The Phillies tie a team record by hitting 7 homers in a 9 – 4 win over the Reds. Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco and Nick Williams all hit two homers, and Carlos Santana adds another long ball as the Phils have won 5 of 7 since the All-Star Game and have built a lead of 2 1/2 games over the second-place Braves in the NL East.

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The Phillies tie a team record by hitting 7 homers in a 9 – 4 win over the Reds. Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco and Nick Williams all hit two homers, and Carlos Santana adds another long ball as the Phils have won 5 of 7 since the All-Star Game and have built a lead of 2 1/2 games over the second-place Braves in the NL East.

A number of trades take place with the deadline approaching. The Rangers send P Cole Hamels to the Cubs in return for two prospects and a player to be named later. The Braves repatriate reliever Jonny Venters from the Rays in exchange for international bonus money, and the Yankees add P J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays, sending IF Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney in return.

ByBaseball

A number of trades take place with the deadline approaching. The Rangers send P Cole Hamels to the Cubs in return for two prospects and a player to be named later. The Braves repatriate reliever Jonny Venters from the Rays in exchange for international bonus money, and the Yankees add P J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays, sending IF Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney in return.

The Marlins defeat the Rangers, 22 – 10, to set a franchise record for runs; the 32 combined runs are also the most in a game this season. Dee Gordon starts off the game with a homer off Yu Darvish, who gives up 10 runs in less than four innings, while Christian Yelich goes 4-for-5 with a homer and three doubles. For Texas, Adrian Beltre homers and hits two doubles to move with four hits of the 3,000 mark, but he is ejected by umpire Gerry Davis in the 8th for dragging the large plastic mat marking the on-deck circle closer to home plate; his manager, Jeff Banister, is also tossed for coming to his defence.

ByBaseball

The Marlins defeat the Rangers, 22 – 10, to set a franchise record for runs; the 32 combined runs are also the most in a game this season. Dee Gordon starts off the game with a homer off Yu Darvish, who gives up 10 runs in less than four innings, while Christian Yelich goes 4-for-5 with a homer and three doubles. For Texas, Adrian Beltre homers and hits two doubles to move with four hits of the 3,000 mark, but he is ejected by umpire Gerry Davis in the 8th for dragging the large plastic mat marking the on-deck circle closer to home plate; his manager, Jeff Banister, is also tossed for coming to his defence.

The Royals, who have been among the hottest teams in the majors since May, also put up a big score, defeating Detroit, 16 – 2, for their 8th straight win. Eric Hosmer leads the charge with 5 hits including a grand slam; he has six RBIs and scores four times.

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The Royals, who have been among the hottest teams in the majors since May, also put up a big score, defeating Detroit, 16 – 2, for their 8th straight win. Eric Hosmer leads the charge with 5 hits including a grand slam; he has six RBIs and scores four times.

The Blue Jays acquire OF Melvin Upton from San Diego for P Hansel Rodriguez. The Jays also sent embattled reliever Drew Storen to the Mariners in return for Joaquin Benoit, who has also been struggling badly of late.

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The Blue Jays acquire OF Melvin Upton from San Diego for P Hansel Rodriguez. The Jays also sent embattled reliever Drew Storen to the Mariners in return for Joaquin Benoit, who has also been struggling badly of late.

Four players are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the Class of 2015: pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz

Four players are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the Class of 2015: pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz

ByThis Day in Baseball

Four players, all elected by the BBWAA, are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the Class of 2015: pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, all elected on their first presence on the ballot, and 2B Craig Biggio. Martinez steals the show by dancing on stage and entertaining the large contingent of visitors from the Dominican Republic who have come to witness his induction.

The Royals acquire Reds pitching ace Johnny Cueto in a trade for three pitching prospects, Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Cueto will prove key to the Royals winning their first World Series title in three decades.

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The Royals acquire Reds pitching ace Johnny Cueto in a trade for three pitching prospects, Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Cueto will prove key to the Royals winning their first World Series title in three decades.

he Hall of Fame announces a change in voting rules, as players will now be able to stay on the BBWAA ballot for a maximum of 10 and not 15 years

he Hall of Fame announces a change in voting rules, as players will now be able to stay on the BBWAA ballot for a maximum of 10 and not 15 years

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The Hall of Fame announces a change in voting rules, as players will now be able to stay on the BBWAA ballot for a maximum of 10 and not 15 years, as long as they meet the minimum 5% threshold. The move is designed to prevent the ballot from becoming overly crowded because of players tainted by steroids staying on the ballot for years on end with no realistic chance of election, but drawing votes away from more legitimate candidates. However, a number of inductees with an untainted record have had to wait over 10 years for election in recent years, such as Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven or Andre Dawson, making it likely that the rule change will have the effect of also squeezing out some worthy candidates.

The Giants acquire P Jake Peavy from the Red Sox in return for minor leaguers Heath Hembree and Edwin Escobar, in a clear indication that Boston has given up any hope of defending last year’s Championship title.

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The Giants acquire P Jake Peavy from the Red Sox in return for minor leaguers Heath Hembree and Edwin Escobar, in a clear indication that Boston has given up any hope of defending last year’s Championship title.

The Yankees repatriate OF Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs, in return for minor league P Corey Black. Soriano plays DH and bats clean-up in tonight’s game against the Rays, but goes 0-for-5 as the Yankees lose, 10 – 6. Tampa Bay’s win, combined with Boston’s loss to the Orioles, puts the Rays in first place in the AL East for the first time since April 6th.

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The Yankees repatriate OF Alfonso Soriano from the Cubs, in return for minor league P Corey Black. Soriano plays DH and bats clean-up in tonight’s game against the Rays, but goes 0-for-5 as the Yankees lose, 10 – 6. Tampa Bay’s win, combined with Boston’s loss to the Orioles, puts the Rays in first place in the AL East for the first time since April 6th.