2017 – The Indians tie the American League record for consecutive victories when they defeat Detroit, 2 – 0, for their 20th straight win. The record had been set by the 2002 Oakland Athletics in the season depicted in the book and movie Moneyball. Corey Kluber pitches a five-hit shutout to lead Cleveland while Francisco Lindor hits a lead-off homer off Matt Boyd in the 1st.

The Twins set a Target Field record for most homers in a game in the eight-year old ballpark, going deep seven times in the team’s 16-0 pounding of the Padres. The septet of round-trippers blasted by Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Jason Castro (2), Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar, and Kennys Vargas marks the first time in history that a team hits a home run in each of the first seven innings.

The Twins set a Target Field record for most homers in a game in the eight-year old ballpark, going deep seven times in the team’s 16-0 pounding of the Padres. The septet of round-trippers blasted by Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Jason Castro (2), Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar, and Kennys Vargas marks the first time in history that a team hits a home run in each of the first seven innings.

2017 – In a game moved from Tropicana Field to Citi Field in Queens, NY because of Hurricane Irma, Jacoby Ellsbury of the Yankees breaks Pete Rose’s career mark for reaching base on catcher’s interference. It is the 30th time that Ellsbury has managed the otherwise rare manner of making it to first base. The Yankees win the game, 5 – 1, over the Rays thanks to a three-run homer by Todd Frazier.

The Nationals become the first team to clinch a postseason slot this season, after a 3 – 2 win over the Phillies combined with the Marlins’ 10 – 8 loss to the Braves. It is the first time in franchise history that the Nats win back-to-back division titles.

2017 – Jose Abreu hits for the cycle in the White Sox’s 13 -1 rout of the Giants in an interleague game pitting the holders of the worst record in each league. He starts things off by homering off Jeff Samardzija in the 1st, the first of six Chicago players to go deep in the game as James Shields wins for only the third time this year.

2017 – The Dodgers, who just a couple of months ago seemed poised to challenge the major league record of 116 wins in a season, lose again, their 8th straight defeat and 13th in 14 games, as they bow to the Rockies, 5 – 4. They blow an early 4 – 1 lead as D.J. LeMahieu hits a two-run double in the 5th to put Colorado ahead to stay. On a positive note, Yu Darvish records the 1000th strikeout of his career, punching out Carlos Gonzalez in the 5th, becoming the fastest starting pitcher to reach the mark, in 812 innings over 128 games.

The now-unbeatable Cleveland Indians set a new franchise record with their 15th straight win, 11 – 2 over the White Sox. Corey Kluber strikes out 13 in 7 innings while his teammates belt 5 homers, kicked off by a three-run shot by Edwin Encarnacion in the 1st. Erik Gonzalez hits two of the homers. It is the longest winning streak in the majors since Oakland won 20 consecutive games in 2002.

The Indians win their 14th consecutive game by defeating the White Sox, 5 – 1, behind a complete game performance by Carlos Carrasco. The streak ties the club record set last season. Following close on their heels are the Diamondbacks, who set a team record with their 13th straight win, 3 – 1 over the Dodgers. The D-Backs have swept the Dodgers, holders of the best record in the majors, twice in three-game series during the streak.

The New York Times reports that the Red Sox are being investigated for possible sign-stealing during a series against their eternal rivals the Yankees last month. The team’s assistant athletic trainer is suspected of having used a smart watch to capture signs and relay them to players on the field. While trying to decode the other team’s signs is a long-standing tradition in baseball, using any type of electronic equipment to do so is strictly prohibited.