Jeff Kent hits two round-trippers to become the all-time home run leader of second basemen. The Astros infielder records his 278th dinger and 302nd overall to break Ryne Sandberg’s major league record established in 1997.
Steve Finley, for the second time in his career, hits a walk-off grand slam. The center fielder’s ninth-inning bases-loaded home run in the 7-3 win over the Giants at Chavez Ravine clinches the NL West title for the Dodgers. (Ed note: Charles Gottschalk inspired this entry – LP).
The Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise’s history, defeating the New York Mets, 6 – 3. Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos’ final home run in the 9th inning, his 32nd of the year.
Ichiro Suzuki, with the second of his two singles, a ground ball through the box, makes history, breaking the major league record for hits in a single season. The third-inning historic safety by the Mariner outfielder from Japan surpasses George Sisler’s 84 year-old mark of 257 hits established in 1920 with the St. Louis Browns. He will finish the season with 262 hits.
Thanks to Bernie Williams’s ninth inning two-run homer, the Yankees beat the Twins, 6-4, to clinch their seventh straight American League East Division title. It is also their 100th victory of the season, making the club only the fourth team in history (Braves 1997-99; Orioles 1969-71; A’s 1929-31) to have three consecutive 100-win seasons.
Hours after MLB’s announcement of the franchise’s impending shift to Washington, D.C., the Expos played their final game in Montreal, a 9-1 loss to Florida before 31,395 enthusiastic fans at Olympic Stadium. As part of the ceremonies, the team commemorates their unfinished 1994 season by unfurling a banner that reads “1994 Meilleure quipe du Baseball/Best Team in Baseball,” a reference to the club’s 74-40 record before the work stoppage ended the season and the city’s hopes of playing in a World Series.
With the Braves beating the Mets 6-3, Bobby Cox becomes the ninth manager in baseball history to win 2,000 games. All of the other skippers who have reached this milestone are enshrined in the Hall of Fame, with the exception of Tony La Russa, who is still actively managing the Cardinals.
2004 – Backup catcher Raul Chavez drives in five as Houston outslugs Milwaukee, 11-7. Morgan Ensberg adds four hits. Jeff Kent and Lance Berkman go deep. The Astros are 1-1/2 games behind the Cubs in the hunt for the final playoff berth.
Atlanta’s streak of consecutive division titles is extended to 13, with the Braves clinching the NL East as a result of an 8-7 victory over the Marlins. The record run, which excludes the strike-shortened season of 1994, includes the three titles won in the NL West prior to the re-alignment of teams in 1993.
After he gives up five runs in the Red Sox’ 6-4 loss to the Bronx Bombers at Fenway Park, Pedro Mart�nez tells the media, “they beat me. They’re that good right now. They’re that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.” The words will come back to haunt the Dominican right-hander when the fans begin chanting “Who’s your daddy?” every time he takes the mound in New York during the American League Championship Series.