Cole Hamels Tosses No-Hitter for Phillies; A-Rod Goes Yard Three Times as Yanks Down Twins

Players of the Day for Saturday, July 25, 2015

American League

A-Rod: Three Bombs

Trailing the home-standing Twins, 5-0, with two down and nobody aboard in the top of the fourth inning, Alex Rodriguez launched the first of what would be three home runs, helping the Yankees erase the five-run deficit and proceed to an 8-5 victory, evening their three-game series with Minnesota at one game apiece.

A-Rod went yard again in the seventh inning, this time belting a two-run shot off starter Tommy Milone, as the Yankees scored three times in the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Rodriguez tied the game with his third homer of the game, a solo shot to center field off would-be closer, Glen Perkins. Later in the frame, John Ryan Murphy completed the comeback with a three-run shot off Perkins. The Twins failed to score in the ninth as Andrew Miller set them down in order for his 23rd save of the season.

A-Rod's homers were numbers 21, 22, and 23 on the year. It was the fifth time Rodriguez - who turns 40 on Monday - has hit three homers in a game. That's one short of the major league record, held jointly by Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Twins and Yanks play the rubber game Sunday at 2:10 pm ET. New York leads the AL East by 5 1/2 games over Toronto; the Twins trail the Royals by 6 1/2 in the Central division.

Hamels tosses No-Hitter

National League

Cole Hamels set down 27 of the 29 Cubs' batters he faced, walking two while throwing a no-hitter in a 5-0 Philadelphia win.

Ryan Howard's third-inning, three-run homer provided more than enough offense for the 31-year-old Hamels, one of the game's premier pitching stars and currently the subject of a slew of trade rumors.

Hamels fanned 13 Cubbies, getting the top five in the order a total of nine times. Chicago's cleanup hitter, Jorge Soler, went down three times on strikes.

Camels threw 83 of 129 pitches for strikes, improving his record to 6-7. the tall lefty was involved in another Philadelphia no-hitter, teaming with three relievers for a September 1 win over Atlanta last season.

The gem by Hamels was the first no-hitter against the Cubs since Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game at Dodger Stadium in 1965.

Philly has taken two straight from the home-standing Cubs and will look to sweep the series when the two teams take to Wrigley Field at 2:20 pm ET Sunday afternoon.