September 26

Commissioner Bud Selig announces his intention to retire upon the completion of his contract, scheduled to expire at the end of next year. The 79 year-old chief executive of baseball has held the position since 1992, first on an interim basis, before being named permanently to the post nearly six years later.

Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, with two out in the ninth inning, emerge from the dugout to take out legendary closer Mariano Rivera, giving the sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium one last chance to cheer their beloved reliever. The unexpected visit to the mound, the brainchild of manager Joe Girardi, who asked permission from the umpires to implement the unorthodox move, triggers an emotional encounter between the remaining Core Four teammates that renders Mo speechless as he weeps from the adulation of his friends and fans.

There are some wild games in the American League, but at the end of the day, the wild card standings are unaffected. Tampa Bay shuts out New York, 4 – 0, at New Yankee Stadium as Mariano Rivera tosses 1 1/3 inning in his last-ever appearance at home. Cleveland retains its hold on the second wild card by surviving a 9th-inning scare, which sees a comfortable 6 – 1 lead turn into a 6 – 5 win over the Twins as embattled closer Chris Perez fails once again, and Texas keeps pace at one game back as Jurickson Profar hits a walk-off homer in the 9th for a 6 – 5 win over the Angels.

The Tigers beat the Royals, 5 – 4, and when the White Sox lose to Cleveland, 6 – 4, they take sole possession of first place in the AL Central for the first time since July 24th. In the 5th inning, Alex Gordon robs Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera of a home run by catching a ball over the left field fence; the catch may turn out to be costly, as Cabrera is putting in the most serious bid for a Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski’s 1967 feat.

David Wright, the franchise leader in doubles, extra-base hits, walks, RBIs, and runs scored, breaks the record for the most hits in Met history when he beats out a slow grounder down the third base line for an infield single in the team’s 6-0 victory over Pittsburgh at Citi Field. The 29 year-old third baseman’s 1,419th career hit surpasses Ed Kranepool, a first baseman and outfielder who played for New York from 1962-1979.

After 63 years of doing play-by-play, Milo Hamilton, calls his final game, painting the word picture of his Astros beating St. Louis at Minute Maid Park, 2-0. The Hall of Fame broadcaster, who also worked for the Browns, Cardinals, Cubs, White Sox, Braves, and Pirates before starting his 28-year tenure with Houston, gives an inspirational farewell speech during the seventh-inning stretch, receiving a standing ovation from the fans at the ballpark.

CC Sabathia strikes out 10 batters over 8 innings to lead the Yankees over the Twins, 8 – 2. But the Yankees can’t put any additional distance between themselves and the second-place Orioles, who remain 1 1/2 game behind, as the Birds hit seven homers in routing the Blue Jays, 12 – 2. Chris Davis and Manny Machado both hit two long balls for the O’s, while Nate McLouth leads off the bottom of the 1st by going yard, and Jim Thome and Mark Reynolds get the other two. The seven homers tie a club record accomplished thrice, last on August 26, 1985.

The Rays defeat the Yankees, 5 – 2, behind James Shields’ 16th win of the year, and catch the Red Sox in the American League wild card race. The Rays trailed the Red Sox by 9 games as late as September 2nd. For their part, the Sox lose, 6 – 3, to Baltimore and are a woeful 6-19 in September. In the game, Vladimir Guerrero passes Julio Franco for most hits by a player from the Dominican Republic with 2,586. Vlad hits a single off Josh Beckett as part of a four-run outburst which sinks Boston in the 6th inning.

Ozzie Guillen announces he is stepping down as manager of the Chicago White Sox, which he led to a World Series title in 2005, in order to become manager of the Miami Marlins next season. The White Sox will receive compensation in the form of minor league players as Guillen is under contract for 2012.

Vladimir Guerrero, with a single up the middle, becomes the all-time career hit leader among players born in the Dominican Republic. The 36 year-old Orioles DH’s 2,587th career hit puts him ahead of Hato Mayor del Rey native Julio Franco.