The Boston Red Sox’s record streak of sell-outs at Fenway Park ends after 820 games as the attendance for today’s game against the Orioles is 30,862, well below the stadium’s capacity of 37,493. The streak had begun on May 15, 2003 and included 794 regular-season games and 26 postseason contests. It easily surpassed the previous record of 455, set by the Cleveland Indians between 1995 and 2001. The streak went on even though Fenway’s seating capacity was increased by 5000 over the period.

The Astros erase a week’s worth of offensive impotence by racking up 22 hits and 5 homers in defeating the Mariners, 16 – 9, snapping a six-game losing streak. Chris Carter has the first two-homer game of his career, and J.D. Martinez, Marwin Gonzalez and Jose Altuve each hit their first long ball of the year. Erik Bedard, making his first start of the year, leaves with a 13 – 0 lead after four innings, but does not earn the win as he fails to go 5 innings; Paul Clemens gets the “W” in spite of giving up 5 runs and three homers in 4 innings of relief in his major league debut.

The Yankees also use the long ball, as they bang out five homers of their own in crushing the Indians, 14 – 1. Indians starter Carlos Carrasco gives up seven runs before being ejectedby home plate umpire Jordan Baker for throwing at Kevin Youkilis in the 4th. Ironically, Carrasco had just finished serving a five-game suspension incurred in 2011, but only served at the start of the season as he has undergone Tommy John surgery and been out of the big leagues in the meantime. He claims that he slipped on the pitch to Youkilis, which comes just after a home run by Robinson Cano; he will receive an eight-game suspension this time. Andy Pettitte is the winner for the Yankees.

Alarmed at seeing a historically-low number of African-American players on major league rosters at the start of the season – just 7.7% of players – Commissioner Bud Selig creates a 17-person committee that will look at the issue of diversity in baseball.

Joe Nathan picks up his 300th career save for the Rangers with a bit of assistance from umpire Marty Foster. With Texas up, 5 – 4, the tying run on third base and a full count on Ben Zobrist of Tampa Bay, Nathan throws a change-up that appears to be both low and outside. Zobrist tosses his bat and begins walking to first base when Foster makes a belated strikecall, ending the game, to the disbelief of both Nathan and Rays manager Joe Maddon. Foster later admits he blew the call.

The Reds spoil the Cardinals’ home opener by scoring 9 runs in the top of the 9th to break a 4 – 4 tie and win, 13 – 4. Stand-in closer Mitchell Boggs gives up the first seven runs while recording only a single out. Shin-Soo Choo, who committed a couple of errors on dropped fly balls earlier in the game, starts the ball rolling by drawing a lead-off walk off Boggs, then hits a three-run double when the Reds bat around. Before the game, the Cardinals unveil a huge number 6 on the outfield fence at Busch Stadium, in tribute to team great Stan Musialwho passed away during the winter.

2013 – Boston 3B Will Middlebrooks is the first batter to have a three-homer game this season, leading the Sox to a 13 – 0 win over the Blue Jays, part of a 4-for-5 day. The first two homers come off last year’s National League Cy Young Award winner, R.A. Dickey, who gives up five runs before recording an out in the 1st. Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava and Jacoby Ellsbury also go deep for Boston.

The Upton brothers, playing together for the Braves, stun the Cubs. With Atlanta trailing 5 – 4, B.J. Upton leads off the bottom of the 9th with a homer off Carlos Marmol, and two batters later, Justin Upton hits a walk-off blast to give the Braves a 6 – 5 win, his second long ball of the game. They are the first pair of brothers to homer in the same inning since Billyand Cal Ripken did so for Baltimore in 1996.

Joan Carlos Pedroso becomes the 9th Cuban player to 300 home runs since the Castro revolution. The Isla de la Juventud slugger goes deep off Jonder Martinez in a 4 – 3 loss.

The Dodgers trade P Aaron Harang to the Rockies in return for C Ramon Hernandez. Colorado’s motivation for the deal is purely financial: they immediately designate Harang for assignment in order to trade him elsewhere.