Darla Harlow, a big fan of the Mississippi Braves, is given the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Trustmark Park in Pearl. After tossing the ball to home plate, the military wife is totally surprised when the catcher takes off his mask, revealing the ‘player’ is really her husband, Michael, an Army major who has been away from home, serving in Afghanistan for the past nine months.

The Yankees and Red Sox, tied atop the AL East standings, meet for a three-game series at Fenway Park. New York takes the opener, 3 – 2, thanks a to a big performance by its bullpen. After starter Bartolo Coloncomes out in the 5th, with his team trailing, 2 – 0, five relievers pitch 4 1/3 scoreless innings and the Yanks score three runs in the top of the 6th off Jon Lester for the win. Nick Swisher drives in the winning run with a double, Boone Logan is the winner and Mariano Rivera picks up the save.

The Twins celebrate the 20th year anniversary of the 1991 controversial play when Kent Hrbek and Ron Gant becoming entangled at first base in Game 2 of the World Series with a bobblehead doll depicting one of the worst of all-time decisions by an umpire. Drew Coble called Gant out when it appeared first baseman Kent Hrbek had lifted him off the bag.

The Cubs complete a four-game sweep of the Pirates with a 7 – 6 win in Pittsburgh, as Carlos Pena, Geovany Soto and Blake DeWitt homer to send the Bucs to their 7th straight defeat. Pirates starter James McDonaldgives up 4 runs in 7 innings and drives in 3 himself, exiting the game with a 6 – 4 lead, but the Cubs rally for three runs in the 8th off four relievers, three of whom fail to record an out.

Cliff Lee pitches his 5th shutout of the year in a 3 – 0 Phillies defeat of San Francisco that may well be a preview of the postseason. The Phillies have now won 7 in a row and have pulled to an 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East.

Dan Uggla extends his hitting streak to 25 games with a single and three-run homer in Atlanta’s 6 – 4 win over Washington. Batting just .173 on July 4th, Uggla has been scorching during the streak, raising his batting average 42 points while hitting 11 homers and driving in 23 runs.

The Jamestown (New York) Jammers wear special game jerseys during their NY-Penn League game against Tri-City to commemorate Lucy Ball’s 100th birthday and in conjunction with the Festival of Comedy being held in her honor in Jamestown this week. The uniform tops, which feature Lucy and Desi on the front and Lucy’s 100th birthday celebration logo on the back, will be auctioned off later to benefit the Lucy-Desi Center, and the winners can have the jersey autographed by the player who wore it, if so desired.

With tempers running high in Milwaukee, Casey McGehee has a three-homer day for the Brewers as they beat the Cardinals, 10 – 5. The Cards let newly-acquired Edwin Jackson take a beating, as he gives up 10 runs and 14 hits in 7 innings in order to give his team’s bullpen a breather.

The Yankees jump to a 13 – 1 lead over Chicago in the first three innings, chasing Gavin Floyd early, but A.J. Burnett can’t make it through five innings, departing after one out in the 5th, having allowed his team’s lead to narrow to 13 – 7. Cory Wade steps in to shut down the Sox and pick up the win, with the Yankees running the final score to 18 – 7 with some late scoring. Robinson Cano hits a three-run homer in the 1st to set the tone, and Eric Chavez has a two-run shot in the 3rd, his first as a Yankee.