With their 4-0 victory of Houston combined with the St. Louis 6-5 loss to Cincinnati and Milwaukee’s 4-0 loss to Colorado, the Pirates find themselves in sole possession of first place. The date is the latest the Bucs have been on top of the standings since mid-July of the 1997 season.

With the bases loaded and two outs, rookie Jason Kipnis delivers his first career hit, giving the Indians a 3-2 walk-off ninth-inning victory over Los Angeles. The 24 year-old second baseman had been 0-for-5 since being called up three days ago.

Michael Cuddyer becomes the first Twins’ position player to pitch since outfielder John Moses hurled against California in 1990. Moving from right field to the mound in the eighth inning, the starting first baseman gives up a double to Mike Napoli, a single to Mitch Moreland, and after Endy Chavez grounds out, the right-hander walks Ian Kinsler to load the bases, but then gets Elvis Andrus to fly out and David Murphy to pop-up for a scoreless frame in the 20-6 loss in Texas.

The Pirates get another good performance from James McDonald to stay in the middle of the tight NL Central division race. McDonald strikes out 9 in 5 2/3 innings, a career high and the most by a Bucs pitcher in almost two years, as the Pirates defeat the Braves, 3 – 1. Pittsburgh is tied with St. Louis atop the division, half a game ahead of Milwaukee.

The Yankees extend the Mariners’ franchise-worst losing streak to 16 games with a 10 – 3 win in New York. Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira homer and have three RBI each.

One day after being shut out at home on four singles by Brett Cecil, the Rangers explode for 27 hits in a 20 – 6 drubbing of the Minnesota Twins. They score at least three runs in each of the first five innings, a scoring feat only accomplished two other times since 1900, to cruise to the highest run total in the American League this year. Lead-off hitter Ian Kinsler drives in 5 runs for Texas, while All-Star RF Michael Cuddyer of the Twins moves to the mound in the 8th inning and escapes without allowing a run after loading the bases.

Former Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, and Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, lifetime .300 hitter Roberto Alomar, and Bert Blyleven, ninth on the all-time list with 60 shutouts, are inducted into the Hall of Fame. Gillick won two World Series rings (1992-93) in Toronto with Alomar as his second baseman, and Blyleven helped the Twins win the 1987 Fall Classic as well as playing for the Pirates team that won it all in 1979.

Pablo Ortega of the Tigres de Quintana Roo retires the first 25 batters he faces, issues a walk, then retires two more for a no-hitter against the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz. The 10 – 0 Tigres romp clinches the top spot in the Mexican League’s southern division for them.

2B Roberto Alomar, P Bert Blyleven and GM Pat Gillick are inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. The day has special significance for fans of the Toronto Blue Jays as both Alomar and Gillick had their greatest success with the Jays’ back-to-back World Series-winning teams in 1992 and 1993.