The 2008 amateur draft is held. The Tampa Bay Rays, picking first overall for the third time in four years, select high school shortstop Tim Beckham. The Pittsburgh Pirates take Pedro Alvarez of Vanderbilt University second, the first college player taken. The first pitcher selected is Brian Matusz, going fourth, to the Orioles.

In a televised game at Fenway Park against the Rays, NESN cameras catch Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis fighting in the dugout. The altercation between the Red Sox teammates is a result of Manny’s taking exception to Youkilis’ demonstrative behavior after the third baseman returns to the bench after striking out.

At Nationals Park, Mark Worrell becomes the eighth player in Cardinals history to hit a home run in his first big league at-bat. The rookie reliever, who also pitched two scoreless innings, hit his monstrous three-run blast on a 3-2 pitch from Washington’s Tim Redding in the sixth inning of a 10-9 St. Louis loss.

At Fenway Park, Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp takes exception to being hit in the hip by Rays’ starter James Shields, and the Boston outfielder shows his displeasure by charging the mound, igniting a bench clearing brawl that will result in the ejections of the combatants along with Tampa Bay’s Jonny Gomes and the suspension of eight players. In yesterday’s game, Rays skipper Joe Maddon accused Crisp of intentionally trying to injure his second baseman Akinori Iwamura on a stolen base attempt.

Carlos Zambrano holds the Houston Astros hitless for 7 1/3 innings before Preston Wilson hits a single, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 8 – 0 victory at Minute Maid Park. Zambrano strikes out eight and helps himself with the bat, hitting a home run with four runs batted in.

Eric Gregg, a former National League umpire, dies in Philadelphia, at the age of 55. Known for his big personality, extra-wide strike zone and oversized frame, Gregg worked the 1989 World Series, four NL Championship Series, two NL Division Series and one All-Star Game.

Jason Giambi and Andy Phillips each hit a three-run home run in a seven-run 2nd inning, and the host New York Yankees rough up old nemesis Josh Beckett in a 13 – 5 rout of the Boston Red Sox. New York has 11 hits, making this the 12th consecutive game with at least 10, breaking the franchise record of 11 straight games set in May 1937.

Jason Schmidt matches a 102-year-old Giants franchise record with 16 strikeouts, fanning his final three batters to escape a 9th-inning jam and preserve a 2 – 1 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Reds’ slugger Ken Griffey Jr. hits a home run in his forty-third ballpark to tie the major league record also held by Fred McGriff. Junior, who has homered in every existing ballpark, goes deep twice in the new Busch Stadium, including a ninth inning three-run game winner off Jason Isringhausen in Cincinnati’s 8-7 victory over the Redbirds.

For the first time since 1933, a big league team representing Washington, D.C. finds itself in first place at this point into the season when the Nationals take the top spot in the National League East. With the team playing so well, it takes the recently transplanted Nats only 32 games to attract 1,056,642 fans to RFK Stadium, breaking the District’s attendance mark of 1,027,216 that was set in 1946 by the original Senators at Griffith Stadium.