Eric Thames hits two more homers, both off Amir Garrett, to lead the Brewers to an 11 – 7 win over the Reds. Thames has hit 10 homers in his first 19 games after three years spent in the Korea Baseball Organization.
Dovydas Neverauskas, taking the roster spot of DL-bound Adam Frazier, becomes the second person born in Lithuania, but the first raised there, to appear in a major league game when he throws two innings of one-run ball for the Pirates in 14-3 loss to the Cubs at PNC Park. A’s outfielder Joe Zapustas, who played two games for the team in 1933, was also born in the Baltic state, but spent his childhood in Boston.
2016 – Chris Heisey ends a 16-inning marathon by belting a walk-off homer off Michael Tonkin that gives the Nationals a 6 – 5 win over the Twins. At 5 hours and 56 minutes, it is the longest regular season game in Nats history. It goes into extra innings after Bryce Harper hits the first pinch homer of his career off closer Kevin Jepsen to tie it at 4 in the 9th. Washington is down by a run again in the 15th when Danny Espinosa draws a two-out walk and steals second; out of pinch-hitters, manager Dusty Baker lets P Oliver Perez bat for himself and he lays down a bunt down the third base line. C John Ryan Murphy picks it up and throws wildly to first base, allowing Espinosa to score and prolonging the game. The Twins strike out 20 times during the game.
The Yankees snap the Mets’ franchise record-tying 11-game winning streak with a 6 -1 win. Jacob deGrom allows three homers, two by Mark Teixeira and the other by Jacoby Ellsbury to be tagged with the loss. Michael Pineda is the winner.
Rumors emerge that the Rangers have reached a tentative deal with the Angels to acquire troubled OF Josh Hamilton. Hamilton left Texas after the 2012 season to sign a five-year deal worth $125 million, but has not been as productive a player since the deal and suffered a relapse of dependency problems. He has yet to play a game this season.
P Michael Pineda of the Yankees is handed a ten-game suspension after being caught using pine tar on the mound in the previous day’s game. The sentence is longer than previous ones, as there had already been controversy over his alleged use of the substance earlier this season. Pineda acknowledges his sin and states that he will not appeal the suspension.
David Ortiz breaks Harold Baines’ record for games played at Designated Hitter (1,644); Ortiz already held records for hits, homers and RBI as a DH. Ortiz goes 0 for 1 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch before leaving early in a 12 – 5 Boston loss to the Yankees.
2013 – The Rockies continue to surprise, today beating the Braves, owners of the major leagues’ best record, with a 12-inning, 6 – 5 win. The Rockies rally to tie the game against closer Craig Kimbrel on Dexter Fowler’s two-out double in the bottom of the 9th, and Yorvit Torrealba, playing 1B because the Rox have used all of their substitutes, drives in Wilin Rosario with a single off Luis Ayala with two outs in the bottom of the 12th to end the game.
The Mets defeat the Marlins, 2 – 1, in a game marking the return of star shortstop Jose Reyes to New York after leaving the Big Apple for Miami as a free agent the previous off-season. Johan Santana strikes out 11 in 6 2/3 innings for the Mets, but leaves the game trailing, 1 – 0, as his teammates have yet to score a run in support of his pitching this year. The Mets score two late runs to win the game, but it is reliever Jon Rauch who gets the W. Before the game, the Mets place two key players on the disabled list, LF Jason Bay who has a broken rib, and starting P Mike Pelfrey, who has swelling in his elbow.
The game between the Yankees and Rangers features a duel between two Japanese free agent signees, Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish. Darvish gets the upper hand, pitching 8 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out 10 in leading Texas to a 2 – 0 win.