Jose Altuve Swipes 35th Base, Leads Houston over Seattle; Adrian Gonzalez Hero in Dodgers Win over Giants

Players of the Day for Monday, August 31, 2015

American League

Altuve: 35 SB leads AL

Gonzalez: Game winner!

Not to belabor the point with a poor pun, but the stolen base race in the American League is a complete runaway, as Jose Altuve of the Astros swiped his 35th base in Houston's 8-3 win over the visiting Mariners.

Altuve, who went 3-for-5 and scored twice also raised his batting average to .316, tying him for fourth in the league with Prince Fielder of the Rangers. Only 12 players are batting over .300 in the AL this season.

With a lead of nine in a season in which stealing a base has become something of a novelty, Altuve should have no problems keeping his legs and lead well ahead of the remainder of the league's speedsters. Second in the AL is Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain, with 26 steals, followed by Oakland's Billy Burns, who has 25. It's doubtful either will even get to Altuve's current level, much less catch him as he's on pace for over 40 thefts.

Houston's victory in the opener of their three-game series with Seattle, boosted their lead in the West to four games over the Texas Rangers, who lost to San Diego, 7-0. Also falling further off the pace were the Angels, who lost their fourth straight - dropping an 11-5 decision at Oakland - and are 7 1/2 back.

Game two of the series with Seattle is Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston, beginning at 8:10 pm EDT.

National League

Adrian Gonzalez had just two hits in seven official at-bats in Monday's 5-4, 14-inning LA win over the Giants, but they made the difference as the two NL Californian teams faced off in the first of a three-game series in Los Angeles.

Whacking his 25th home run of the year in the sixth inning, Gonzalez's two-run shot evened the score at 3-all, but his big blow came in the bottom of the 14th, deep into the night, singling in the game-winner with the bases loaded and nobody.

A.J. Ellis trotted home as Gonzalez stroked a single to left, helping the Dodgers get a little more breathing room in their quest for the NL West pennant, dropping second-place San Francisco 4 1/2 games back.

The three RBI for Gonzalez gave him 78 on the season, tying him with Chicago's Anthony Rizzo for 7th in the league.

The Giants will try to get even with their rivals to the South when the series resumes, Tuesday at 7:10 pm PDT.

Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez Lead Players of the Week for April 6-12

Players of the Week for April 6-12, 2015

American League

Cabrera: .520 BA

AL Infielder: Getting off to a blazing start, the Detroit Tigers swept the Indians (at Cleveland) and Twins (in Detroit) for a 6-0 record and a tie for first place with the equally-hot Kansas City Royals.

Mashing away, and, putting a significant scare into pitchers everywhere, Miguel Cabrera set out on an MVP pace with a .520 batting average (13-for-25), including two doubles, two homers and eight RBI, which is tied for the league lead with KC's Salvador Perez.

Cabrera didn't start out the season with his best. Against the Twins, he was just 2-for-11 with two RBI, but in the three-game sweep of Cleveland, he went 11-for-14. In Sunday's 8-5 finale, he was 4-for-4 with two homers, four RBI, and three runs.

Ramirez: Red Sox
LF is red-hot.

AL Outfielder: Adding Hanley Ramirez to their roster has already paid off for the Red Sox, as the shortstop-turned-left fielder turned in an awesome week as the Red Sox went 4-2 on the road with a pair of wins in Philadelphia and two more against the Yankees in the Bronx.

Ramirez played in five of those games, sitting out Saturday's game with the Yankees, but, he made is presence felt in the series final (won by the Yanks, 14-4) with his third home run of the season, and a sac fly, good for two RBI.

While Ramirez hasn't set foot yet in Fenway Park, Boston fans were appreciative from day one. Ramirez opened the season with a two HR game in Boston's 8-0 rout of the Phillies. Ramirez went 2-for-4 and drove in five runs.

For the week, he batted .320, with three homers and seven RBI.

Ventura: 2-0

AL Starting Pitcher: With his team scoring runs in bunches, Yordano Ventura didn't have to be very sharp, but he managed to rack up a pair of wins, the first in a 10-1 victory over the White Sox on opening day, and, the latest, a 9-2 romp over the Angels on Sunday afternoon.

The first outing was better than the second, though the starter was solid in both. In the opener, he went six innings, allowing four hits and one earned run, fanning two. His second start featured seven strikeouts, and two earned runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. A bit troubling is Ventura's giving up a home run in each of his starts.

Holland: 3 saves

AL Relief Pitcher: When your team goes 6-0 for any week, chances are your closer is going to get a few save chances.

Such was the case for KC's Greg Holland, who managed to finish three of Kansas City's six wins, working the ninth in each of their Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday victories. Holland hasn't allowed a hit (or a walk) in three innings of work thus far into the season, and he's fanned three, two of them in Thursday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Holland had 47 saves in 2013 and 46 last season, finishing second in saves both seasons.


National League

Gonzalez: 5 HR

NL Infielder: The Dodgers made some moves in the off-season, but one constant is going to be Adrian Gonzalez at first base, and for good reason. Gonzalez started out his 2015 campaign in style, bashing home runs in his first two games before belting three of them and driving in five runs in the Dodgers' 7-4 win over the Padres.

After his blazing 10-for-13 start, Gonzalez cooled off into the weekend, but still managed to go 4-for-10 in three games at Arizona, laving his batting average, as of Sunday night, at a blistering .609. His five homers lead the majors, but he's driven in just seven runs, though that is good enough to tie hime for fourth place with Philly's Jimmy Rollins.

Dickerson: 9 RBI

NL Outfielder: Prior to dropping Saturday and Sunday games to the Cubs, the Rockies were off to a 4-0 start, largely the result of the play of left fielder Corey Dickerson, who started the season with a bang, belting a three-run homer and driving in four runs in Colorado's 10-0 smashing of the Brewers on opening day in Milwaukee.

After that, Dickerson hit safely in each of his next five games, added another homer and drove in five more runs. By week's end, Dickerson was batting .417, and had nine RBI, good enough for the league lead over Cincinnati's Joey Votto and Todd Frazier, each with eight.

Greinke: 0.69 ERA

NL Starting Pitcher: - Zack Greinke ought to be 2-0, but he's 1-0, since, in his first start of the season on April 7, his teammates failed to score early or often, despite Grienke's six innings of 2-hit ball. The starter gave up a run in that 7-3 loss to the Padres, but came back undaunted on Sunday at Arizona, tossing seven shutout innings on five hits as the Dodgers whipped the Diamondbacks, 7-4.

Grilli: 3 saves

Striking out seven without allowing a walk in his second outing, Greinke upped his seasonal total to 11 Ks and is at his best with a 0.69 ERA and 0.62 WHIP.


NL Relief Pitcher: Atlanta's Jason Grilli looks like a keeper as the Braves' closer. Grilli got three chances and converted them all in a pair of wins over the Marlins and a Friday night, 5-3 win over the Mets.

Grilli, who spent last season split between Pittsburgh and the LA Angels, appears fit and ready for the Braves. He fanned four in his three innings of work, didn't give up a hit and issued just one walk.

The Braves are 5-1 as of Sunday night and have a two-game lead over the Mets and Phillies in the NL East.

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Adam Wainwright Tunes Up in Cardinals' Win over Braves; Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez Lead Dodgers in Cactus League

Players of the Day for Saturday, March 21, 2015

Grapefruit League

Wainwright: 4IP 0R

There's a reason Cardinals' ace starter Adam Wainwright has won numerous awards and his team has been in the playoffs and won the World Series during his tenure: he's "money."

Wainwright continued tuning up for the regular season with four scoreless innings in the Cards' 1-0 win over the Braves. Though he did not get the win, and, maybe wasn't exactly as sharp as he'd like to be at this point - allowing four hits and a walk - Wainwright threw through the situations in which pitchers are paid to perform: with men on base, and came up aces. Wainwright fanned three.

Greinke: 6Ks

The Braves got just one more hit off three St. Louis relievers, and the Cardinals scored in the bottom of the ninth for the win, when Dean Anna drove in pinch-runner Charlie Tilson with none out, putting them at 8-7 and dropping the raves to 7-12 in Grapefruit League play. Kevin Siegrist pitched the ninth inning and received the win.

Cactus League

Gonzalez: 2 HR

The Dodgers have surged to the top echelon of the Cactus League standings and Saturday's 11-3 win over the Rangers shows they're just about ready for opening day.

Zack Greinke proved he will be an integral part of the Dodger pitching rotation, going four solid innings, allowing no runs on three hits and a walk, striking out six.

Adian Gonzalez had his sweet swing in a groove, belting out a pair of solo homers helping LA to an early lead.

Sure to be a big provider of runs for the Dodgers this year, Gonzalez comes off a 2104 campaign in which he knocked out 27 homers (6th in NL) and drove in 116 runs, the top-run-producer in the National League.

Tigers Tie ALCS as Austin Jackson, Miguel Cabrera Power Detroit; Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers Force Game Six with 6-4 Win

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 16, 2013

American League

Austin Jackson

Miguel Cabrera

Detroit tied Boston at two games apiece with a 7-3 win in game four of the ALCS.

Getting to Boston starter, Jake Peavy, early, the Tigers scored five runs in the second inning, and two more in the fourth, all runs charged to Peavy, who did not get an out in the fourth, officially logging just three innings, allowing five hits and three walks.

Center fielder, Austin Jackson, demoted from his usual leadoff spot to the eight-hole in the order, spent most of the night on the base paths, going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles, a stolen base, a run and two RBI. Miguel Cabrera went 2-for-4, drove in a pair of runs and also stole a base.

Game five is 8:07 pm EDT at Comerica Park in Detroit.

National League

Adrian Gonzalez sparked the Dodgers to a 6-4 win over St. Louis in game five of the NL championship series with a 3-for-4 performance, socking a pair of homers, driving in two runs and scoring three times.

Adrian Gonzalez

A.J. Ellis and Carl Crawford also homered for the Dodgers. All of the long balls were solo shots.

Gonzalez got things started for the Dodgers in the bottom of the second when he singled and scored on Juan Uribe's single. The Dodgers scored twice in the frame, but were quickly tied when St. Louis plated two in the top of the third. The first of Gonzalez's two homers gave LA the lead in the bottom of the third, and they continued to add to the lead with single runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth.

St. Louis rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth and brought the winning run to the plate with two outs, but Kenley Jansen got pinch-hitter Adron Chambers looking on a called third strike with two runners aboard to end the threat and the game.

LA's win staved off elimination, forcing a game six in St. Louis, Friday, at 8:37 pm EDT. St. Louis leads the series, three games to two.

Today's Trivia: Who had more World series wins, Whitey Ford or Bob Gibson?

Yesterday's Answer: Lou Brock holds the record for stolen bases in a single World Series, swiping seven in both the 1967 and 1968 series.

Boston Hammers Toronto, 14-0; Beltran Gets Giants to Within Six of Arizona

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 6, 2011

American League

Jon Lester

David Ortiz

There were three outright slaughters in the AL on Tuesday, two by division leaders. Texas got a complete game, five-hit shutout from C.J. Wilson in their 8-0 win over Tampa Bay. Combined with the Angels' 2-1 loss to Seattle, that put the Rangers up 3 1/2 games in the West.

Detroit bombed Cleveland 10-1, sending the Indians back to third place 1/2 game behind the White Sox - 3-0 winners over Minnesota - who trail the Tigers by eight games in a division that was once close and now looks like a runaway for Detroit.

But the biggest blowout was Boston's 14-0 beating of Toronto. Jon Lester limited the Bue Jays to three hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out 11 in the process for his 15th win against six losses. Lester's mound work would have been good enough, but it was overshadowed by the explosive Boston batters, who hammered out 20 hits, 11 of them for extra bases.

Marco Scutaro

Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with a double, three runs and two RBI, giving him 105 on the year, good for second in the AL, tied with the Yankees' Robinson Cano and four behind another Yankee, Curtis Granderson. David Ortiz had four hits in six at-bats, two of them doubles. He also scored three runs and drove in a pair.

However, it wasn't a big guy who led the way for the Beantown Bombers. Shortstop Marco Scutaro went 4-for-5 with three doubles and a single, scored two runs and drove in four. Batting behind Ortiz, Scutaro had one of his best games as a major leaguer.

The win by Boston didn't help them catch up on the Yankees, who continued to lead the AL East by 2 1/2 games with a 5-3 win over Baltimore. Catching the Yankees may not be a top priority for the Red Sox, however. Getting ready for the post-season might be, as they lead the wild card standings by a cool 8 1/2 games over the Angels.

National League

Carlos Beltran

San Francisco's move to get Carlos Beltran at the trading deadline may prove to be one of the best deals of the season, though it might be a little too late as the Giants try to chase down NL West leader Arizona.

Beltran was an essential element in the Giants' 6-4 win over San Diego Tuesday night, bringing them to within six games of the Diamondbacks, who dropped an 8-3 decision to the Rockies when Colorado exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Beltran went 3-for-4 with three key RBI. In the third inning, he singled home a run to put the Giants up 3-2, then, after the Padres tied the score at 3-all, he doubled in another run in the 5th inning. He walked to lead off the 8th inning and scored, adding a ground-out RBI in the 9th to seal the victory.

With 20 games left in the season, time is not on the Giants' side, though they will get one more crack at the D'Backs when they face them in Arizona on September 23, 24 and 25, in the penultimate series of the season. The Giants have an equal number of home and road dates remaining, though they have to face the Rockies seven times, including in their final three game series at home.

Gonzalez Leads Red Sox Back to 1st; Kershaw, Kennedy 16-Game NL Winners; Fielder First to 100 RBI

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 23, 2011

American League

Adrian Gonzalez

With David Ortiz sitting out the last nine games with bursitis in his right heel and Kevin Youkilis on the DL with back stiffness since August 17, the Boston Red Sox haven't had their full complement of players and recently relinquished their AL East lead to the Yankees.

With a little help from the Oakland A's, who barely outlasted the Yankees for a 6-5 win Tuesday night, Boston has - despite a recent 5-5 record - regained a tie for the top spot in the division, as Adrian Gonzalez picked up his teammates with two homers and a single in four at-bats, leading to an 11-5 victory over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Connecting for a two-run job in the opening inning, Gonzalez cracked his 20th home run as a Red Sox - a solo shot - in the 4th, singled, but was stranded in the 7th and was intentionally walked and scored in the 8th inning.

Gonzalez leads the majors with a .346 batting average and is second in the AL in RBI with 97, one behind the Yankees' Curtis Granderson.

Ian Kennedy

Boston and Texas have split the first two games of their series, which continues Wednesday and Thursday in Arlington.

National League

Clayton Kershaw

Despite the best pitching staff in the majors belonging to the Phillies, Clayton Kershaw and Ian Kennedy both became 16-game winners on Tuesday to top the National League's win column.

Kennedy, dueling with Washington ace, Jordan Zimmerman, tossed seven innings of shutout ball against the Nationals, with Arizona breaking through in the 7th on Sean Burroughs' two run homer for the 2-0 win, snapping a six-game Diamondback losing streak that had trimmed their lead over the Giants to a single game.

Kennedy scattered six hits and two walks, fanning eight.

Fielder: 100 RBI

During Arizona's slide, the Giants were more than accommodating, dropping four of six themselves, including Tuesday's 7-5 loss to San Diego.

For Kershaw, getting win #16 was a bit easier.

In three innings, the Dodgers had eight hits and scored eight runs off St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse. Kershaw cruised through six innings of shutout ball, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out eight in the 13-2 Dodger win. Kershaw also leads the NL with 207 Ks.

Elsewhere, Prince Fielder became the first player in the majors to reach the 100-RBI mark, doubling home Ryan Braun in the sixth inning of Milwaukee's 11-4 win over the Pirates.

Gonzalez, Youkilis Lead Boston to 7th Straight; Werth, Espinosa Crush Orioles

Players of the Day for Friday, May 20, 2011

American League

Adrian Gonzalez

Interleague games began on Friday, and the National took little time to establish its dominance, taking nine of the 14 cross-league contests.

Kevin Youkilis

One which defied the trend in a rather large way was Boston's smashing, 15-5, victory over the Cubs at Fenway Park, where Boston batters combined for 19 hits and the middle of the lineup - Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis - accounted for nearly half the runs.

Gonzalez, normally known as a doubles and homers type of guy, scratched out four singles in six at-bats, producing four RBI, while Youkilis took care of the extra-bases department, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a two run homer, driving in three runs.

The Red Sox have gone from last place in the AL East just a week ago to 1/2 game behind first place Tampa Bay with their 7th consecutive win. The streak began last weekend when they swept three games from the Yankees in New York.

National League

Jayson Werth

While the Washington Nationals are currently positioned in last place in the NL East, they're only two games under .500, at 21-23, which is real progress at this point for the young franchise.

Traveling the 30-odd miles up I-95 to play the Baltimore Orioles, Washington bats hammered out 19 hits against five Oriole pitchers in a 17-5 victory.

Danny Espinosa

Jayson Werth, acquired from Philadelphia in the off-season, blasted a pair of home runs for the Nats, a two-run shot in the 5th and a solo smack in the 7th. He also singled and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving him four RBI on his 3-for-4 night.

Rookie shortstop Danny Espinosa went 3-for-5, with a triple, a three-run homer, five RBI and three runs. Despite a .209 batting average, Espinosa has six home runs and 27 RBI, making han early case for rookie of the year consideration.

Bruce Chen Blanks Rays; Idle Yanks Take Lead; Padres Stay Alive

Players of the Day for Friday, October 1, 2010

American League

In Kansas City, nothing was conceded as the Royals took their second straight game from the Tampa Bay Rays, sending them to their third straight loss and vaulting the Yankees into first place in the AL East.

Bruce Chen twirled a dazzling two-hitter against the feckless Rays, who never threatened to score, getting only a double from B.J. Upton and a bunt single by Sean Rodriguez as the Royals cruised to the 7-0 win.

Chen, who didn't allow a hit until Rodriguez's bunt single in the third inning, fanned five of the first eight batters he faced, walked two overall and retired the final six batters in order.

Nibbling at the corners, Chen threw just 67 of his 104 pitches for strikes, improving to 12-7 for the last place Royals.

The standings obviously don't matter to the Royals, as they play out the string against the Rays, already qualified for the playoffs, but still battling with the Yankees for the choice between winning the AL East and going to the post-season as the wild card.

Boston was deluged with rain, forcing Friday's contest with the Yankees into postponement. The two will play a day-night double-header at Fenway on Saturday, the first game at 4:10, the second scheduled to start at the unusual time of 9:05 pm.

New York leads Tampa in the standings by 1/2 game, with three left to play. Tampa Bay has one more loss than the Yankees, but only two games remaining.

National League

San Diego lives to play another day.

Adrian Gonzalez clubbed a three-run homer in the top of the 3rd inning off Giants' starter Matt Cain, and the Padres used five relievers to hold off San Francisco for a season-extending, 6-4 win.

The home run was Gonzalez's 31st of the season and his 3 ribbies gave him 101 for the year, the third time in the last four seasons in which he's topped 100 RBI. Last year, the Padres' first baseman finished with 99. He's hit 30 or more homers in four consecutive seasons.

Winning the opener of their three-game series in San Francisco kept the Padres alive in the division. The Giants need to win either Saturday or Sunday to clinch the division, but the Padres plan to win all three games and force a playoff.

San Diego also clawed closer to Atlanta in the wild card race, as the Braves were pummeled by the Phillies, 11-5, and hold a slim, one-game lead over San Diego.

Perfect Game by Armando Galarraga Ruined by Ump Jim Joyce; Griffey Retires; Adrian Gonzlaez Slams Mets in 11

Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 2, 2010 American League Armando Galarraga was robbed. The fans were robbed. Baseball was robbed. When umpire Jim Joyce made what is likely the most egregious blown call in the long, storied history of baseball, possibly in all of sport, he upset millions of people. Americans can endure a lot of pain and suffering. We've fought wars, seen young men and women die in defense of our nation's principles. We lived through the long pain of the Great Depression, Civil War, the horror of 9/11 and even today, as the BP oil gusher continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico and despoil our precious wetlands, we endure. But don't mess with baseball, especially baseball history. When Galarraga raced to first base to collect the throw from Miguel Cabrera, the ball was in his glove as his foot touched the bag before that of runner Jason Donald, the game was over. Twenty-seven straight went down in Galarraga's perfect game, but Jim Joyce blew the call. In football, the play would have been reviewed and reversed. Tennis players have the right to review and reverse line calls. Joyce's blown call needs to be reviewed, reversed, the official stats of of the game altered to reflect the correct conclusion. Donald was out. Galarraga retired 27 straight. Trevor Crowe's at-bat - which ended the game as he grounded harmlessly to third - should disappear from the records as though it never happened, because it shouldn't have. Sadly, There are no solutions to reverse Joyce's bad call. Manager Jim Leland, who was surprisingly conciliatory toward Joyce and the entire incident, could not protest the game. In baseball's antiquated rule nomenclature, specifically, rule 4.19 [PDF], on protesting games, in which it says, "No protest shall ever be permitted on judgment decisions by the umpire. In all protested games, the decision of the League President shall be final." Joyce's call was a judgment decision, thus, according to the rules, the protest would not be permitted by the league president. Were a protest allowed, at least Galarraga would have a chance to pitch to Donald again and claim his rightful place in baseball history. Rule 10.01 (b)(3) [PDF] requires that the game be replayed from the point of the protest with exactly the same situation as existed before the protested play. Rule 9.02 (a) also serves to perpetuate the "sanctity" of the umpire, saying, "Any umpire’s decision which involves judgment, such as, but not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out, is final. No player, manager, coach or substitute shall object to any such judgment decisions." That rule needs to be stricken from the book, or at least amended. Umpires are human, and thus, prone to error. Giving them absolute authority in matters of judgment, especially in an age in which everything is televised, scrutinized and criticized, baseball leaves itself open to scorn and ridicule. It's time for a change. Detroit won the tarnished affair, 3-0. Galarraga will be officially credited with a one-hitter, in itself a notable accomplishment. It should be different. It should be a perfect game, the third of this season and 4th no-hitter this year. But it's not, thanks to the antiquated thinking of the people who run major league baseball and write the rules for same. Remember, these are the same bunch of folks who won't allow Pete Rose, the all-time leader in hits, along with records in a slew of other categories, to enter the Hall of Fame. Well, Americans have endured that travesty for a couple of decades now. Baseball supposes we should endure even more. It's ridiculous. Baseball needs to change, and change soon. National League It took the Padres 11 innings to dispose of the Mets and finish heir three-game series by winning two of the games, but Adrian Gonzalez made sure to leave a lasting impression, finishing the contest with a walk-off, grand slam homer for a 4-1 Padres' win. The win kept the padres in first place in the NL West, with a slender one-game lead over the Dodgers, who have won their last four straight. San Diego continues to defy expectations, as do the division-leaders in the East (Atlanta) and the Central (Cincinnati is tied with St. Louis for first place). The homer by Gonzalez was his 10th of the year, and the added 4 RBI brought his total to 32. He also singled twice and doubled, giving him a 4-for-6 night at the plate, on a night in which base hits were in pretty short supply.

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Farewell to the Kid: Citing a lack of playing time causing a distraction to his teammates, ever-classy Ken Griffey Jr. abruptly hung up the spikes on Wednesday, putting to rest one of the most remarkable careers in baseball history. Suitably, Griffey finished where he started, in Seattle, where he spent the first eleven years of his career, 1989-1999, knocking balls out of the park and running down flies in center field with reckless abandon and joy. Griffey spent the next nine years with the Reds, finally being traded to the White Sox near the end of the 2008 season. In Cincinnati, Griffey's career took various turns for the worse, suffering injury upon injury, especially from 2002-2004, playing in just 206 games in those three seasons combined. In 2009 and 2010 he played in Seattle. The injuries slowed Griffey's assault on the record books considerably. Barring injuries, he was a cinch to hit 700 homers, but sport can be cruel to even the best, though Griffey should have few regrets, finishing his career with stats worthy of a certain first-round induction to the Hall of Fame. For the record, Griffey's lifetime stats are: 2671 games, 9801 at-bats, 1662 runs, 2781 hits, 5271 total bases, 524 doubles, 38 triples, 630 home runs, 1836 RBI, 1312 walks (246 intentional), 184 stolen bases, a lifetime bating average of .284, on base percentage of .370 and a .538 slugging percentage. Griffey ranks 5th all-time in homers and 14th in RBI. A 12-time All-Star, Griffey led the AL in homers four times and was the 1997 American League MVP. Griffey will always be remembered for his unbridled enthusiasm and joy for playing the game, and the smile that brightened every major league ball park. It's been fun, kid. see you in Cooperstown.

Verlander Wins 4th Straight; Venable, Gonzalez Stop Dodger Streak at Nine

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 19, 2010 American League With their 5-1 win at Oakland on Thursday, the Detroit Tigers have clawed their way to within one game of first place in the AL Central division. While Boston was topping division-leading Minnesota by a 3-2 score, Tiger fans were cheering on their ace, Justin Verlander, pitching what appears to have been his best outing of the season. Improving his record to 5-2, Verlander mowed down all but five A's batters, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out five in a complete game victory, his first of the season. Verlander threw 114 pitches, 80 for strikes and wasn't touched up for a run until the bottom of the 8th inning, after his teammates had already put a five-spot on the scoreboard. He finished strong, retiring the side in the 9th inning in order, getting Ryan Sweeney on strikes to end the game. Following a 1-2 start, Verlander has converted his last four starts into victories, allowing just five earned runs in 30 innings during that span. National League Winners of nine straight, the LA Dodgers welcomed the first-place Padres into Chavez Ravine with a shot at taking over first place at the conclusion of their 2-game series, but those hopes were dashed as the Padres took advantage of weak LA pitching, posting a one-sided, 10-5 win which kept San Diego two games in front of the Los Angelinos. The Padres jumped on LA starter Ramon Ortiz quickly, scoring a run in the first inning, 2 more in the third and 5 in the fourth, capped by an Adrian Gonzalez (left) three-run homer after the Dodgers had replaced on Ramon for another. The Gonzalez homer came off Ramon Troncoso, who didn't retire a batter, allowing a single to David Ecksein, Gonzo's stroke and another homer by third baseman Chase Headley. Ortiz was tagged for 5 runs in 3 1/2 innings; Troncoso credited for allowing three. Gonzalez accounted for the two runs in the second with a single which plated a pair, and finished the scoring in the 9th by driving home Will Venable (right), who went 4-for-4, scored 4 times and drove in a run with a single, two doubles and a triple. The six RBI by Gonzalez gave him 25 for the season, well behind league-leader Andre Ethier, who has 38, but missed the game due to a broken bone in his right pinky finger. Ethier has already lost one third of his triple crown lead, as Kelly Johnson hit his 12th homer (Ethier has 11) in Arizona's 13-1 stampede over the Giants. The Gonzalez homer was his 9th of the season. The Dodgers host the Padres again on Thursday, before the two part ways for inter-league play beginning Friday. The Giants remain sandwiched between them, 1 1/2 games behind San Diego in the division.

Morales Swats 2-Run Homer to Down Yankees; Padres Win 7th Straight on Gonzalez Slam

Players of the Day for Friday, April 23, 2010 American League The LA Angels have long been a thorn in the side of the Yankees, and Friday night was more of the same as Kendry Morales blasted a two-run, game-winning homer off reliever Joba Chamberlain in the bottom of the 8th. LA won the game 6-4. Morales was 3-for-3 on the night, driving in the first run of the game with a single in the 1st and scoring in the 3rd after being hit by a pitch prior to his heroic homer in the 8th. The drive was the first baseman's 3rd of the season and upped his RBI total to 13. His perfect night at the plate improved his batting average to .303. As for Chamberlain, the hard-throwing righty who's become a "project" again this season, it was his first loss of the year, but by far his worst performance. He allowed 3 hits and the game winning runs after coming on to start the 8th with the score tied. Chamberlain is carrying a 3.86 ERA and has 10 Ks in 9.1 innings. National League Upside-down would be the best way to describe the standings in the NL West. The Dodgers dropped into a tie for last place with the Diamondbacks while the surging San Diego Padres won their 7th straight, dropping the slumping Reds by a 10-4 tally in Cincinnati. The Padres jumped on the Reds early, scoring 4 runs in the 2nd and added two more in the 4th. Cincy starter Brendan Arroyo then left the game with no outs and two aboard. Micah Owings relieved, but allowed a Jerry Hairston Jr. single to load the bases for 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who cleared the bases with his 4th homer of the season, a grand slam that finished the Padres' scoring. Gonzalez added a single to go 2-for-4, with 4 RBI, giving him 11 on the year and a .327 batting average. It was the second grand slam of his career. San Diego leads the division by a game over the Giants, with Colorado 2 back and the Dodgers and D-Backs 3 out.

Gonzalez 6-for-6 in Padres' Win; Santana Blanks Rays on 3 Hits

Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 11, 2009 American League Beginning to find the right stuff at the right time of year, Angels' starter Ervin Santana - who was 16-7 last season - pitched his best game of 2009, blanking the Rays on 3 hits for a complete-game, 6-0, Angels win. Santana (5-6, 6.38 ERA) faced just 29 batters, two over the minimum, thanks to three double plays turned in by the LA infield. He also issued just two walks while getting six hitters on strikes, including leadoff hitter Jason Bartlett three times. Of his 97 total pitches, 65 went for strikes as Santana cruised through the Rays lineup. The Rays, normally one of the AL's best-hitting teams, has been blanked 3 times since July 1, including Mark Buehrle's perfect game on July 23. All of the whitewashings have occurred on the road. Tampa, in danger of becoming irrelevant, has dropped 9 games behind the AL East leading Yankees and 3 1/2 behind Boston, the leaders of the wild card race. The Angels upped their lead over the Rangers to 5 games, as Texas was blanked by Cleveland, 5-0. National League The San Diego Padres haven't had much to get excited about in 2009, but Adrian Gonzalez provided some good cheer as he became the first major leaguer this season to knock out 6 hits in a game. Gonzalez, a .251 hitter coming into the game at Milwaukee - won by the Padres, 13-6 - singled every time he went to the plate, except in the third inning, in which hit laced a double to center, finished with a .262 batting average. San Diego remains anchored in last place in the NL West, but the loss by Milwaukee dropped them 2 games under .500 (55-57), 6 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the Central and the same number of games behind the Rockies in the wild card standings. The Brewers are a woeful 9-14 against NL West teams.

Gonzalez Walks Off Reds in 18th; Kubel Slams Tigers

Players of the Day from Sunday, May 25, 2008 American League Jason Kubel broke open a 1-1 game with an 8th inning grand slam that propelled the Minnesota Twins to a 6-1 victory over the hapless, last-place Tigers on Sunday. Kubel also singled earlier in the game, and finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBI. The win got the Twins to .500 (25-25) and into sole possession of second place in the upside-down AL Central, 2 1/2 behind the surprising White Sox. Notes: The Twins have relished beating up on divisional opponents, posting a 15-9 record. Sunday was their 5th win in their last 6 games against the Tigers. National League The last-place Padres haven't had much to cheer about this season, but after 18 grueling innings last night in San Diego, Adrian Gonzalez finally delivered some joy in the form of a walk-off 3-run homer to down the Reds, 12-9. Gonzalez went 4-for-9, with a single, two doubles and the game-ending bomb, drove in four runs and scored just once. For Gonzalez, one of the Padres actually having a productive season, it was his 14th home run of the season. His 43 RBI ties him with Houston's Carlos Lee, who are both two behind Lance Berkman. Notes: The Reds used 10 pitchers in the Sunday marathon; the Padres employed eight. Fans are still waiting for Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th home run. Junior hit #498 on May 22, ending a 21-game homer drought and he has only five on the season.

Ichiro over 200 hits again; Padres dominate D-Backs

American League Seattle 7 NY Yankees 1 - It's like clockwork. Come September, Ichiro Suzuki will have 200 hits and be challenging for the AL batting title. This year is no different, as the splendid Suzuki touched up Roger Clemens for his 200th hit of 2007, a 3rd-inning solo shot to right which helped the Mariners snap a season high 9-game losing streak and close the gap to just one game behind the Yankees in the wild card race. Ichiro finished his night 3-5, giving him 201 hits. Ichiro (right) is a hitting machine. This marks the 7th consecutive year that he's had 200 or more hits, tying Wade Boggs' AL record. Breaking Willie Keeler's major league record of 8 straight seasons seems almost too easy. Ichiro got a late start in American baseball, coming to the Mariners at the age of 27, but he's been outstanding ever since, averaging 159 games and 226 hits per season. In 2004, he set a major league record with 262 hits. At age 33, he's on pace to reach 3000 hits in just 14 seasons, if he plays until he's 40, a feat which normally takes major leaguers 18-20 years. And he doesn't seem to show any signs of slowing down. After swiping 45 bases in 2006, he's got 37 steals this year and over the past two seasons, has only be caught 5 times. Ichiro, who carries a lifetime batting average of .333, is currently at .353, right behind Magglio Ordonez at .355. The two have been battling for most of the second half of the season. Ichiro is on pace for 237 hits. Cleveland 5 Minnesota 0 - C.C. Sabathia improved to 16-7 with 8 innings of shutout work over the Twins, outgunning Minnesota starter Johan Santana. Sabathia allowed just 6 hits and a walk, striking out 6, as the Indians won for the ninth time in their last 10 games and opened up a 6-game lead over idle Detroit. Toronto 10 Boston 13 - As he has all season, Mike Lowell came through for the Red Sox with another big game. Lowell cracked his 18th home run as part of a 3-4 performance, scoring twice and driving in 4 runs. The Sox, winners of 3 straight, have opened up a 7-game lead over the Yankees in the division and lay claim to the best record in baseball, at 83-55. Other AL Scores Baltimore 7 Tampa Bay 9 Kansas City 8 Texas 1 Oakland 5 LA Angels 9 National League NY Mets 10 Cincinnati 4 - Moises Alou (right) stroked a pair of doubles, a solo homer and scored three times as the Mets improved their NL East lead to 5 games, as the Braves helped out by knocking off Philadelphia. San Diego 10 Arizona 2 - The Padres reclaimed sole possession of first place in the NL West with a win in the opener of their 3-game set in Arizona. San Diego hitters sent 5 balls into the stands, including a pair by Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez's 25th of the season. Arizona starter, Micah Owings, gave up 4 hits in just 3 innings, all of them home runs. Pittsburgh 11 St. Louis 0 - Ian Snell blanked the Cardinals on 5 hits over 7 innings, keeping St. Louis 2 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central and 1/2 behind 2nd place Milwaukee. All three leaders in the Central lost on Monday. Other NL Scores Florida 3 Washington 6 Philadelphia 1 Atlanta 5 Houston 9 Milwaukee 7 San Francisco 4 Colorado 7 LA Dodgers 11 Chi Cubs 3

Morneau Walks Off Milwaukee; Gonzalez Paces Padres

American League Cleveland 5 Atlanta 2 - With a win on Sunday, the Atlanta Braves could have drawn to within 1/2-game of the Mets, but Fausto Carmona and the Cleveland Indians had other ideas. Carmona blanked the Braves until the top of the 8th, when they touched him for a couple of runs, but by then it was too late. Cleveland had already scored all of their runs in the 5th and 6th innings. Carmona improved to 8-2, and Joe Borowski picked up his 20th save in the 9th. Cleveland remained a game ahead of Detroit in the AL Central as the Tigers were winners on Sunday as well. Minnesota 10 Milwaukee 9 - Justin Morneau (right) homered with no outs in the bottom of the 9th to seal a key win for the Twins, keeping them within striking distance of the Tigers and Indians, 5 1/2 off Cleveland's pace. Morneau doubled earlier, scored 3 times and drove in 3 in 3 at-bats. Lou Ford singled and doubled, driving in 4 runs to lead the attack. The home run by Morneau was his 20th of the season. Arizona 6 Baltimore 4 - Arizona completed the 3-game sweep at Baltimore and moved past the Dodgers into 2nd place in the NL West, a game back of San Diego. Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder hit solo home runs for the Diamondbacks, and starter Brandon Webb picked up his 7th win against 3 losses. With interleague play continuing this week, the Diamondbacks return home for a lengthy home stand, hosting Tampa Bay and Baltimore before 4 games with the Dodgers next week. Boston 9 San Francisco 5 - The Red Sox completed the sweep of the Giants at Fenway Park and remain 8 1/2 better than the Yankees in the AL East. Barry Bonds hit home run 748 to move within 7 of tying Hank Aaron's career mark. NY Yankees 8 NY Mets 2 - Alex Rodriguez socked his MLB-best 27th home run and added 3 RBI to give him 73, as the Yankees took 2 of 3 from the visiting Mets and won for the 11th time in their last 12 days. Rodriguez is on a breathtaking pace that would give him 63 homers and 174 RBI, that would rank as one of the greatest single seasons ever. St. Louis 10 Oakland 6 - Ryan Ludwick hit a go-ahead 3-run homer in the 7th, added a 2-run single in the 8th, scored 3 times and drove in 5 as the Cardinals scored in double-digits for the second straight game. The Cards hammered Oakland 15-6 on Saturday and took 2 of 3 with Sunday's win. Once again, St. Louis is tied for 2nd in the NL Central with the Cubs. Both teams trail Milwaukee by 6 1/2 games. The A's fell further behind the Angles in the AL West. They are now 6 games back. Other AL Scores Washington 4 Toronto 2 Kansas City 5 Florida 4 National League San Diego 11 Chi Cubs 3 - Adrian Gonzalez (right) doubled 3 times and hit a solo home run in 5 at-bats, scoring 4 runs and driving in 3, Mike Cameron blasted a pair of homers, scored 3 times and drove in 3, and Khalil Greene knocked a 3-run home and drove in another run with a single as the middle of the Padres' lineup accounted for 10 of San Diego's runs. Greg Maddux improved to 6-3 with 6 innings of work and the Padres remained a game better than Arizona and 1 1/2 to the good on the Dodgers in the NL West Detroit 7 Philadelphia 4 - Magglio Ordonez went 2-3 and drove in 3 runs and Justin Verlander improved to 8-2 as the Tigers kept pace, 1 game behind Cleveland, in the AL Central. Ordonez is batting .371, tops in the majors, with 64 RBI, 2nd behind the Yankees Alex Rodriguez. Houston 10 Seattle 3 - Mike Lamb smacked a 1st inning grand slam and doubled in another run in the 3rd inning to lead the Astros to a sweep of the visiting Mariners, who dropped to 7 games behind the LA Angels in the AL West. The Astros are 8 back of Milwaukee in the NL Central. Other NL Scores Pittsburgh 8 Chi White Sox 7 Tampa Bay 7 Colorado 4 Texas 11 Cincinnati 4 - A. Dunn, 3-4, 2 HR (19), 3 RBI (46) LA Angels 10 LA Dodgers 4 - Angels take 2 of 3, lead AL West by 6 games Note: During interleague play, home teams are reported under their respective leagues. Interleague Scoreboard: Friday (6/8): AL 8, NL 6 Saturday (6/9): AL 10, NL 4 Sunday (6/10): AL 9, NL 5 Monday (6/11): AL 0, NL 2 Tuesday (6/12): AL: 8, NL: 6 Wednesday (6/13): AL: 6, NL: 8 Thursday (6/14): AL: 7, NL: 5 Friday (6/15): AL: 6, NL: 8 Saturday (6/16): AL: 5, NL: 9 Sunday (6/17): AL: 9, NL: 5