Braves lefty Tom Glavine wins his 20th, shutting out Arizona, 5 – 0. The victory gives the Braves their second straight season of 100 wins, the first team in two decades to accomplish that. The Phillies of 1976-1977 posted identical 101-61 marks.
Mariner shortstop Alex Rodriguez, in a 5-3 loss to the Angels at Edison International Field, hits his 40th home run of the season off Jack McDowell, becoming the first infielder and third player in major league history to have 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in the same season. Jose Canseco (A’s – 1988) and Barry Bonds (Giants – 1996) are the other members of the 40-40 club.
Texas strikes two home run marks today. Mike Simms of the Rangers hits his 16th home run of the year to tie the major league mark for most home runs with less than 200 at-bats in a season. Eddie Robinson of the Yankees and Bob Thurman of the Redlegs accomplished the feat in 1955 and 1957, respectively. Juan Gonzalez belts his 300th career homer, off Jimmy Haynes, but the Rangers lose to Oakland, however, 8 – 4.
Indian Manny Ramirez belts two homers to raise his five-game total to eight, becoming only the second player in history to do so. Frank Howard accomplished the feat twice in 1968.
The Giants score seven runs in the 3rd inning, and six more in the 4th, as they demolish the Dodgers by a score of 18 – 4. Bill Mueller and Jeff Kent bang grand slams in the two frames, just the second time in Giants history that two players have hit grand slams in a game (April 26, 1970 was the other).
The White Sox tie Boston, 4 – 4, at Fenway Park on Albert Belle’s 9th-inning grand slam off Tom Gordon, then win in the 10th on Frank Thomas’s single. The Red Sox had tied the game in the bottom of the 9th on pinch homers by Curtis Pride and Scott Hatteberg. Boston wastes Butch Henry’s 7 2/3 shutout innings, while Mike Sirotka’s one run in eight innings goes unrewarded. Nomar Garciaparra has a pair of doubles to break Ted Williams’s Red Sox rookie record for total bases. His total is 348 on his way to 365. Tony Oliva set the American League rookie record in 1964 with 374.
Marlins C Charles Johnson ties Buddy Rosar’s mark for consecutive games without an error (117), but does make his only passed ball of the year, as the Marlins defeat the Mets, 5 – 2, Johnson will finish the year with 124 games without an E.
Matt Williams must have an honest face, because he pulls the hidden ball trick for the third time, nabbing rookie Jed Hansen, in the Indians’ 6 – 2 win over the Royals in the second game of a doubleheader. Williams uses the same ploy in all three instances. He asks the runner if he would step away from the bag so that he can brush off the dirt. The runners comply, and Williams slaps the tag on. The Royals win the opener, 10 – 3.
San Diego pummels Colorado, 15 – 4, as 3B Ken Caminiti drives home eight runs with four hits, including a pair of homers, again from each side of the plate. Caminiti has now hit a pair of homers, right and left-handed, in three of his last four games. He’s the only major leaguer to ever to do it three times in a month. Jody Reed has four hits and four runs for the Pads. Andres Galarraga connects for his 30th homer, giving the Rockies four players with 30+ homers. This matches the 1977 Dodgers.
Cleveland OF Albert Belle strokes three home runs the team’s 8 – 2 win over the White Sox, giving him five home runs over two consecutive games to tie a major league mark.
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