Alfredo Despaigne becomes the first player to win four Serie Nacional Most Valuable Player awards in Cuba; Martin Dihigo had been a four-time MVP in the Cuban Winter Leagueprior to the revolution. Despaigne, who led in average (.406) and slugging (.762) and was second with 17 homers, breaks a tie with Wilfredo Sánchez and Omar Linares. The Rookie of the Year is Isla de la Juventud shortstop Alfredo Rodríguez.

Giancarlo Stanton becomes the Marlins’ all-time home run leader when he goes deep off Dillon Gee in the first inning of the team’s 7-5 loss to New York at Citi Field. The 25 year-old right fielder’s two-run blast, his 155th round-tripper for Miami, surpasses the franchise mark established in 2010 by Dan Uggla.

This year, the annual Civil Rights Game is played on “Jackie Robinson Day” with the host Dodgers defeating the Mariners, 5 – 2, in an interleague game as the memory of the man who broke the color barrier is honored before the game. Los Angeles jumps on Taijuan Walker for 5 runs in 4 innings. For Seattle, Nelson Cruz homers in his fifth straight game.

2015 – After one week of action in the major leagues, two teams are still undefeated, and both play in the AL Central. The defending American League champions, the Kansas City Royals, complete a three-game team of the Angels with a 9 – 2 win behind starter Yordano Ventura to improve to 6-0. Meanwhile, the Tigers are keeping pace as their 8 – 5 win over Cleveland also completes a week-end sweep; Miguel Cabrera hits two homers while going 4-for-4 for the day and 11-for-14 in the series.

Mets reliever Jenrry Mejia is the latest major league player to be suspended for testing positive for a steroid as he is handed an 80-game penalty. He is the fourth pitcher to incur the penalty in a two-week span, following Ervin Santana, David Rollins and Arodys Vizcaino.

The Yankees and Red Sox lock horns in a 19-inning marathon, the game ending with the Red Sox coming out on top, 6 – 5, at 2:13 AM. The game is further lengthened by a 16-minute delay caused by a power outage in the 12th inning at New Yankee Stadium. Chase Headley forces extra innings with a homer off Edward Mujica with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, then David Ortiz and Mark Teixeira exchange solo homers in the 16th, and both teams score once in the 18th as well, further extending the game. Xander Bogaerts scores the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts, and this time Steven Wright, in his fifth inning of relief work, keeps the Yankees from replying.

Mound opponents Cubs Travis Wood and Tyler Matzek of the Rockies each hit eighth in their team’s lineup, marking just the 12th time in major league history that both pitchers have not batted ninth in the same game. The last time this occurred was in 2008 when the Cardinals, led by Tony La Russa, who frequently employed his hurler in that slot, played the Pirates.

At Great American Ball Park, Reds closer Aroldis Chapman throws a 101 mph fastball by Matt Holliday to get the last out in the team’s 5-4 victory over St. Louis, making the fireballer the leader in saves by a Cuban-born player with 115. The 27 year-old Holguin native surpasses Pinar del Rio’s Danys Baez, who, beginning in 2001, closed for six teams during his ten-year tenure in the major leagues.