Kansas City names the Kauffman Stadium Press Box after Hall of Fame writer and former Royals board member, Joe McGuff. The 1984 J.G. Taylor Spink Award Winner died in February at the age of 79, after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

ByTom

Kansas City names the Kauffman Stadium Press Box after Hall of Fame writer and former Royals board member, Joe McGuff. The 1984 J.G. Taylor Spink Award Winner died in February at the age of 79, after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Alfonso Soriano hits three home runs and matches his career high with five RBI to lead the Washington Nationals to a 7 – 3 victory over John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves at RFK Stadium.

ByThis Day in Baseball

Alfonso Soriano hits three home runs and matches his career high with five RBI to lead the Washington Nationals to a 7 – 3 victory over John Smoltz and the Atlanta Braves at RFK Stadium.

At Rogers Centre, Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox hits two home runs in the 12-inning, 7 – 6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Ramirez’s first homer is his 200th with the Red Sox and 436th for his career. He also hit 236 homers with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the fourth major leaguer to hit 200 homers with two different teams, after Jimmie Foxx, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro.

ByTom

At Rogers Centre, Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox hits two home runs in the 12-inning, 7 – 6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. Ramirez’s first homer is his 200th with the Red Sox and 436th for his career. He also hit 236 homers with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the fourth major leaguer to hit 200 homers with two different teams, after Jimmie Foxx, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, last year’s National League batting champion and a two-time Gold Glove winner, will be sidelined at least two months with two broken bones above his right wrist. His glove hand was bent backward in a collision with Rafael Furcal of the Dodgers on April 19th.

ByTom

Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, last year’s National League batting champion and a two-time Gold Glove winner, will be sidelined at least two months with two broken bones above his right wrist. His glove hand was bent backward in a collision with Rafael Furcal of the Dodgers on April 19th.

Morgan Ensberg of the Houston Astros homers in his franchise-record sixth straight game, hitting a two-run shot to lead Houston over Pittsburgh, 3 – 2.

ByTom

Morgan Ensberg of the Houston Astros homers in his franchise-record sixth straight game, hitting a two-run shot to lead Houston over Pittsburgh, 3 – 2.

Appearing as a pinch hitter at Petco Park, Julio Franco becomes the oldest major leaguer to hit a home run. The 47 year, 240 days old’s eighth-inning blast, which put the Mets ahead in their 7-2 victory over the Padres, surpasses Jack Quinn, who accomplished the feat as a pitcher for the Philadelphia A’s at the age of 46 years, 357 days.

ByTom

Appearing as a pinch hitter at Petco Park, Julio Franco becomes the oldest major leaguer to hit a home run. The 47 year, 240 days old’s eighth-inning blast, which put the Mets ahead in their 7-2 victory over the Padres, surpasses Jack Quinn, who accomplished the feat as a pitcher for the Philadelphia A’s at the age of 46 years, 357 days.

Kaz Matsui hits an inside-the-park round tripper, making it the third successive season in which the Mets second baseman has hit a home run in his initial plate appearance of the year.

ByThis Day in Baseball

At Petco Park in his first at-bat of the season, Kaz Matsui hits an inside-the-park round tripper, making it the third successive season in which the Mets second baseman has hit a home run in his initial plate appearance of the year. Ken Griffey Jr. also accomplished the feat starting in 1997 with the Mariners but had walked before going deep.

Julio Franco, at 47 years, 240 days old, becomes the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run

Julio Franco, at 47 years, 240 days old, becomes the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run

ByThis Day in Baseball

Julio Franco, at 47 years, 240 days old, becomes the oldest player in major league history to hit a home run. At Petco Park, Franco connects for a two-run, pinch-hit shot off Scott Linebrink that launches the Mets’ six-run 8th inning and propells them to a 7 – 2 comeback victory against the Padres. This gives Franco the spot in the record book that had belonged to Philadelphia Athletics pitcher Jack Quinn, who was 46 years, 357 days old when he homered on June 27, 1930. Franco already was the oldest player to hit a grand slam and a pinch-hit homer, and to have a multi-homer game. He also has four career pinch-hit homers. Kazuo Matsui hits another notable homer for the Mets early in the game. His inside-the-park home run leading off the 3rd inning makes this the third consecutive year he’s homered in his first at-bat of the season. The last player to do that was Ken Griffey, Jr.from 1997 to 1999, while with Seattle.

Curt Schilling opens a season with four straight winning starts for the first time, breezing through six innings and striking out seven to lead Boston over Tampa Bay, 9 – 1, at Fenway Park. Schilling ties Jim Bunning for 15th on the strikeouts list at 2,855.

ByThis Day in Baseball

Curt Schilling opens a season with four straight winning starts for the first time, breezing through six innings and striking out seven to lead Boston over Tampa Bay, 9 – 1, at Fenway Park. Schilling ties Jim Bunning for 15th on the strikeouts list at 2,855.