MLB hands out a bevy of suspensions following one of the most violent on-field brawl in recent years which occurred on July 30th in a game between the Reds and Pirates. The longest suspensions go to Pirates pitcher Keone Kela who gets 10 games for starting the whole fracas by throwing at the head of Derek Dietrich, and to Reds P Amir Garrett, who distinguished himself by taking wild swings at opponents, who gets 8. Cincinnati manager David Bell will be out for 6 games after returning to the field following a prior ejection to take part in the fisticuffs, and OF Yasiel Puig who gets 3 games after joining in the fight in spite of having been traded shortly beforehand. Others being punished include Pirates manager Clint Hurdle and players José Osuna, Kyle Crick and Jared Hughes. A number of other players escape with only fines. There had already been a total of 9 ejections during the game itself.

The surprising Athletics move into a tie for the second wild card spot in the American League by defeating the Blue Jays, 8 – 3, completing a season sweep of their seven games with the Jays. The A’s are 30-10 since June 16th and have made up 11 games on the Mariners during that span. Sean Manaea records his 10th win of the year.

It’s a wild and crazy game between two teams fighting for the lead in their respective divisions at Fenway Park. Cleveland jumps to an early 5 – 0 lead against Chris Sale, but Boston comes right back, chasing Carlos Carrasco in the 2nd. In the 5th, Indians CF Austin Jackson robs Hanley Ramirez of a homer by jumping over the center field fence, catching the ball, and tumbling into the bullpen while holding on to the ball all the way; the catch is so spectacular that the Fenway faithful can’t help but give him a huge ovation. In the 6th, Eduardo Nunez clears the bases with a double off Andrew Miller against the Green Monster, putting Boston ahead, 9 – 7, but Cleveland claws back. Carlos Santana greets newly-acquired reliever Addison Reed with a lead-off homer in the 8th, and in the 9th, Francisco Lindor homers off closer Craig Kimbrel to tie the game. A rattled Kimbrel then loads the bases with two outs before throwing a wild pitch that puts the Indians ahead, 10 – 9. But Cody Allen blows a lead in turn, as rookie Rafael Devers beats out a bouncer to third, Mitch Moreland reaches on a dropped third strike with two outs, and Christian Vazquez ends the game by blasting a pitch into the stands for a 12 – 10 win.

Evan Longoria hits for the cycle, becoming the second player in team history to pull off the feat, as the Rays defeat the Astros, 6 – 4. It takes a video review to confirm that he slid safely into second base in the 9th for the missing double that completes the quartet of hits.

The trading deadline is pushed back by one day because the traditional date of July 31st falls on a Sunday this year, and teams take full advantage of the extra 24 hours as they conclude 18 trades today, involving a total of 49 players. Among the most active teams are the Rangers, who acquire C Jonathan Lucroy and P Jeremy Jeffress from Milwaukee and OF Carlos Beltran from the Yankees, giving up five prospects in return. Milwaukee also sends RP Will Smith to the Giants, who acquire P Matt Moore from Tampa Bay in a separate deal. The Dodgers land P Rich Hill and OF Josh Reddick from Oakland and P Jesse Chavez from Toronto, the latter in return for P Mike Bolsinger. Toronto also swaps P Drew Hutchison with Pittsburgh to land P Francisco Liriano, and obtain P Scott Feldman from Houston. The Mets are also active, acquiring OF Jay Bruce from Cincinnatiand repatriating P Jon Niese from Pittsburgh, while the Cubs land P Joe Smith from the Angels.

OF Max Kepler hits three home runs and drives in 6 runs in Minnesota’s 12 – 6 win over the Indians; he also singles in the 9th. After starting the season in the minors, Kepler leads all American League rookies in homers (14) and RBIs (44). For Cleveland, P Danny Salazar has the shortest outing of his career and will need to undergo an MRI on his elbow.

Danny Duffy takes a no-hitter into the 8th inning and strikes out a Royals franchise record 16 batters in a 3 – 0 win over the Rays. Desmond Jennings breaks his bid for immortality with a lead-off double in the 8th. Kelvin Herrera pitches the 9th to complete the combined one-hit shutout.

Clayton Kershaw strikes out Mike Trout looking with a wicked curveball, marking the first time that reigning MVPs have faced one another in a major league game. The interleague contest between the two LA teams ends with Dodger southpaw keeping the Angel outfielder 0-for-3 while hurling eight innings in the team’s 3-1 victory over the Halos at Chavez Ravine.

2015 – A nine-year-old bat boy is killed when he is struck in the head by a follow-through swing while standing near the on-deck circle at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, KS. The death occurs even though the boy is wearing a helmet and is immediately administered first aid by the home plate umpire, a trained paramedic.