Alex Rodriguez moves up to a tie for 15th on the all-time major league home run leader list, even with Ted Williams and Willie McCovey. Rodriguez hits his 521st career homer as part of a 4-for-5 day; Andy Sonnanstine allows the shot. The Yankees top the Rays, 8 – 7.

Nate McLouth continues his stellar start to the season. With the Pirates down, 4 – 3, with two outs in the 9th, he cracks a three-run homer off Dodgers closer Takashi Saito to give the game to Pittsburgh.

Mike Hartley becomes perhaps the first former major leaguer to play in the Bundesliga. The 46-year-old player-coach throws two relief innings, walking two, striking out two and allowing one unearned run in a 10 – 8 win for the Heidenheim Heideköpfe over the Mainz Athletics. Simon Gühring, a former Brewers minor leaguer, gets 3 hits to lead Heidenheim’s offense.

At Minute Maid Park, the Marlins set a club record, blasting six home runs en route to a 10-6 win against the Astros. Jeremy Hermida hit a pair of round-trippers, and teammates Mike Jacobs, Hanley Ramirez, Jorge Cantu, and Mike Rabelo contributed solo homers in Florida’s fourth straight victory, matching the team’s longest winning streak last season.

The Florida Marlins set a franchise record with six home runs in a win. Jeremy Hermida goes deep twice and Jorge Cantu, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs and Mike Rabelo all hit one out as Florida beats the Astros, 10 – 6. Roy Oswalt gives up four of the home runs.

For the third time in the past six years, Major League Baseball adopts a stricter steroids policy. Increased testing is instituted and more power is given to outside administrators. Players named in the Mitchell Report are given amnesty and suspensions for Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons are eliminated.

At the Play Ball, Chicago! Event in the Windy City, the U.S. Postal Service unveils a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the song, Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The favorite tune was written on a New York City train a century ago when passenger Jack Norworth, actor, singer, and songwriter, who claimed never to have seen a major league game, wrote the lyrics after seeing a sign about an upcoming contest at the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants.

Chase Utley ties a major league record by being hit by pitch three times in a game as the Phillies top the Mets, 5 – 2. Utley is hit by an Oliver Perez pitch in the 1st inning and is again plunked by Perez in the 4th. In the 7th, he is hit by Scott Schoeneweis to tie the record.

Top Atlanta Braves prospect Jordan Schafer, who was named the best prospect in the Carolina League in 2007, is suspended 50 games for using Human Growth Hormone. Schafer had hit only .240 in 2006 before leading the affiliated minor leagues in hits last year. He almost won the Braves’ centerfield job in spring training.

Reds rookie Johnny Cueto strikes out eight and walks none; this gives him 18 strikeouts and no walks in his first two major league games. No pitcher has done that since 1900.