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.

The Cubs lose their 11th straight, 3 – 2 to the Pirates, their longest losing streak since opening the 1997 season with 14 consecutive losses. The teams are tied at 2-all in the bottom of the 9th when Jose Tabata leads off with a single off Rafael Dolis, who then issues a pair of walks around two outs to load the bases; Matt Hague takes a pitch in the ribs to end the game on a walk-off hit-by-pitch.

Nelson Cruz goes 4 for 5 with a grand slam and 8 RBI to lead the Rangers to a 14 – 3 win over the Blue Jays. Josh Hamilton hits his 19th home run as Derek Holland is the winner.

Dan Haren tosses a shutout and strikes out 14 as the Angels defeat the Mariners, 3 – 0. Albert Pujols hits a two-run homer off Jason Vargas in the 1st inning, the 450th of his career.

The Red Sox use a power outburst from their scrubs to defeat the surprising first-place Orioles, 6 – 5, and reach .500 for the first time this year. Back-up C Kelly Shoppach and OFs Scott Podsednik and Daniel Nava, both recently called up from the minors because of a rash of injuries, all homer from the bottom three spots in the starting line-up.

In spite of a rash of injuries, the Dodgers continue to win, beating Arizona, 8 – 7, for their 6th straight win. Trailing 6 – 1 entering the 7th, they put up 5 runs to tie the game, then come back from another run down in the 9th on Ivan De Jesus’s two-out, two-run double off closer J.J. Putz.

Cincinnati fan Caleb Lloyd catches both home run balls hit in consecutive at-bats, just three pitches apart, by starter Mike Leake and shortstop Zack Cozart during the fourth inning of the Reds’ 4-1 victory over Atlanta at Great American Ball Park. The 20 year-old Thomas More College junior keeps neither as he gives the infielder’s ball to Nick Rise, a friend who had helped get the tickets to the game, and, at the request of the Reds, gives the pitcher, who hit his first career round-tripper, the other in exchange for a tour of the Reds’ clubhouse and an autographed bat and ball signed by the grateful hurler.