Rays announcer Dewayne Staats, before calling his 5000th major league game, throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the hometown team’s 2-1 loss to San Diego at Tropicana Field. The veteran broadcaster, in his 25th season, has also done play-by-play for the Cubs, Astros, and ESPN.

ByTom

Rays announcer Dewayne Staats, before calling his 5000th major league game, throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the hometown team’s 2-1 loss to San Diego at Tropicana Field. The veteran broadcaster, in his 25th season, has also done play-by-play for the Cubs, Astros, and ESPN.

Arizona State University, the #1 seed, gets bumped from the 2010 College World Series by losing their first two games. ASU had not lost consecutive games all season until this point.

ByBaseball

Arizona State University, the #1 seed, gets bumped from the 2010 College World Series by losing their first two games. ASU had not lost consecutive games all season until this point.

The sale of the Texas Rangers by Tom Hicks to a group headed by Chuck Greenberg is not proceeding smoothly. Although announced in January, it is now before a Federal Bankruptcy Court. Judge Michael Lynn issues a ruling today that creditors are adversely affected by a plan to pay them $75 million and are entitled to vote on it. The sale could fall through if the creditors veto the deal, valued at $575 million overall; at issue is the treatment of $525 million in loans on which Hicks’s ownership group defaulted last year. Meanwhile, on the field, the Rangers beat Pittsburgh, 6 – 3, thanks to Josh Hamilton’s 17th homer of the year, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.

ByBaseball

The sale of the Texas Rangers by Tom Hicks to a group headed by Chuck Greenberg is not proceeding smoothly. Although announced in January, it is now before a Federal Bankruptcy Court. Judge Michael Lynn issues a ruling today that creditors are adversely affected by a plan to pay them $75 million and are entitled to vote on it. The sale could fall through if the creditors veto the deal, valued at $575 million overall; at issue is the treatment of $525 million in loans on which Hicks’s ownership group defaulted last year. Meanwhile, on the field, the Rangers beat Pittsburgh, 6 – 3, thanks to Josh Hamilton’s 17th homer of the year, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.

The White Sox extend their unlikely winning streak to seven games with a 9 – 6 victory over Atlanta to move one game above .500. They are helped by a freakish play with two outs in the 4th, when Alex Rios hits a ground ball that jumps inside 3B Brooks Conrad’s shirt for an infield single. Paul Konerko follows with a single and Carlos Quentin with a three-run homer for a 9 – 3 lead. Before the streak, both manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams were rumored to be on the verge of losing their job.

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The White Sox extend their unlikely winning streak to seven games with a 9 – 6 victory over Atlanta to move one game above .500. They are helped by a freakish play with two outs in the 4th, when Alex Rios hits a ground ball that jumps inside 3B Brooks Conrad’s shirt for an infield single. Paul Konerko follows with a single and Carlos Quentin with a three-run homer for a 9 – 3 lead. Before the streak, both manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams were rumored to be on the verge of losing their job.

The GCL Yankees rip the GCL Pirates, 11 – 4. In the 5th, the Bucs turn to Dovydas Neverauskas, who will allow two runs in 2 1/3 IP. He becomes the first Lithuanian to play in the minor leagues.

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The GCL Yankees rip the GCL Pirates, 11 – 4. In the 5th, the Bucs turn to Dovydas Neverauskas, who will allow two runs in 2 1/3 IP. He becomes the first Lithuanian to play in the minor leagues.

The Blue Jays designate 3B Edwin Encarnacion for assignment, hoping to send him to AAA Las Vegas, although they risk losing the talented player on waivers. Encarnacion has shown bursts of great power, hitting 5 home runs in 3 games at one point this year, but has struggled overall, batting .200 in 37 games and showing inconsistency in the field. The move makes room on the roster for P Scott Richmond, coming off the 60-day disabled list.

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On June 21, 2010 The Blue Jays designate 3B Edwin Encarnacion for assignment, hoping to send him to AAA Las Vegas, although they risk losing the talented player on waivers. Encarnacion has shown bursts of great power, hitting 5 home runs in 3 games at one point this year, but has struggled overall, batting .200 in 37 games and showing inconsistency in…

At a press conference, Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team cannot succeed if it continues to play in Tropicana Field or anywhere in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. The team’s poor attendance in spite of an excellent record and a bevy of exciting young players has not gone unnoticed. While the team’s lease on its current ballpark expires in 2027, the owner is looking at sites for a new park in Tampa, FL, even though it is likely that the city of St. Petersburg will take legal action if a move is made while the lease is still valid.

ByBaseball

On June 21, 2010 At a press conference, Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team cannot succeed if it continues to play in Tropicana Field or anywhere in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. The team’s poor attendance in spite of an excellent record and a bevy of exciting young players has not gone unnoticed. While the team’s lease on its current…

The Cincinnati Reds blast three home runs in the 10th – by Ramon Hernandez, Joey Votto and Scott Rolen – to beat Oakland, 6 – 4. The outburst comes after the Reds scored only one run in suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Mariners. Francisco Cordero is the winner in spite of blowing a 2 – 1 lead by coughing up a long ball to Kevin Kouzmanoff in the bottom of the 9th.

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On June 21, 2010 The Cincinnati Reds blast three home runs in the 10th – by Ramon Hernandez, Joey Votto and Scott Rolen – to beat Oakland, 6 – 4. The outburst comes after the Reds scored only one run in suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Mariners. Francisco Cordero is the winner in spite of blowing a 2 – 1 lead by…

The Yankees are back in first place in the AL East, one game ahead of the surging Red Sox and slumping Rays, after CC Sabathia pitches 8 scoreless innings as the Bronx Bombers shut out the Mets and Johan Santana, 4 – 0. All the runs come on Mark Teixeira’s grand slam.

ByThis Day in Baseball

On June 20, The Yankees are back in first place in the AL East, one game ahead of the surging Red Sox and slumping Rays, after CC Sabathia pitches 8 scoreless innings as the Bronx Bombers shut out the Mets and Johan Santana, 4 – 0. All the runs come on Mark Teixeira’s grand slam.

The Red Sox are inching closer after completing a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at Fenway Park, spoiling Manny Ramirez’s return to Boston after his exit under a cloud of controversy in mid-2008. Clay Buchholz has another strong pitching performance, improving his record to 10-4, in the 2 – 0 win in the finale. The Sox are now tied with the Rays, who have gone 3-7 over their last 10 games while Boston has won 6 straight.

ByThis Day in Baseball

On June 20, The Red Sox are inching closer after completing a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at Fenway Park, spoiling Manny Ramirez’s return to Boston after his exit under a cloud of controversy in mid-2008. Clay Buchholz has another strong pitching performance, improving his record to 10-4, in the 2 – 0 win in the finale. The Sox are now tied with…