It took him eight tries since he recorded his last win on July 24th, but 45-year-old Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, the major leagues’ active win leader, finally records victory number 200. He pitches 6 innings and leaves with a 6 – 5 lead over the Blue Jays, then his teammates get to work padding that cushion, as the game ends 18 – 6. In the 9th inning, P Junichi Tazawa makes his return to the majors two years after an injury interrupted a promising major league debut.

Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers continue to steamroll over opponents. Verlander picks up his 23rd win – the first pitcher to reach that total since Barry Zito in 2002 – when he pitches 7 shutout innings over the White Sox, for a 5 – 0 win. Verlander has won his last 11 starts, something no one has done for the Bengals since Hal Newhouser in 1946. The win is also Detroit’s 11th straight this month.

After getting the first two outs on strikeouts, Mariano Rivera records his 600th career save when catcher Russell Martin throws out Ichiro Suzuki trying to steal second base for the final out of the game. The 41 year-old Yankee closer is one save shy of tying Trevor Hoffman’s major league career record.

Reid Brignac hits a walk-off homer in the 11th inning to lead the Rays to a 1 – 0 win over the Yankees and puts Tampa Bay into first place in the AL East. Brignac enters the game in the 9th inning, after Carl Crawford is ejected for arguing a called third strike, but his blast off Sergio Mitre ends a great pitching duel that started with CC Sabathia and David Price facing each other.

The Padres stop the Rockies’ 10-game winning streak with a 6 – 4 win at Coors Field. Miguel Tejada drives in 4 runs and Ernesto Frieri records his first career win in relief of rookie Cory Luebke, while Heath Bell earns his 41st save of the year.

Philadelphia sweeps New York, 5 – 4 and 1 – 0, in a day/night doubleheader that draws almost 90,000 fans to Citizens Bank Park. In the nitecap, Pedro Martinez reminds the crowd of his glory days by shutting out the Mets over 8 innings before Ryan Madson comes in to finish the game. The only blight on Philly’s day are the continuing struggles of closer Brad Lidge, who gives up two runs in the 9th in saving the opening win.

Cory Luebke comes within four outs of throwing a no-hitter in the 2009 Baseball World Cup. Facing Team Canada, Luebke fans 10 and has his gem spoiled by a Chris Robinson single. The USA goes on to a 8 – 0 rout.

Ichiro Suzuki becomes the first player in major league history to collect 200 hits in nine consecutive seasons when he beats out an infield single in the Mariners’ 5-0 nightcap victory over Texas at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The right-fielder had been tied with Wee Willie Keeler, who had eight straight years with 200 or more hits playing for the National League franchises in Baltimore and Brooklyn from 1894-1901.