A sign bearing the likeness of Mike Piazza connecting for his decisive eighth-inning home run in the Mets’ 3-2 victory against Atlanta in the first professional sports event in New York City following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 proves to be the winning entry in the Mets’ revival of Banner Day, a team tradition started in 1963 that lasted until 1996. The artwork, created by cousins Olivia Nuzzo and Stephanie Giangrande, included a section of the NYC’s former skyline, with the WTC towers silhouetted above Piazza’s heroic homer in mid-swing above the words, “The home run that helped heal N.Y. God Bless America. Let’s Go Mets.”

Paul Konerko hits his 400th homer in a White Sox uniform, a three-run shot off Ubaldo Jimenez in the 4th, to lead Chicago to a 12 – 6 win over Cleveland, completing a three-game sweep. Konerko is now batting .399 for the year and the Sox have moved to within half a game of the AL Central-leading Indians.

The Rockies and Reds combine for 9 home runs, the most ever hit in a single game at Great American Ballpark, as the Reds prevail, 7 – 5. Mat Latos allows 5 hits in 7 1/3 innings – all of them solo homers – to pick up the win; Jamie Moyer who has surrendered more long balls than anyone in major league history, adds another four to his total. 8 different players go deep, with Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez the only man to do so twice.