A statue of Billy Williams, who played 16 seasons with the club from 1959-74, is dedicated by the Cubs on the corner of Sheffield Avenue and Addison Street outside of Wrigley Field. In attendance for the unveiling of the sculpture, that portrays the Hall of Famer outfielder finishing his sweet swing from the left side, is his wife, Shirley, former teammates Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Ron Santo, and Glenn Beckert, along with the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Trevor Hoffman earns his 600th save when he induces pinch-hitter Aaron Miles to hit a grounder for the final out in the Brewers’ 4-2 victory over St. Louis at Miller Park. The 42 year-old reliever, baseball’s career saves leader, has converted 600 of his 676 save opportunities (89%) during his 18-year career with Florida, San Diego, and Milwaukee.

Chris Carpenter continues his dominating run of pitching for the Cardinals. He throws a one-hitter and strikes out 10 to dispose of Milwaukee, 3 – 0. Jody Gerut strokes a double for the only hit. Carpenter is now 16-3 with a 2.16 ERA and is a leading candidate for the Cy Young Award after injuries limited him to only 5 outings over the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

By losing 4 – 2 to the Cubs, Pittsburgh is assured of finishing below .500 for a record 17th straight year. The Pirates have lost 10 of their last 11 games to drop to 54-82 and have not had a winning record since 1992. They were previously tied with the Philadelphia Phillies, who were below .500 every year from 1933 to 1948.

Two stars are out for the season today. Carlos Pena of the Rays breaks two fingers on his left hand when hit by a pitch from CC Sabathia in the opener of a doubleheader swept by the Yankees, 4 – 1 and 11 – 1. For their part, the Indians announce that Grady Sizemore will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in two days and also needs abdominal surgery after playing in pain all year.

The Houston Astros shock the World Series defending champions Philadelphia Phillies with a four-game sweep in their 3rd consecutive one-run game, winning, 4 – 3.

While his former franchise is setting a record for poor play, Chris Young (who the team traded for a pitcher they released shortly thereafter) turns in a gem. He retires the first 23 Brewers he faces before Gabe Kapler homers to rob him of a perfect game. The Padres still win, 10 – 1.