Wladimir Balentien takes Kan Otake deep for his 55th homer of the 2013 season. He ties the Nippon Pro Baseball record for dingers shared by Sadaharu Oh, Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera. Balentien, who had set the Arizona League home run mark 10 years earlier, led the Central League in homers the past two years, while the league juiced up the ball prior to the season.

ByBaseball

Wladimir Balentien takes Kan Otake deep for his 55th homer of the 2013 season. He ties the Nippon Pro Baseball record for dingers shared by Sadaharu Oh, Tuffy Rhodes and Alex Cabrera. Balentien, who had set the Arizona League home run mark 10 years earlier, led the Central League in homers the past two years, while the league juiced up the ball prior to the season.

The Pirates complete a three-game sweep of the Rangers with a 7 – 5 win in Arlington. A.J. Burnett is the winner and Kyle Farnsworth registers his first save in almost two years with top relievers Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon both unavailable. Meanwhile, the Cardinals stay in first place in the NL Central with a 5 – 1 win over Milwaukee after not getting a hit until the 6th inning; they still lead the Pirates by a game.

ByBaseball

The Pirates complete a three-game sweep of the Rangers with a 7 – 5 win in Arlington. A.J. Burnett is the winner and Kyle Farnsworth registers his first save in almost two years with top relievers Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon both unavailable. Meanwhile, the Cardinals stay in first place in the NL Central with a 5 – 1 win over Milwaukee after not getting a hit until the 6th inning; they still lead the Pirates by a game.

At Marlins Park, benches clear when Brian McCann confronts Jose Fernandez as the Miami starting pitcher crosses home plate after hitting his first career home run. The Braves’ backstop and third baseman Chris Johnson take exception to the 21 year-old rookie right-hander admiring the home run from the batter box, then glaring into the Atlanta dugout as he was rounding the bases.

ByBaseball

At Marlins Park, benches clear when Brian McCann confronts Jose Fernandez as the Miami starting pitcher crosses home plate after hitting his first career home run. The Braves’ backstop and third baseman Chris Johnson take exception to the 21 year-old rookie right-hander admiring the home run from the batter box, then glaring into the Atlanta dugout as he was rounding the bases.