Barack Obama becomes the first U.S. president to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. During his visit, the Commander in Chief, a White Sox fan, holds FDR’s green-light letter and a pair of spikes worn by Chicago’s “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, who was one of the eight players banned from the game for their alleged role in fixing the 1919 World Series.

What does the Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija have to do to get a win? Today, the major leagues’ ERA leader pitches 7 scoreless innings, but Hector Rondon blows a 2 – 0 9th-inning lead against the Yankees to send the game into extra innings. In the 13th, Yankees pitcher Preston Claiborne lays down a perfect sacrifice bunt in his first major league plate appearance as part of a two-run rally, Jose Veras throws a wild pitch to let in a first run and back-up catcher John Ryan Murphy drives in another with a single as the Bronx Bombers end up on top, 4 – 2. Samardzija is 0-4 in spite of a 1.46 ERA.

The A’s manage only one hit, a fourth-inning solo home run from Brandon Moss, but it is enough to beat Tampa Bay at Tropicana Field, 3-2, for their fifth straight and 11th victory in its past 12 games. Oakland is the first American League team to win with a home run as its only hit since Jim Thome’s solo shot in 2006 gave the White Sox a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals at U.S. Cellular Field.

Chris Davis has a three-homer day to lead the Orioles to a 9-2 win over the Pirates. The second three-homer game of his career doubles his total for the year, a far cry from his breakout season in 2013 when he hit 9 long balls in April alone on his way to 53, tops in the majors and a Baltimore club record.

At age 55, Julio Franco returns to professional baseball with a 1-for-3 night for the Fort Worth Cats of the independent United League. Hired for the Cats’ current homestand as a player-coach, Franco has now played in five decades, having started in the minor leagues in 1978 until his retirement in 2008.

Mike Hessman of the Toledo Mud Hens connects for his 400th minor league homer, against Scott Diamond of the Rochester Red Wings in an International League contest. Hessman is only the 8th player to reach the mark, and the 4th to do it entirely in U.S.-based leagues, as the top four minor league home run hitters of all time all spent the bulk of their career in Mexico.

Masahiro Tanaka suffers his first loss in the majors when the Cubs beat the Yankees, 6 – 1, behind Jason Hammel. Tanaka was unbeaten in 42 straight regular season starts, since August 19, 2012, including a perfect 24-0 season in Nippon Pro Baseball in 2013, although he had lost a postseason start during the streak.

The Tigers see their 11-game road winning streak ended after a very long day. Having been delayed in leaving Boston, MA, they arrive in Cleveland only three hours before game time, then extend the game when J.D. Martinez hits a pinch homer in the 9th to require extra innings. However, Michael Brantley hits a walk-off homer off Al Alburquerque in the 10th to end the game, 5 – 4.

The Pirates win for the first time in the Bronx in 54 years – since the 1960 World Series – when they beat the Yankees, 5 – 3, in the second game of a doubleheader, after losing the opener, 4 – 3. Starling Marte and Josh Harrison homer for the Bucs in the nitecap, after Mark Teixeira gets a couple of early RBIs in the opener as the Yankees hand Charlie Morton his 6th loss against no wins despite a 101 ERA+.

The Diamondbacks set club records with 21 hits and 13 extra-base hits in defeating the Dodgers, 18 – 7. The D-Backs score 7 times in the 2nd as they chase Clayton Kershaw from the mound, but the Dodgers charge back with a five-run inning in the 6th. Paul Goldschmidt has two homers and 6 RBIs, including one off C Drew Butera, who makes his second pitching appearance of the week. For Los Angeles, Yasiel Puig hits a two-run homer off Chase Anderson in the 3rd inning, extending his hitting streak to 16 games, and his streak of games with an extra-base hit and an RBI to 8, a club record.