1996 – Toronto C Charlie O’Brien unveils a hockey-style catcher’s mask in the game against the Yankees. The mask is a success, but the Blue Jays lose to the New Yorkers, 4 – 1. Andy Pettitte wins his 21st.

Alex Rodriguez became the first player in Mariners history to collect 200 hits in a season. The 20 year-old Seattle shortstop, who gets an RBI single off Minnesota’s Travis Miller in the first inning to reach the milestone, will finish the season with 215 hits and a Major League leading .358 batting average.

Milwaukee trounces Texas, 15 – 4, led by 2B Fernando Vina who goes 5 for 6, with a triple, two home runs, three RBIs, and four runs scored.

1996 – Rockies OF Ellis Burks steals his 30th base of the season, making him the 19th player in history to join the 30-30 club. He hits his 37th homer of the season and drives in five runs in Colorado’s 16 – 8 win over Atlanta.

Alex Rodriguez, in an 8-5 win over the Royals, sets a major league shortstop record with his 88th extra base hit. The Mariners infielder’s first-inning double off Chris Haney in the Kauffman Stadium contest establishes the new mark.

With two home runs and a single, Yankee center fielder Bernie Williams has eight RBIs, helping the Bronx Bombers defeat Detroit, 12-3.

After hitting a home run off right-hander Francisco Cordova earlier in the game, Ken Caminiti goes deep in the bottom of the seventh inning off southpaw Matt Ruebel, making it the fourth time this season he has homered from both sides of the plate in a game. The Padres’ third baseman breaks his own major league record, which he established last year when he accomplished the feat three times.

In the Dodgers’ 5 – 4 win over the Reds, Brett Butler breaks his hand on a bunt attempt when he is hit by a pitch. The 39-year-old Butler, who battled back from cancer surgery, is out for the year after playing five games.

The Expos use nine pitchers in a vain attempt to stop the Cubs. Chicago wins, 10 – 3. The nine pitchers in a regulation game matches the major league mark set by the 1949 Browns, who used nine in a season-ending promotion.

The Cards win their 8th in a row as pitcher Donovan Osborne belts his first major league home run – a grand slam – to beat the Padres, 8 – 3.