June 15

One day after seeing their 9-game winning streak stopped by James Shields’s shutout, the Red Sox are back at it, getting even with the Rays as Josh Beckett tosses a one-hitter in a 3 – 0 win. Kevin Youkilis hits a three-run homer off Jeremy Hellickson in the 7th for the game’s only runs. Reid Brignac has Tampa Bay’s only hit, a 3rd-inning single.

Rickie Weeks homers and doubles twice as the Brewers defeat the Cubs, 7 – 5, to complete their climb to the top of the NL Central, claiming sole possession of first place after a slow start to the season. Ryan Braun doubles twice, singles and scores three runs and Corey Hart also has three hits as the Brew Crew’s bats are not dampened by rainy conditions at Wrigley Field.

Unwanted by the Brewers, pitcher Jeff Suppan shows flashes of his old form in his return to the St. Louis Cardinals. One of the heroes of the team’s conquest of the 2006 World Series title, Suppan gives up a run in four innings and hits a double and scores a run; reliever Blake Hawksworth gets credit for the 4 – 2 win over the Mariners.

Just called up from AAA Portland, Aaron Cunningham hits a grand slam off Brett Cecil in the Padres’ 8 – 2 win over Toronto. Cunningham was called up to replace the injured Matt Stairs, and the slam is his first hit in a San Diego uniform. Mat Latos is the winner, but all is not rosy for the Friars: catcher Yorvit Torrealba is handed a three-game suspension and is fined an undisclosed amount for bumping umpire Larry Vanover in the previous day’s game.

Carlos Delgado drives in his 1,405th run in the majors, breaking Juan Gonzalez’s record for most RBI by a Puerto Rican player.

Chien-Ming Wang, who is 8-2 after back-to-back 19-win seasons, breaks his right foot running the bases in an interleague game with the Astros, spoiling a 13 – 0 Yankee rout. Wang will miss the remainder of the season and the injury will completely derail his career.

Scott Baker strikes out four batters in an inning, the first Minnesota Twins hurler to accomplish the feat. In the 3rd inning of a 4 – 2 loss to Milwaukee, Baker fans Ryan Braun. On a strikeout of Prince Fielder, the ball bounces away from backstop Mike Redmond, letting Fielder reach first. Baker strikes out Russell Branyan and then gets Mike Cameron looking to end the frame.

2007 – Julio Franco comes to bat against Roger Clemens. Their combined age is 93 years, 246 days, the oldest pitcher-batter matchup in the major leagues since Rube Walberg and Nick Altrock on October 1, 1933. Franco and Clemens had first faced off on May 15, 1984, 19 months before the Mets’ starting left fielder in this game, Carlos Gomez, was even born.