IN THE NEWS: The Reds lose to the Royals, 7-4, as Pete Rose Jr., son of the all-time hit leader, makes his major league debut. After striking out in his 1st time up, Rose singles in his next at bat and finishes with one hit in three trips to the plate. The debut prompts walkup sales of 15,000.
Before 50,869 at the Vet, the Phillies defeat the Yankees, 5-1, behind Curt Schilling, who fans 16 batters in eight innings of action, and does not walk a man. The Phils will win the next to sweep the series with the defending World champs.
IN THE NEWS: Trailing 12-7, the Rangers score six runs in the bottom of the 9th to pull out a 13-12 victory over the Dodgers. Juan Gonzalez and Lee Stevens each poke four hits for Texas.
IN THE NEWS: 2B Mike Lansing's 3rd-inning home run is Montreal's only hit, but it's enough to give the Expos a 1-0 win over the Red Sox. Aaron Sele and Tom Gordon baffle the Expos the rest of the way, but Carlos Perez allows only two hits himself in blanking Boston.
A's blue chip rookie Ben Grieve debuts with a club-record-tying three doubles for five RBIs in a 12–3 win over the Giants. Grieve had 136 ribbies in 127 minor league games. Brad Rigby wins his first ML game, while the loss leaves SF one 1/2 games behind the Giants.
IN THE NEWS: OF Deion Sanders leaves the Reds to join the Dallas Cowboys for the remainder of the season. Sanders is leading the National League is stolen bases with 56, but will be overtaken by Pittsburgh's Tony Womack.
IN THE NEWS: The Rockies split a day-night doubleheader with the Cardinals, losing the 1st game, 10-7, before winning the nitecap, 7-6. In the 1st contest, OF Larry Walker's home run makes his the most prolific Canadian home run hitter of all time with 195 career dingers. In the second game, Colorado's streak of sellouts ends at 203, as an announced crowd of 44,288 views the contest.
IN THE NEWS: Boston loses to the Yankees, 8-6, despite two RBIs for Nomar Garciaparra. The ribbies give Garciaparra' 87 on the year, for a new major league record for leadoff men. Harvey Kuenn held the old mark with 85 in 1956 for Detroit.
Detroit P Scott Sanders hurls a 1-hit, 4-0 shutout over the Rangers. 2B Domingo Cedeno's single is the only Texas safety.
IN THE NEWS: The Rangers overcome a 5-run deficit in the 9th inning to defeat the Dodgers, 13–12. Rusty Greer drives in the winner with a 2-out single, the 4th time this year he's done it in the Rangers' final at-bat.
The American Association's plays its final game Wednesday night in Des Moines, Iowa with the Buffalo Bisons defeating the Iowa Cubs for the final American Association title. The Association's existing teams will merge with the International League and the perhaps "to-be-newly named" Pacific Coast League in 1998.
IN THE NEWS: John Olerud cycles, going 4-for-5 with five ribbies, to lead the Mets to a 9-5 win over the Expos. Olerud hits a bases loaded stand-up triple in the 8th, his first triple in three years, to complete the cycle. The drive bounces off the wall, striking center fielder Vladimir Guerrero.
IN THE NEWS: Florida C Charles Johnson sets a major league record by playing his 160th straight game without committing an error. The previous mark was set by Rick Cerone. The Marlins lose the game, however, 1-0 to the Giants.
The Mets tie the game in the 8th and use 23 players before losing to the Expos, 3–2 in 15 innings. The loss goes to Joe Crawford, the second time this season he has lost by allowing a run in the 15th.
IN THE NEWS: The Mets, down 6–0 with one strike to go in the bottom of the 9th rally to tie the Expos. Carl Everett ties the game with a grand slam. Two innings later, Bernard Gilkey hits a three-run homer to end it, 9–6. Facing Dustin Hermanson, the Mets manage just one hit through the first eight innings, and that is a blooper by Carlos Mendoza, his first ML hit. Two singles and two relievers later the Mets tie it. John Franco is the winner over Steve Kline.
The Dodgers drop a 5-1 decision to the Astros as Tom Candiotti's knuckleball does all sorts of tricks in the 1st inning. Candiotti hit three Houston batters in the frame, and another to lead off the 2nd, to tie a major league mark. C Mike Piazza also records two passed balls in the inning as the Astros score four of their five runs.
In St. Louis, Tony Gwynn reaches 200 hits for the fifth time in his career in the Padres 8–3 win over the Cardinals. Greg Vaughn has a three-run double to lead the attack.
IN THE NEWS: Sandy Alomar hits a bases-loaded single to key a bizarre seven-run 8th, and Cleveland defeats Chicago, 8–3. Jim Thome nails his 40th homer for the Indians. Chicago ties a major league record by using nine pitchers in the nine-inning game, including five in the 8th. The 4th in that inning, Keith Foulke, is called in without a warmup by manager Terry Bevington to intentionally walk a batter. The Tribe increases its American League Central lead to seven 1/2 games over Chicago and Milwaukee. Before the game the Sox retire Carlton Fisk's #72. Bitter over his 1993 release and not being allowed into locker room during the playoffs that year, Fisk requests that Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Ron Schueler not be there for the ceremony.
Mark McGwire notches his 51st homer, and St. Louis Cardinals score seven runs in the eighth to win, 10–4. McGwire, the first player with consecutive 50-homer seasons since Babe Ruth in 1927-28, connects off Joey Hamilton (11-6) in the sixth. He has 17 homers in 37 games since St. Louis acquired him from Oakland on July 31 and has 14 games remaining to chase Roger Maris' season record of 61.
IN THE NEWS: Baltimore OF Eric Davis returns to action in the Orioles' 6-5 win over Cleveland only two months after having a cancerous tumor removed from his colon. Davis goes hitless in the contest, but rips a long fly out to deep right-center in his first at bat.
Ken Griffey, Jr. powers homers #51 and #52 in Seattle's 7–3 win over the Blue Jays. Junior has now hit 100 homers in a 2-year span, just the 6th major leaguer to do so.
The Mets, 1–0 winners yesterday on a home run by diminutive Luis Lopez, use the long ball today to tie the Phils. New York collects four home runs in the 7th and 8th to tie at six apiece, the stitch six straight singles in the 10th to score five and win, 10–5. In the nitecap, the Mets lose, 2–1 to Darrin Winston, a 31-year-old rookie released by the Mets in the spring.
The Braves beat the Giants, 5–4 on Fred McGriff's 2-out, 2-run homer off Rod Beck in the 9th inning. The homer caps a 4-run rally for the 1st place Braves.
At least it's not the Duck Pond. Anaheim Stadium, the Big A, gets a new name—Edison International Field of Anaheim. Edison, a utility giant, will pay $50 million over 20 years for a package that includes the name of the stadium, home to the Angels.
IN THE NEWS: In Philadelphia, Curt Schilling retires the first 22 Mets batters to lead the Phils to a 3–2 win. He also passes the 300-strikeout mark when he strikes out Edgardo Alfonzo in the 4th inning, just the 13th pitcher to reach it and the first in the National League since Mike Scott in 1986. Pinch-hitter Luis Lopez breaks up Schilling's bid for a no hitter with a one-out, single to center in the eighth.
At Wrigley Field, Kevin Tapani pitches a 1-hitter for his first NL shutout and Sammy Sosa breaks a scoreless tie with a two-run, 6th-inning homer as Chicago beats Cincinnati, 5–0. Bret Boone's leadoff single in the sixth is the only Reds hit.
Mark McGwire hits his 52nd home run hours after signing a three-year contract with the Cards for $28.5 million. But Cardinals' closer Dennis Eckersley collapses in the 9th and the Dodgers come back to win, 7–6. McGwire's 517-foot first-inning blast, the longest ever measured at Busch Stadium, ties him for the ML lead with Ken Griffey Jr.
In Miami, Florida's Bobby Bonilla fouls off six two-strike pitches before blasting a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Marlins a dramatic 9–6 win. For Bonilla, it is his 8th career slam. Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, and Vinny Castilla homer for Colorado, which sets an NL record with 223 homers this year.
For the 2nd straight day, the Giants lose on a home run, as the Braves win, 6–4. Eddie Perez's grand slam in the 6th gives the Braves a ML record-tying 11 slams for the year.
The Yankees sweep the Red Sox, winning 2–0 and 4–3. Andy Pettitte pitches eight innings in the opener, striking out career-high 12. Willie Banks is the winner in the nitecap with six 2/3 innings.
IN THE NEWS: Mo Vaughn responds to the boos of the crowd with a two-run home run in the eighth inning to lead Boston past Toronto, 4–3. Vaughn, who makes it 4-2 with the homer off Dan Plesac, is booed during introductions and during his first three at-bats in response to his comments Monday that he does not want to return to the Red Sox next season.
The Giants beat the Dodgers, 2–1, to move a game behind LA in the National League West.
Ryan Klesko has four hits including a grand slam off Bobby Jones, to pace the Braves to a 10–2 win over the Mets. Jones faces eight batters, walking four and retiring 0. Maddux easily wins his 19th. Klesko's slam gives the Braves 12 for the year, a new ML record. The Braves set another record as they become the first team to clinch six straight post-season appearances.
Mark McGwire blasts his 53rd homer, the most since 1961, to pace the Cards to a 12–9 win over the Cubs. RHP Rod Myers serves up the gopher.
IN THE NEWS: At San Francisco, Brian Johnson homers in the 12th inning to give the Giants a 6–5 win over the Dodgers and a tie for the lead in the National League West. Rod Beck gives up three singles in the 10th, but K's Todd Zeile and gets Eddie Murray on a DP.
IN THE NEWS: Marlins' C Charles Johnson ties Buddy Rosar's mark for consecutive games without an error (117), but does make his only passed ball of the year, as the Marlins defeat the Mets, 5-2, Johnson will finish the year with 124 games without an E.
Matt Williams must have an honest face, because he's pulls the hidden ball trick for the third time, nabbing rookie Jed Hansen, in the Indians' 6-2 win over the Royals in game 2, Williams uses the same ploy in all three instances. He asks the runner if he would step away from the bag so that he can brush off the dirt. The runners comply, and Williams slaps the tag on. The Royals win the opener, 10–3.
The White Sox tie Boston, 4–4 at Fenway on Albert Belle's 9th inning grand slam, off Tom Gordon, then win in the 10th on Frank Thomas' single. The Red Sox had tied the game in the bottom of the 9th on pinch homers by Curtis Pride and Scott Hatteberg. Boston wastes Butch Henry's seven 2/3 shutout innings, while Mike Sirotka's one run in eight innings goes unrewarded. Nomar Garciaparra has a pair of doubles to break Ted Williams' Red Sox rookie record for total bases. His total is 348 on his way to 365. Tony Oliva set the American League rookie record in 1964 with 374.
IN THE NEWS: The Cubs beat the Phils, 11–3, but Curt Schilling racks up eight K's to match J.R. Richard for the most strikeouts by a National League righty (313). He'll finish with 319 strikeouts. Ryne Sandberg, in his final game at Wrigley, is 2-for-3 before leaving for a pinch runner in the 5th. He makes a curtain call in the 7th when Harry Caray sings. Kevin Tapani wins his 6th straight start.
Brad Radke goes 10 innings to win his 20th as the Twins beat the Brewers, 2-1.
The Expos put a dent in Denny Neagle's possible Cy Young Award as they twice unload back-to-back homers to beat the Braves, 7–1. Neagle retires the first 12 batters before giving up a single, then homers to Rondell White and Hemsley Muelens. In the 6th David Segui and White hit consecutive homers.
The 1st-place Giants top the Padres, 8–5 when Stan Javier snaps a 9th inning tie with a 2-run triple. In the 4th, Barry Bonds legs out an inside-the-park homer when his fly ball in the sun bounces off Greg Vaughn's knee.
IN THE NEWS: Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 54th and 55th homers, overtaking Mark McGwire for the major league lead, as Seattle clinches a tie for the American League West title, defeating Oakland 4-2. Griffey now has the seventh-highest homer total in ML history, trailing only Roger Maris (61 in 1961), Ruth (60 in 1927), Babe Ruth (59 in 1921), Foxx (58 in 1932), Hank Greenberg (58 in 1938) and Hack Wilson (56 in 1930). Griffey's 55 homers are the most in the majors since Maris set the record in 1961. He has five games left, all at the Kingdome, to match Maris' mark. With three home runs, Seattle has 257 this season, tying the major league mark set by Baltimore last year.
IN THE NEWS: In a warm-up for the playoffs, the Indians rally from a 9–2 deficit to shock the Yankees, 10–9. Tony Fernandez and Tino Martinez match 2-run homers, while Justice and Alomar also homer for the Tribe.
The Orioles score three runs in the first two innings of Roger Clemens (21-7), then hold on to beat the Blue Jays, 3–2.
Angels Lefty OF Jim Edmonds hits a pair of home runs off Randy Johnson, but Seattle wins, 4–3, to clinch the American League West. Johnson won't give up another home run to a lefty until John Olerud takes him deep in Game One of the 1999 NLCS playoffs. Jay Buhner hits his 40th homer and then K's for the 173rd time, a new M's record.
IN THE NEWS: Doug Million, the Colorado Rockies' #1 draft pick in the 1994 amateur draft, dies of an asthma attack at age 21.
With the Blue Jays in last place, Toronto fires manager Cito Gaston before today's game with the Orioles. Gaston took the team to the World Series in 1992 and 1993. Coach Mel Queen was named as interim manager for the last five games. The O's then beat the Jays, 9–3, to clinch the American League East title. Baltimore was never out of first place, just the 6th ML team to hold first place every day of the season.
IN THE NEWS: Four Yankees pitchers combine to 1-hit the Tigers, winning by a score of 8-2. Andy Pettitte starts and allows a 2-run single to Travis Fryman in the 3rd inning, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead. Pettitte leaves after four frames and is succeeded by Brian Boehringer (3 innings), Mariano Rivera (1 inning), and Jeff Nelson (1 inning). Rivera receives credit for the win when NY explodes for six runs in the 9th inning.
In the 7th at Shea, Atlanta SS Rafael Belliard hits his first homer in a decade, off Brian Bohanon, to tie the Mets at six apiece. His last came on May 5, 1987, off Eric Show of Padres. Atlanta wins, 7–6, in 11 innings.
IN THE NEWS: The Mariners hand Randy Johnson his 20th win when the Big Unit pitches the 5th and 6th innings in relief of Omar Olivares and Seattle beats Oakland, 9–3. Johnson is the first 20-game winner in M's history, The Mariners stake Olivares to a 7–2 lead, but Lou Piniella lifts the starter after four innings. Johnson was sidelined from August 20th to September 13th with a finger injury.
IN THE NEWS: The Pirates trip the playoff-bound Astros, 5–4 in 11 innings. Jose Guillen is the star, hitting a home run, driving in three and scoring the winning run. Craig Biggio, playing in his National League-best 381st straight game, is lifted for a pinch runner in the 4th. He ends the season of 162 games without grounding into a DP, tying Dick McAuliffe's major-league record set in 1968.
IN THE NEWS: Cleveland scores five runs in the 1st inning, but the Yankees come back to win with five of their own in the 6th to defeat the Indians in Game one of their playoff series, 8-6. Tim Raines, Derek Jeter, and Paul O'Neill hit consecutive home runs in the decisive inning, giving Mario Mendoza the victory.
Atlanta scores single runs in the 1st and 2nd innings and Greg Maddux makes them stand up as the Braves hold off the Astros, 2-1, to take the lead in their playoff series.
SS Edgar Renteria's 2-out single in the bottom of the 9th scores Charles Johnson with the winning run as the Marlins defeat the Giants, 2-1, in the opener of their playoff series.