John Olerud ties Barry Bonds’ National League record of reaching base 15 consecutive times when he walks in the first inning. The Mets first baseman will groundout in the third, falling one short of the 1957 major league mark set by Ted Williams.
Tony Clark becomes the first Detroit player since Rudy York (1940-41) to drive in 100 runs in each of his first two full seasons in the Motor City. The Tiger first baseman, who finish the season with 103 RBIs, drove in 117 runs last season.
Braves backup backstop Eddie Perez’s solo home run in Atlanta’s 4-1 win over Florida is the team’s 208th round-tripper this season, breaking a 32 year-old franchise record. Atlanta will finish the season with 215 homers, with Andres Galarraga being the club leader with 44.
1997 – Jeff Bagwell steals third base against Mike Remlinger of Cincinnati to become the first 30-30 (HRs, SBs) player in franchise history. Houston tops the Reds, 6-3. A four-run eighth is the difference, keyed by a two-run pinch single by Bill Spiers.
Thanks to the Mets beating the Marlins, the Braves, prior to their 3-2 win over the Expos, capture the National League East title. The title is sixth straight division flag for Atlanta, which breaks the major league record.
Barry Larkin becomes the first shortstop to become a member of the 30-30 club when he goes deep off Donovan Osborne in the fifth inning in the Reds’ 6-3 victory over St. Louis. The future Hall of Fame infielder joins teammate Eric Davis as only the second Cincinnati player to accomplish the feat.
The Rockies establish the major league home attendance record with 4,483,350 patrons attending games at Denver’s Mile High Stadium. The expansion team will average 55,350 fans per game during their inaugural season.
The long career of Ranger right-hander Nolan Ryan, who had announced his plans to retire at the end of the season, comes to an abrupt end when the Texas starter leaves the game in the first inning after injuring his right elbow. The future Hall of Famer, who gives up five runs without retiring a batter, will throw just one more pitch after giving up a grand slam to Dann Howitt in the 7-4 loss to Seattle at the Kingdome.
1990 – Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs steals his 300th base in an 11 – 5 loss to the New York Mets, becoming only the second player in major league history with 300 home runs, 300 steals and 2,000 hits. Willie Mays was the other.
The Mets clinch their fourth NL East title when Ron Darling goes the distance, defeating Philadelphia at Shea Stadium, 3-1. The Amazins also copped the division flag in 1969, 1973, and 1986.
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