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JUNE
2002
IN THE NEWS: The Phillies score 10 runs in the 1st inning and go on to trounce the Expos by a score of 18–3. Philadelphia P Robert Person gets the win, slugs two home runs and drives in seven runs in the contest.
IN THE NEWS: Buck Martinez is fired as Toronto manager. He is replaced by 3B coach Carlos Tosca.
IN THE NEWS: The Yankees ride an 8–run 6th inning to a 13–5 win over the Orioles.
The Twins score 10 runs in the 7th inning to close out the scoring in a 23–2 win over the Indians, the most runs in franchise history. Minnesota strokes a franchise–record 25 hits (the Washington Senators hit 24 five times) in the contest and ties the American League record as four players have 4+ hits -- Jacque Jones, Dustin Mohr, A.J. Pierzynski and Luis Rivas. They are the 5th team to do it On the flip side, the Indians tie their team record for biggest loss, tying the mark set in a 21–0 loss to the Tigers, on September 15, 1901. The Tribe also becomes the first team since the 1969 Padres to lose two games in the same season by 19+ runs.
IN THE NEWS: The Giants batter the Padres, 12–2, as Barry Bonds hits his 587th home run to move him into 4th place on the all–time list ahead of Frank Robinson.
High school players dominate the first round picks of the amateur as 16 of the 30 first rounders are prep stars. After Ball State righty Bryan Bullington is taken with the first pick, the next seven are high schoolers. Tampa Bay takes SS Melvin Upton with the #2 pick; the Reds take P Chris Gruler #3; the O's take LHP Adam Lower #4; the Expos choose P Clint Everts #5; KC takes SS Don Greinke #6; and the Brewers pick first baseman Prince Fielder, son of Cecil, with #7. Detroit takes SS Scott Moore at #8; and the Rockies take British Columbian P Jeff Francis #9. The Padres pick Clemson SS Khalil Greene with the #`13 pick; and the A's, picking #16, take OSU 1B Nicholas Swisher, son of Steve. With the 21st pick the Cubs choose Bob Brownlee, the #1 collegiate pitcher a year ago before injuries hit. On the 12th round, the Twins select Marshalltown's Jeff Clement, the high school home run champion with a record 71 this year. He broke the mark of 70 set by Drew Henson in 1998.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announces that the sport will contract by at least two teams before the 2003 season.
The Astros announce that Astros Field is being renamed Minute Maid Park.
IN THE NEWS: The Reds obtain 3B/OF Russell Branyan from the Indians for minor league 2B Ben Broussard.
Tampa Bay minor league P Nick Bierbrodt is shot three times while sitting in a taxi as a fast food drive–in. He is listed in serious but stable condition.
In a Northern League (Independent) game between the visiting Gary Southshore RailCats at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, Saints owner Mike Veeck gives away seat cushions that feature the likeness of MLB Commissioner Bud Selig on one side and that of Players Association Executive Director Don Fehr on the other. During the seventh-inning stretch, an informal poll shows that about 90 percent of the fans on the cushions are sitting on Bud.
IN THE NEWS: The Expos defeat the White Sox, 2–1. Following the game, the Sox host their inaugural Sleepover at Comiskey Park, allowing fans to sleep overnight on the field.
At Seattle, Mark Prior pitches seven strong innings to give the Chicago Cubs a 2–0 interleague victory over the Mariners. Prior gives up just four hits and a walk while striking out 11, including the last five batters he faces. Sammy Sosa hits his major league–leading 21st homer in the sixth inning and Fred McGriff hits his 10th in the eighth.
In a heralded match of aces at Fenway, Curt Schilling (12-1) and the Diamondbacks beat the Red Sox' Pedro Martinez, 3–2. Pedro, complaining of a sore arm, pitches six innings, gives up three runs on seven hits, and strikes out 10. Schilling allows a solo home run to Carlos Baerga in the 1st, and a run in the 8th in winning his 9th straight.
IN THE NEWS: The Cubs trade C Robert Machado to the Brewers for minor league OF Jackson Melian.
IN THE NEWS: The Yankees best the Diamondbacks, 7–5. On the first pitch he sees in the majors, NY rookie OF Marcus Thames hits a home run off fireballing lefthander Randy Johnson.
IN THE NEWS: Tampa Bay scores nine runs in the 5th inning on its way to an 11–2 win over the Dodgers.
IN THE NEWS: The Rangers down the Astros, 9–6, as 2B Mike Young gets five hits, including a pair of home runs.
The Reds and Expos exchange pitchers, with Bruce Chen going to Cincinnati and Jim Brower to Montreal.
In San Diego, the Seattle Mariners release veteran outfielder Eugene Kingsale, and the Padres immediately grab him. No one informs the Mariner players or coaches that Kingsale had changed teams. After the Mariners take the field for warm–ups, several players run back to the clubhouse to tell the coaching staff that Kingsale had jumped ship and is wearing a Padres uniform. Mariner manager Lou Piniella is as surprised as the rest. Kingsale flies out as a pinch hitter in the 5th for Brett Tomko as the Mariners win, 6–3.
IN THE NEWS: Barry Zito wins his 8th straight game as Oakland beats their rivals, the SF Giants, 2–1. The win gives the A's a 58-37 record against the National League, the best inter-league record of any team. The A's will finish the season 16–2 against the National League.
The Red Sox, behind Derek Lowe, defeat the Atlanta Braves, 6–1. Lowe strikes out 10 to pin the loss on Tom Glavine. For the Braves, it is one of their few losses to American League foes; they will go 15–3 in inter-league games this year.
Mo Vaughn belts a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th off David Wells to give the Mets a 3–2 win over the Yankees. Mark Guthrie, in relief of Pedro Astacio, picks up the win. In the 5th, Piazza throws out Alfonso Soriano, ending a streak of 51 successful runners against Mike, not counting a 1-3-6 throwout on April 16.
IN THE NEWS: The Cubs defeat Texas, 4–3, as for the first time in ML history, four members of the 400–HR club play in the same game. Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez start for the Rangers and Sammy Sosa and Fred McGriff for Chicago.
IN THE NEWS: The Braves trade OF George Lombard to the Tigers for RP Kris Keller.
The Yankees pound out 19 hits, including three home runs, as they defeat the Rockies, 20–10. But the Rockies are just the second major–league team to score seven runs in an inning (4th), but still lose by 10 or more.
IN THE NEWS: Florida beats Cleveland, 3–0, as Marlins 2B Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 34 games, the longest ever by a second baseman.
IN THE NEWS: The Marlins defeat the Tigers, 4–1, as Luis Castillo extends his hitting streak to 35 games with a 3rd inning infield hit. Castillo's streak is the longest ever by a Latin player, surpassing Benito Santiago's 34–game streak on 1987.
IN THE NEWS: The Marlins score four runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to defeat the Tigers, 5–4. Luis Castillo hitless in four at bats to end his 35–game hitting streak.
St. Louis Cardinals P Darryl Kile is found dead in his hotel room prior to Saturday's scheduled game against the Cubs. His room is locked from the inside and he is believed to have died in his sleep. The game between the Cubs and Cardinals is postponed.
The Texas Longhorns win the 5th College World Series, beating South Carolina, 12–6. Chris Carmichael hits a 3–run home run and closer Huston Street picks up his 4th save and is selected the Outstanding Player. Augie Garrido is the first coach to win CWS championships at two schools. Texas last won a CWS in 1983, when Roger Clemens pitched for the Longhorns.
IN THE NEWS: The San Diego Padres blow out the Florida Marlins, 18–2, collecting a club–record 10 hits in a 9–run fifth inning Bubba Trammell has four hits, including two homers, one a leadoff home run in the 5th. The final 11 Padres in the inning all bat with the bases loaded as the Padres score eight runs, one base at a time.
IN THE NEWS: The Blue Jays trounce the Devil Rays, 20–11, scoring 20 runs in a game for the first time since 1978.
History is made in Kansas City as Detroit's Luis Pujols and KC's Tony Pena become the first Dominican–born managers to oppose each other in a ML game. The Royals go on to defeat the Tigers, 8–6.
The Dodgers beat the Rockies, 4–0, as Odalis Perez hurls his 2nd one–hitter of the season. A leadoff single in the 6th inning by Bobby Estalella is the only Colorado hit.
IN THE NEWS: The Expos obtain pitchers Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew from the Indians in exchange for 1B Lee Stevens, P Cliff Lee, OF Grady Sizemore, and SS Brandon Phillips.
Tampa Bay whips their cross state rival Marlins 4–0 behind Wilson Alvarez and two relievers. Jared Sandberg homers for TB. In the 7th, Kevin Millar of the Marlins hits a towering fly that lands on one of the catwalks that hang from the stadium's dome. It never comes down and it is ruled a double. It's the second time a ball has gotten stuck in a catwalk at Tropicana Field. In 1999, Jose Canseco hit a home run drive that lodged there. Millar joins Ruppert Jones, Rickey Nelson, Dave Kingman, Alvaro Espinoza and Canseco as the only players to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction. Jones and Nelson both had hits get caught in the overhead speakers at the old Kingdome. The balls hit by Kingman and Espinoza were at the Minneapolis Metrodome with Kingman's getting stuck in a drainage valve and Espinoza's lodging in an overhead speaker.
IN THE NEWS: The Orioles pound the Phillies, 11–1, as Baltimore OF Gary Matthews Jr. gets five hits, including a 2B and home run.
IN THE NEWS: In a 13–1 drubbing by the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, Padres second baseman D'Angelo Jimenez comes in to pitch with two outs in the seventh inning. He retires the four batters he faces. But Jeff Suppan allows one run in seven innings, and Raul Ibanez uses a home run and triple to drive in four runs for the Royals.
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