The Orioles put on a power display in defeating the Astros, 13 – 5, hitting 6 homers, two each by J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis. Hyun Soo Kim adds four hits as the O’s jump on rookie starter Joe Musgrove. The win puts Baltimore in a second-place tie with Boston in the AL East, 1 1/2 games behind first-place Toronto in what has been a year-long see-saw race among the three teams.

The Commissioner’s office issues an indefinite suspension against Astros minor league outfielder Danry Vasquez, one day after the release of a tape from a surveillance camera showing him assaulting his girlfriend in a stairwell at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, TX. The Astros immediately announce that he has been handed his unconditional release, as teams no longer show any tolerance for serious incidents of family violence.

The Blue Jays score 8 runs in the 8th to mount a come-from-behind 12 – 6 win over the Yankees and take over first place from Baltimore in a tightly-fought AL East race. C Russell Martin’s second homer of the contest puts the Jays ahead to stay. His counterpart for New York, Gary Sanchez, also homers twice, making it the first time in American League history that both starting catchers have done so. Troy Tulowitzki has four hits and also homers for Toronto, while Scott Feldman earns his first win since being acquired in a mid-season trade.

Playing his first game in Philadelphia after being traded by the Phillies almost a year ago, Chase Utley has one of the best games of his career, homering twice including a grand slam in leading the Dodgers to a 15 – 5 win.

2016 – Francisco Mejia of the Lynchburg Hillcats goes 0 for 3 with a walk in a game against the Winston-Salem Dash to end his hitting streak at 50 games. It was the longest hitting streak in the minors since Roman Mejias had 55 in 1954.

2016 – Rookies Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back homers in their respective first major league at-bats in the 2nd inning to lead the Yankees to an 8 – 4 win over the Rays. No teammates had ever homered in their first at-bat in the same game, let alone back-to-back. The Yankees hit three more homers later in the day, by Starlin Castro, Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius, to put the game away; in a sign that the team’s youth movement is going well, not one of these players is over 25.

2016 – As announced a week earlier, Alex Rodriguez plays his final game for the Yankees today, going 1 for 4 with a 1st-inning RBI double off Chris Archer of the Rays in a 6 – 3 Yankees win. The Yankees indulge him by letting him play at his old position, third base, in the 9th; he then leaves the game under the crowd’s applause after one out, ending his career only 4 homers short of 700, but done as a player at 41.

Rockies rookie outfielder David Dahl singles to right field off Rangers starter Lucas Harrell, giving him a hit in 17 straight games to start his big league career. The 22 year-old freshman’s streak, in which he is batting .365 (23-of-63), equals the mark established by Reds third baseman Chuck Aleno, who also hit in his first major league 17 games in May of 1941.

2016 – Rangers slugger Prince Fielder formally announces that his career is over at 32, the result of having undergone a second spinal fusion surgery a few weeks earlier, making him medically unable to perform although he has four years remaining on his contract. He is the third prominent home run hitter to announce his retirement in a week, following Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

2016 – Eight days after having been acquired by the Athletics at the trading deadline, Jharel Cotton makes a bid to throw only the fourth perfect game in Pacific Coast League history. After striking out Kyle Kubitza for out number 26, he gives up a triple to Doug Bernier with two outs in the 9th to spoil his attempt. He then strikes out the next batter to complete a one-hit shutout as Nashville defeats Round Rock, 3 – 0.