The hit gives him sole possession of the 9th-longest streak in ML history.

The Marlins down the Braves‚ 7-6‚ in 10 innings. Juan Pierre gets 5 hits to lead Florida. Following the game‚ Jack McKeon announces his retirement as manager of the Marlins. McKeon had had problems with his player sduring the year and at one point faulted relievers Matt Perisho and Nate Bump for a team wide insurrection. When the two were dumped‚ Perisho accused McKeon of calling him “Mike” when delivering the news.

The Astros defeat the Cubs‚ 6-4‚ to clinch the NL wild card spot in the playoffs. Roy Oswalt wins his 20th game of the season for Houston.

The Red Sox down the Yankees‚ 10-1‚ to clinch the AL wild card spot in the playoffs. The Sox lead the majors in runs scored for the 3rd straight year: the last team to do it three straight was the Dodgers in 1951-53‚ and the last AL club to do it was the Red Sox of 1948-50.

Alan Trammell is fired as manager of the Tigers Tomorrow they name former Pittsburgh skipper Jim Leyland as their new manager.

Felipe Lopez, Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns hit consecutive homers in the third inning to knock Matt Morris out of the box. Down 5–1, the Cardinals use eight relievers while emerging with a 7-5 win. Reggie Sanders and Chris Duncan go back-to back in the fifth inning. It is the first major-league homer for Duncan, the son of former major league catcher and current Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.
October 3The Dodgers announce that manager Jim Tracy will step down as manager after five seasons at the helm.
October 4The Yankees score 3 runs in the 1st inning on Robinson Cano’s bases loaded triple‚ then hold on for a 4-2 victory over the Angels in the opening game of their Division Series. Mike Mussina gets the win for NY‚ while Bengie Molina homers in a losing cause for Los Angeles.

The White Sox pound out an ALDS-record 5 HRs‚ including a pair by A.J. Pierczynski‚ to rout the Red Sox‚ 14-2‚ in the opener of the Division Series. Paul Konerko‚ Juan Uribe‚ and Scott Posednik also connect for Chicago‚ while Jose Contreras gets the win.

The Cardinals down the Padres‚ 8-5‚ behind Chris Carpenter to take the first game of their division Series. Reggie Sanders hits a grand slam for St. Louis and sets an NLDS record with 6 RBIs. Jim Edmonds also homers for the Cards and Eric Young connects for SD.

Jon Daniels‚ 28‚ succeeds John Hart as the Rangers GM. Tampa Bay will follow suit by hiring 28-year-old Andrew Friedman as GM.
October 5Orlando Cabrera’s 2-run single in the 7th inning leads the Angels to a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over the Yankees to even their Division Series at 1 game apiece. Three errors help bury NY. Jorge Posada homers for the Yanks‚ and Juan Rivera and Bengie Molina connect for Los Angeles. Kelvim Escobar gets the win in relief.

Morgan Ensberg knocks in 5 runs to pace the Astros to a 10-5 win over the Braves in the first game of their Division Series. The win goes to Andy Pettitte‚ his 14th in postseason play to tie him with John Smoltz for the ML record. Chipper and Andruw Jones each homer for Atlanta.

Tadahito Iguchi hits a 3-run HR to lead the White Sox to a 5-4 win over the Red sox and a 2-games-to-0 lead in their Division Series. Tony Graffanino’s error on a potential double play grounder sets the stage for Iguchi’s heroics. Mark Buehrle gets the win for Chicago.

Ken Macha and the Athletics are unable to reach an agreement on a new contract‚ ending his term as Oakland’s manager.
October 6The Cardinals down the Padres‚ 6-2‚ behind Mark Mulder to take a 2-gaes-to-0 lead over the Padres in their Division Series.

The Braves even their Division Series with the Astros behind John Smoltz‚ winning 7-1. Rookie Brian McCann’s 3-run HR off Roger Clemens is the big blow for Atlanta. The victory is Smoltz’s 15th in postseason play‚ breaking a tie with Andy Pettitte for most postseason wins.
October 7The White Sox eliminate the Red Sox with a 5-3 victory to give them a sweep of their Division Series. Freddy Garcia gets the win for Chicago with help from Orlando Hernandez out of the bullpen. Paul Konerko homers for the ChiSox while David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez connect for Boston.

The Angels pound out 19 hits on their way to an 11-7 victory over the Yankees and a 2-games-to-1 lead in their Division Series. Bengie Molina hits his 3rd HR of the series for LA. Garret Anderson-who gets 4 hits and drives in 5 runs-also homers for the Angels. Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui hit round-trippers for NY.
October 8The Cardinals clinch their Division Series with the Padres with a 7-4 victory. Matt Morris gets the win and David Eckstein homers for St. Louis. Reggie Sanders drives home 2 runs for the Cards to give him an NLDS record 10. Dave Roberts and Ramon Hernandez homer for SD.

The Astros take Game 3 of their Division Series with the Braves‚ 7-3‚ behind Roy Oswalt. Mike Lamb homers for Houston‚ and Craig Biggio adds 3 hits. Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane each drive in a pair of runs.

Game 4 of the Yankees-Angels Division Series is postponed because of rain.
October 9The Yankees down the Angels‚ 3-2‚ to even their Division Series. Al Leiter gets the win for NY in relief of Shawn Chacon.

Chris Burke’s 18th inning‚ walkoff HR ends the longest postseason game in ML history‚ giving the Astros a 7-6 win over the Braves and moving them into the NLCS. Lance Berkman and Brad Ausmus also homer for Houston‚ while Adam LaRoche hits a grand slam and Brian McCann a solo blast for the Braves.
October 10The Angels beat the Yankees‚ 5-3‚ to win their Division Series. Rookie Ervin Santana gets the win in relief of Bartolo Colon who is forced to leave the game in the 2nd inning with a shoulder injury. Garret Anderson homers for LA while Derek Jeter connects for NY.
October 11The Angels defeat the White Sox‚ 3-2‚ in the opener of the ALCS. Paul Byrd gets the win for LA with the aid of a HR by Garret Anderson. Joe Crede homers for Chicago.

Former Dodgers manager Jim Tracy signs a 3-year pact to manage the Pirates.
October 12Interim manager Sam Perlozzo signs a 3-year contract to manage the Orioles.
October 13The Astros down the Cardinals‚ 4-1‚ behind Roy Oswalt to even the NLCS at a game apiece. Albert Pujols homers to account for the only St. Louis run.
October 14The White Sox defeat the Angels‚ 5-2‚ to take the lead in the ALCS. Jon Garland hurls a 4-hit complete game for the win and Paul Konerko gets 3 hits‚ including a HR‚ and drives in 3 runs for Chicago. Orlando Cabrera’s 2-run homer accounts for both Los Angeles runs.
October 15The White Sox take a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead over the Angels in the ALCS with an 8-2 victory behind Freddy Garcia. Paul Konerko hits a 3-run HR for Chicago‚ while AJ Pierzynski also connects.

The Astros defeat the Cardinals‚ 4-3‚ to take the lead in the NLCS. Roger Clemens gets credit for the victory‚ and Mike Lamb hits a 2-run HR for Houston.
October 16The White Sox clinch their first pennant since 1959 as they defeat the Angels‚ 6-3‚ behind Jose Contreras. Joe Crede homers and drives in 3 runs for Chicago and Paul Konerko is named MVP of the ALCS.

The Astros take a 3-games-to-1 lead over the Cardinals with a 2-1 victory in Game 4 of the NLCS. Jason Lane homers for Houston‚ and Brad Qualls gets the win in relief.
October 17Albert Pujols’ 3-run HR off Brad Lidge with 2 outs in the 9th inning gives the Cardinals a 5-4 comeback win over the Astros and keeps their pennant hopes alive. Lance Berkman‘s 3-run homer in the 7th had given Houston a 4-2 lead. The Astros still lead the Series‚ 3-games-to-2. Jason Isringhausen gets the win in relief for St. Louis.
October 19The Astros clinch the first pennant in their history as they defeat the Cardinals‚ 5-1‚ to win the NLCS 4-games-to-2. Roy Oswalt gets the victory for Houston while Jason Lane hits a HR. Oswalt is named the series MVP for his 2 victories.
October 20The Marlins sign Yankees coach Joe Girardi as their new manager.
October 22The White Sox take Game 1 of the WS with a 5-3 victory over the Astros. Jose Contreras gets the win for Chicago‚ and Joe Crede homers and makes a pair of great defensive plays in the field. Jermaine Dye also homers for Chicago while Mike Lamb connects for Houston. Contreras hits 3 batters in the game to tie a WS record set by Bruce Kison.
October 23Scott Posednik’s walkoff HR in the bottom of the 9h inning off Brad Lidge gives the White Sox a 7-6 victory over the Astros and a 2-ges-to-0 lead in the WS. Paul Konerko’s GS in the 7th put Chicago in the lead. Morgan Ensberg hits a solo HR for Houston‚ while Neal Cotts gets the win in relief.
October 25Geoff Blum’s 14th inning HR off Ezequiel Astacio leads the White Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Astros in Game 3 of the WS. Houston led‚ 4-0‚ before Chicago scored 5 runs in the 5th inning off Roy Oswalt to take the lead. Joe Crede also homers for the Sox‚ while Jason Lane connects for the Astros. Damaso Marte gets the win in relief. At 5 hours 41 minutes‚ the contest is the longest in Series history in terms of time. It also ties the mark for longest game in terms of innings played.

Braves P John Smoltz is announced as the winner of the 2005 Roberto Clemente Award for the player who best exemplifies baseball both on and off the field.
October 26The White Sox shut out the Astros‚ 1-0‚ to sweep the WS and win their first championship since 1917. Freddy Garcia gets credit for the win‚ as Jermaine Dye drives home the game’s only run. Dye is named the Series MVP.
October 28The Washington Nationals sign free agent IF Damian Jackson to a contract.
October 29The Dodgers abruptly shift from a manager search to a general manager search dismissing Paul DePodesta two years into his five-year contract. Owner Frank McCourt delivers the news to DePodesta in the morning and holds an afternoon press conference.

November

November 1Outfielders Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter‚ and 3B Eric Chavez each wins his 5th consecutive Gold Glove Award as the winners are announced for the AL.
November 2SS Omar Vizquel wins his 10th Gold Glove Award as the winners for the NL are announced. At age 38‚ he becomes the oldest middle IF ever cited. P Greg Maddux of the Cubs wins his 15th award‚ while OFs Jim Edmonds and Andruw Jones each wins his 8th.
November 3The Nationals send veteran 3B Vinny Castilla to the Padres in exchange for P Brian Lawrence.

Braves OF Andruw Jones is voted ML Player of the Year by his fellow players in the 2005 Players Choice awards.
November 7Phillies 1B Ryan Howard is named the NL Rookie of the Year. Howard hit 22 homers in 88 games filling in at first when Jim Thome was injured. The American League Rookie of the Year Award goes to Oakland closer Huston Street. It is the second straight year an Oakland player has won it. Five AL rookies got first place votes.

Pete Rose‚ Jr. pleads guilt to federal charges that he distributed GBL‚ a drug that converts into GHB‚ a workout and sleep aid also known as the “date rape drug.” He faces up to two years in prison and could be fined $1 million. Rose acknowledges that he distributed the drug to teammates while playing for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts.
November 8In Venezuela‚ pitcher Ugueth Urbina is arrested on a charge of attempted murder. Last month‚ a group of men allegedly wielded machetes at several employees at his family’s ranch‚ then poured gasoline on them in an attempt to set them on fire. Five workers were injured‚ and one of them suffered burns on the back and right arm‚ police said. One victim accused Urbina of being among the attackers. Urbina’s lawyer said the pitcher was sleeping at the time and was not involved. Urbina is a free agent after playing the last season with the Phillies. It was the second violent incident for the Urbina family. Urbina’s mother was kidnapped by drug traffickers in September 2004 and held for $6 million. She was rescued five months later in a mountainous area in southern Venezuela.

Angels P Bartolo Colon is named the AL Cy Young Award winner.
November 9Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox and Bobby Cox of the Braves are named Manager of the Year in the AL and NL respectively.

Free agent RP Ugueth Urbina is formally charged with attempted murder in Caracas‚ Venezuela. The 31-year-old right-hander is accused of joining a group of men in attacking and injuring five workers with machetes and pouring gasoline on them last month.
November 10Cardinals P Chris Carpenter (21-5) edges out Florida’s Dontrelle Willis for the NL Cy Young Award for 2005. Carpenter is the first pitcher since the Dead Ball Era to make 16 starts in a row in which he went at least 7 innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs. Roger Clemens‚ who posted a 1.87 ERA in 211 innings‚ finishes third.

Orioles owner Peter Angelos fires co-GM Jim Beattie.
November 14Alex Rodriguez beats out David Ortiz for the AL Most Valuable Player Award. It is Rodriguez’s 2nd MVP award‚ and the first for a Yankee since 1985.

The Devil Rays hire former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon as their manager to replace Lou Piniella.
November 15The Cardinals’ Albert Pujols wins the NL Most Valuable Player Award‚ edging out Andruw Jones of Atlanta.
November 16The Padres sign free agent 3B Geoff Blum to a contract.
November 17Free agent P Scott Eyre signs a 3-year deal with the Cubs.

MLB owners vote unanimously to approve a toughened steroids policy. The new standards call for a 50-game suspension for a 1st offense‚ 100 games for a 2nd offense‚ and a lifetime ban for a 3rd offense.
November 18The Mets send OF Mike Cameron to the Padres. In return‚ NY gets OF/1B Xavier Nady.

The Nationals sign free agent INF/OF Marlon Anderson to a 2-year deal.
November 21Japanese catcher Kenji Jojima finalizes a three-year contract with the Mariners that will pay him $16.5 million. He will become the 1st Japanese catcher to play in the ML.

The Cubs trade IF Bobby Hill to the Padres for a player to be named.
November 23Free agent P Bobby Howry signs a 3-year contract with the Cubs.

The Phillies send 1B Jim Thome and cash to the White Sox in exchange for OF Aaron Rowand and minor league Ps Giovany Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood. The move signals the end of Frank Thomas in a White Sox uniform.
November 24The Marlins continue to shed contracts by sending 1B Carlos Delgado and cash to the Mets for 1B Mike Jacobs‚ P Yusmeiro Petit‚ and INF Grant Psomas.

The Marlins send P Josh Beckett‚ 3B Mike Lowell‚ and P Guillermo Mota to the Red Sox for blue chip SS Hanley Ramirez and pitching prospects Anibal Sanchez‚ Jesus Delgado‚ and Harvey Garcia.
November 28The Blue Jays sign free agent closer B. J. Ryan to a 5-year contract.

The Athletics reach agreement on a 3-year deal with free agent P Esteban Loaiza.

The Mets reach agreement on a 4-year deal with the much-pursued free agent closer Billy Wagner. They also acquire OF Tike Redman from the Pirates for cash
November 29The Phillies sign free agent INF Abraham Nunez to a 2-year contract.
November 30The Yankees sign free agent C Kelly Stinnett to a contract.

The Phillies sign free agent P Julio Santana to a contract.

December

December 7At the winter meetings‚ heavy trading and re-signing action occurs.

The Rangers trade 2B Alfonso Soriano to the Nationals for OF-1B Brad Wilkerson‚ OF Terrmel Sledge and minor league P Armando Galarraga.

The Blue Jays ink free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett to a 5 year‚ $55 million contract.

In a move that makes way for Prince Fielder‚ the Brewers trade 1B Lyle Overbay to the Blue Jays for OF Gabe Gross‚ P Dave Bush and minor league P Zach Jackson.

The Mariners re-sign free agent P Jamie Moyer to a 1 year‚ $5.5 million contract.

The Indians re-sign free agent P Bob Wickman to a 1 year‚ $5 million contract.

The Marlins shed the last of their high priced talent trading CF speedster Juan Pierre to the Cubs for P Sergio Mitre and minor league Ps Ricky Nolasco and Renyel Pinto.

The Cardinals trade P Ray King to the Rockies for OF Larry Bigbie and INF Aaron Miles.

The Mariners traded C Yorvit Torrealba to the Rockies for a player to be named later. The Rockies designate C Miguel Ojeda for assignment.

The Royals re-sign utility man Joe McEwing to a minor league contract‚ with an invitation to spring training‚ and release P D.J. Carrasco. Carrasco will go to Japan.

The Braves trade all-star C Johnny Estrada to the Diamondbacks for pitchers Lance Cormier and Oscar Villarreal. The Braves send P Danny Kolb to the Brewers for P Wes Obermueller.

The Padres trade 3B Sean Burroughs to the Devil Rays for P Dewon Brazelton and also trade 2B Mark Loretta to the Red Sox for C Doug Mirabelli. The Sox will hurriedly bring back Mirabelli on May 1st to once catch Tim Wakefield. The Padres re-sign free agent P Trevor Hoffman to a 2 year‚ $13.5 million contract‚ with an option for 2008.

The Pirates trade P Mark Redman to the Royals for P Jonah Bayliss and a player to be named later.

The Orioles and Giants swap pitchers with Steve Kline going to the Giants and LaTroy Hawkins and cash coming to Baltimore.

The Blue Jays trade P Chad Gaudin to the A’s for a player to be named later.

John Olerud announces his retirement.

The Dodgers hire former Red Sox manager Grady Little as their new manager.
December 8The Red Sox trade SS Edgar Renteria and cash to the Braves for 3B Andy Marte. Marte‚ 21‚ is the Braves highest rated prospect‚ according to Baseball America.

The Tigers sign free agent Ps Kenny Rogers (2 years‚ $16 million) and Todd Jones (2 years‚ $11 million).

The Orioles sign free agent C Ramon Hernandez to a 4 year‚ $27.5 million contract.

The White Sox trade P Damaso Marte to the Pirates for utility man Rob Mackowiak.

The Yankees trade 2B-OF Tony Womack to the Reds for minor leaguers INF Kevin Howard and OF Ben Himes. With the money freed up by dealing Womack‚ the Yankees sign free agent P Mike Myers‚ recently of the Red Sox‚ to a 2 year‚ $2.4 million contract.

The Reds trade 1B Sean Casey to the Pirates for P David Williams. Casey hit .312 this past season and .324 in 2004.

The Rockies signed free agent P Jose Mesa to a 1 year‚ $2.515 million contract‚ with an option for 2007.
December 9The Twins trade P J.C. Romero to the Angels for minor league INF Alexi Casilla. The Angels designate C Josh Paul for assignment.

The Mets sign 47-year-old free agent Julio Franco to a 2 year‚ $2.2 million contract. They also state that when his playing days are through they will make him a minor league manager.

The Pirates sign free agent P Roberto Hernandez to a 1 year‚ $2.75 million contract.

The Indians sign free agent utility man Lou Merloni to a minor league contract.

The Braves sign free agent C Todd Pratt to a 1 year contract.

The Padres claim C Pete LaForest off waivers from the Devil Rays‚ sign OF Jack Cust to a minor league contract‚ with an invitation to spring training‚ and sell P Chris Oxspring to the Hanshin Tigers.
December 13The Diamondbacks trade P Javier Vazquez to the White Sox for pitchers Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino and minor league OF Chris Young.

The Dodgers trade troubled but talented OF Milton Bradley and INF Antonio Perez to the A’s for minor league OF Andre Ethier. Ethier was the Texas League Player of the Year in 2005.

The Diamondbacks sign free agent P Jason Grimsley to a 1 year‚ $825‚000 contract.

The Astros re-sign free agent C Brad Ausmus to a 2 year‚ $7.5 million contract.
December 15The Cardinals sign free agent closer Braden Looper‚ formerly of the Mets‚ to a 3 year‚ $13.5 million contract.

The Twins sign 3B Tony Batista to a 1 year‚ $1.25 million contract. Batista played in Japan in 2005.
December 16The Marlins trade well-traveled P Ron Villone (5-5) to the Yankees for minor league P Ben Julianel.

The Royals sign a mouthful of free agents inking 1B Doug Mientkiewicz (1 year‚ $1.85 million)‚ 2B Mark Grudzielanek ($1 year‚ 4 million plus a player option for 2006 if he has 500 PA)‚ C Paul Bako (1 year‚ $700‚000) and P Scott Elarton (2 years‚ $8 million).
December 18Pitching in the Mexican League for Mexicali‚ 45-year-old Fernando Valenzuela loses‚ 1-0‚ to Hermosillo. Fernando‚ the Dodgers Spanish language announcer during the regular season‚ will go 4-2 in 10 starts‚ 2nd on the team in wins.
December 20The Yankees sign free agent CF Johnny Damon to a 4 year‚ $52 million contract. Damon spurns the Red Sox offer for less as his agent lowers the demand for a 7-year contract to 4 years. The Red Sox will reciprocate by inking Yankee backup catcher John Flaherty. The Sox also sign free agent P Rudy Seanez to a 1 year‚ $2.1 million contract‚ with an option for 2007.

The Padres trade pitchers Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka and minor league C Billy Killian to the Rangers for P Chris Young‚ the recently acquired OF Terrmel Sledge and 1B Adrian Gonzalez.

The Cardinals sign P Sidney Ponson to a 1 year contract.

The Cubs sign free agent Twins RF Jacque Jones to a 3 year‚ $16 million contract.

The Orioles sign free agent 1B-LF Jeff Conine to a 1 year‚ $1.7 million contract‚ with an option for 2007.

The Reds re-sign C Jason LaRue to a 2 year‚ $9.1 million contract‚ to avoid salary arbitration. The Reds also sign free agent P Chris Hammond to a 1 year‚ $800‚000 contract‚ with a mutual option for 2007.

The Royals trade OF Matt Diaz to the Braves for minor league P Ricardo Rodriguez.
December 24Merry Christmas‚ Mike. The Nationals sign free agent P Mike Stanton to a 1 year‚ $1 million contract.
December 26Four-Time All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Reardon is arrested on robbery charges after holding up a jewelry store in Palm Springs Gardens‚ Florida‚ a town he has lived in without incident for 20 years. “He said it was the medication that made him do it and that he was sorry‚” said policeman David O’Neill. Reardon had a son who died of a drug overdose several years ago.In late August 2006, he will be found not guilt by reason of insanity. Two court-appointed psychiatrists, along with two defense psychiatrists, will testify that Reardon was under the influence of a dozen prescription medications and that there was no reasonable explanation for the robbery.

The Rangers sign free agent P Kevin Millwood‚ who pitched for the Indians last year‚ to a 5 year‚ $60 million contract.

Take Millwood’s locker. The Indians sign free agent P Jason Johnson‚ 10-10 with the Orioles last year‚ to a 1 year‚ $4 million contract.
December 27The Diamondbacks trade 3B Troy Glaus and minor league SS Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays for Gold Glove 2B Orlando Hudson and P Miguel Batista. The high-priced Glaus hit 37 homers in 2005 while driving in 97 Diamondbacks‚ and piles onto the logjam at 3B in Toronto.
December 28The White Sox re-sign P Jon Garland to a 3 year‚ $29 million contract‚ to avoid salary arbitration. Garland would have been eligible for free agency after the 2006 season.
December 29The Yankees sign free agent P Octavio Dotel to a 1 year‚ $2 million contract. Dotel had Tommy John surgery in May and pitched just 15+ innings in 2005.