On this weeks podcast – August 5, 1979, Willie Mays is inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Mays slugged 660 homers, batted .302, and collected 3,283 hits in his 22-year career. Known for his all-around play, Mays won 12 Gold Glove Awards for his defense in center field. Former…
45-year-old Bartolo Colon sets a new record for wins by a pitcher from Latin America as the Rangers defeat the Mariners for his 246th career victory, moving him past Dennis Martinez.
The Indianapolis Indians have two players hit for the cycle in a 12 – 5 win over Lehigh Valley in the International League. In the 8th inning, Kevin Newman completes a 5-for-5 day with a homer. Three batters later, Jacob Stallings hits his first triple in three years to complete his own cycle.
On his 26th birthday, Mike Trout collects his 1,000th career hit, a line drive double into the left-field corner off Dylan Bundy in the Halos’ 6-2 loss to the Orioles at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Millville Meteor becomes the tenth American Leaguer to reach the milestone prior to his age-26 season.
The first triple play in Petco Park history takes place in the bottom of the seventh inning when Jabari Blash, with runners on first and second, hits a grounder to Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco, who steps on the bag to begin 5-4-3 around-the-horn triple killing. The last triple play Philadelphia pulled off was accomplished single-handedly by Eric Bruntlett, who retired three Mets by himself in a 2009 contest at Citi Field.
At a crowded news conference, Yankee 3B/DH Alex Rodriguez announces he will play his final major league game against the Rays in the Bronx on August 12 before becoming a special adviser and instructor with the team. The 41 year-old A-Rod, currently hitting .204, will end his career with 696 home runs, fourth on the all-time list, trailing only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714). “Of course I think I can play baseball. You always think you have one more hit in you. That wasn’t in the cards. That was the Yankees’ decision and I’m at peace with it.” – ALEX RODRIGUEZ, announcing his retirement.
At a press conference, Alex Rodriguez announces that he will play his final game on August 12th and then retire with a year and half still left on his huge contract. A-Rod has been benched for the past month or so as his skills have badly eroded, and unless he goes on an unlikely power spree in his final week, will fall just short of 700 home runs, although he is still fourth on the all-time list. His announcement comes two days after teammate Mark Teixeira stated that he would retire at the end of the season.
Ichiro Suzuki of the Marlins becomes the 30th member of the 3,000 hit club with a 7th-inning triple off Chris Rusin of the Rockies in a 10 – 7 Marlins win. What makes it more remarkable is that Ichiro did not collect his first major league hit until he was 27. He is only the second player to reach the milestone with a triple, after Paul Molitor, and the hit comes on the day when the last player to join the club before him, Alex Rodriguez, announced his retirement.
Manny Machado has a chance to make history as he bangs three homers in the first three innings of Baltimore’s 10 – 6 win over the White Sox, but he makes outs in his last three at-bats and has to settle for a 3-for-6 performance.
There are a couple of trades completed today, in spite of the trading deadline having passed a week ago: the Indians send veteran OFs Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher to the Braves in return for IF Chris Johnson, and the Red Sox send 1B Mike Napoli back to Texas for a player to be named later.