Thursday 11/2/1998: Kansas City's Martinez earns Cy Young Award
Ramon Martinez was named the AL Cy Young Award winner today. Kansas City's right-hander put up fabulous numbers this year which earned him the highest award a pitcher can receive. This season Martinez compiled an ERA of 3.36, going 25-8 in 37 starts. He fanned 216 while giving up 266 hits in 276 innings. Ramon has pitched 4 shutouts and 10 complete games. He's 2nd in the AL in ERA and 1st in wins! Martinez wins the award for the 2nd time in his 10-year career. The 1998 NL Cy Young Award winner is from New York (N) this year. Jose Rijo put together impressive numbers on the mound this season as well. In 40 starts this year Jose struck out 306 batters in 269 innings of work. His ERA is 2.88, his record 19-11. He has 3 complete games and 3 shutouts. He's 2nd in the NL in ERA and 2nd in wins! Rijo wins the award for the 3rd time in his 14-year career.
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Thursday 11/2/1998: Most Valuable Player Award winners announced
The Most Valuable Player Award in the AL was handed to Kansas City's first baseman Frank Thomas! His season numbers are: .355 AVG, 181 hits, 46 doubles, 5 triples and 66 homeruns, along with 183 RBI and 142 runs scored. HE HAS WON THE TRIPLE CROWN!!! It was a day to remember for San Diego's Matt Williams, who won the NL Most Valuable Player Award today. It put the finishing touches on what has been a tremendous season for the slugger. Williams has walked 90 times this year and posts a .434 OBP. While batting .331, 179 for 541, he has driven in 140 runs. He's 9th in the NL in batting, 2nd in homeruns and 3rd in RBI! Williams wins the award for the 3rd time in his 11-year career.
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Thursday 11/2/1998: Seattle's Chavez earns Rookie Of The Year Award
Seattle's third baseman Eric Chavez has worked hard to reach the big leagues. His work paid off today as the AL named him the Rookie Of The Year Award winner! This year Chavez drove in 124 and scored 109 runs while batting .286 with 39 taters. Vladimir Guerrero was named the NL Rookie Of The Year Award winner today. Los Angeles (N)'s centerfielder put up pretty good numbers for a rookie this year. This 22 year old kid will probably have a long and successful career! He has hit 38 bombs while batting .299 this season. His 160 hits and 63 walks add up to a .388 on-base percentage.
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Wednesday 10/11/1998: Colorado's Mcgwire out for 6 weeks
COLORADO - Pittsburgh's Kevin Millwood drilled Colorado's third baseman Mark Mcgwire in the 2nd inning. He was slow getting up and had to leave the game. Mark Mcgwire will miss at least 6 weeks. Colorado wasted no time and rushed him to an hospital. Team officials were informed later that Mcgwire had suffered a Broken Finger. His season numbers are: .237 AVG, 113 hits, 19 doubles, no triples and 39 longballs, along with 108 RBI and 93 runs scored.
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Wednesday 10/11/1998: Cecil Fielder clubs three rockets
HOUSTON - Cecil Fielder was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Houston to a 16-5 win over New York (N) by homering three times. A 389 foot drive to left field marked his 1st bomb, a solo homerun off Scott Karl in the 1st inning. His 2nd shot, a three-run homerun off Scott Karl in the 3rd inning, cleared the fence in left-center. In the 7th inning he unloaded a solo homerun off Edwin Nunez. Edgar Martinez was the last player to hit 3 homeruns in a game, doing it 9/17/1998.
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Monday 10/2/1998: California's Felix wins Player of the Week award
Junior Felix wins his 2nd Player of the Week award. AL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. He hit .522 with 9 RBI and slugged 1.217 in 23 at bats. Junior has gone 142 for 547 (.260) this season, hitting 29 homeruns and driving in 119 runs. He has scored 99 runs on his own. The NL's best player of the week was Los Angeles (N)'s Vladimir Guerrero, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. Guerrero helped his team with an average of .522 and 8 RBI in 23 at bats. Guerrero has walked 61 times this year and posts a .384 OBP. While batting .297, 157 for 529, he has driven in 103 runs.
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Sunday 10/1/1998: Vladimir Guerrero hits for the cycle against Montreal
LOS ANGELES (N) - Vladimir Guerrero hits 'em where they ain't. Montreal certainly agrees as Los Angeles (N)'s leftfielder unloaded four hits and hitting for the cycle. A pitch from John Cummings in the 4th inning left his bat for a double. His 3rd hit, a three-run homerun off John Cummings in the 5th inning, cleared the fence in right field. A single in the 6th off Andy Benes accounted for his 4th hit. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Vladimir did drive in 4 while scoring 3 runs on his own. He is hitting .297 this season, with 36 HR and 103 RBI. 161 players in league history have so far hit for the cycle, including Vladimir. Ray Lankford was the last player to hit for the cycle, doing it 8/11/1998.
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Sunday 10/1/1998: Deleon and Graves receive Pitcher of the Month award
Texas' pitcher Jose Deleon is the AL winner of the Pitcher of the Month award in September. His record of 4-1 in 5 was among the leagues best this month. In 39.1 innings of work he allowed just 32 hits while striking out 21, compiling an ERA of just 1.14. Opposing players hit .280 against Jose this season. While posting an ERA of 6.18 he went 8-7 in 25 starts, fanning 68 and walking 83 hitters. The best month of September in the NL certainly had Colorado's right-hander Danny Graves, earning him the Pitcher of the Month award. His ERA of just 0.45 helped him to a 2-0 record in September. He worked 20 innings, striking out 13 hitters while walking 6. Danny also fired a shutout. This season Graves compiled an ERA of 4.69, going 3-4 in 3 starts. He fanned 21 while giving up 50 hits in 48 innings. Danny has pitched one shutout and one complete game.
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Sunday 10/1/1998: Garciaparra (BOS) and Giles (SD) win monthly award
The AL's best player of the month was Boston's Nomar Garciaparra, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. Garciaparra helped his team with an average of .420 and 34 RBI in 100 at bats. Garciaparra has walked 43 times this year and posts a .368 OBP. While batting .311, 181 for 582, he has driven in 95 runs. Brian Giles of San Diego wins his 1st Batter of the Month award for putting up the best numbers in the NL. Giles helped his team with an average of .451 and 33 RBI in 91 at bats. Giles has hit 42 taters this year while batting .331. He adds 42 doubles, along with 115 runs scored. He's 9th in the NL in batting!
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Thursday 9/28/1998: Danny Graves turns in great performance against San Francisco
COLORADO - Colorado's right-hander Danny Graves will never forget this day. The 25-year old recorded his first career shutout, a 2-hitter, against San Francisco on Thursday. Graves (3-4) struck out 4 and issued 2 BB, throwing 61 of 104 pitches for strikes. 'That was one of the best games of my career. I had my stuff working very well today.' Colorado's The final score of the game was 4-0.
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Thursday 9/28/1998: Troy O'leary collects five hits against New York (N)
NEW YORK (N) - 'Wow, five hits in one game is something special, isn't it?' said Cincinnati's first baseman Troy O'leary after the 14-6 win over New York (N). In the 1st inning he unloaded a two-run homerun off Chad Ogea. A double off Chad Ogea in the 4th inning accounted for his 2nd hit. His 5th hit, a three-run homerun off Rich Delucia in the 8th inning, landed an estimated 394 feet from home plate. He collected singles in the 6th inning and in the 7th inning . Troy scored 4 runs, and he collected 5 RBI as well! He now has a total of 145 hits this season, accounting for a .282 batting average.
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Monday 9/25/1998: California's Daniels severely injured
CALIFORNIA - California's leftfielder Kal Daniels will miss about 8 weeks after he hurt himself badly in the 1st inning of the game between California and Detroit. He dove for a drive off the bat of Bret Boone, and immediately signaled that he's not OK after hitting the ground. After being taken to a local hospital, Daniels was examined by specialists. The diagnosis revealed the sad truth, a Broken Hand. His season numbers are: .278 AVG, 141 hits, 33 doubles, 2 triples and 21 longballs, along with 91 RBI and 93 runs scored.
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Monday 9/25/1998: Boston's Garciaparra wins Player of the Week award
Boston's shortstop Nomar Garciaparra had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. Nomar went 15 for 28 (.536), while hitting 2 HR and collecting 7 RBI. Bobby Bonilla from Colorado wins his 4th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. He had an on base percentage of .571 and hit .500, while driving in 13 runs. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 9 games. Bobby has gone 174 for 531 (.328) this season, hitting 36 bombs and driving in 108 runs. He has scored 102 runs on his own. He's 10th in the NL in batting!
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Monday 9/18/1998: Jose Canseco slams 500th homerun
NEW YORK (A) - Jose Canseco got a standing ovation from 38833 fans in New York (A), who witnessed his historic 500th career homerun. In 13 years of big league action so far, Jose has compiled a batting average of .291, along with 2151 hits and 1389 RBI. Jose hit 30+ homeruns in a season 11 times, hitting 40 bombs 5 times. 'You dream about that as a kid, but when you reach such a milestone it's hard to believe. Fantastic.' A pitch from Rodney Myers in the 9th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 397 feet from home plate in right-center. The Hall of Fame already has reserved a place for this great player.
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Monday 9/18/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Thome and Giles
It's the 8th time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to California's third baseman Jim Thome. Jim went 8 for 16 (.500), while hitting 5 HR and collecting 9 RBI. He now has homered in 4 consecutive games as well! It's the 2nd time that the NL Player of the Week award goes to San Diego's centerfielder Brian Giles. He had an on base percentage of .636 and hit .579, while driving in 10 runs. He now has homered in 4 consecutive games as well!
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Sunday 9/17/1998: Chad Ogea quiets San Diego bats with shutout
NEW YORK (N) - New York (N)'s right-hander Chad Ogea will never forget this day. The 27-year old recorded his first career shutout, a 2-hitter, against San Diego on Sunday. Ogea (16-7) struck out 7 and walked 1, throwing 67 of 119 pitches for strikes. 'I had my stuff going. Everything I tried worked. What a day!' Eduardo Zambrano provided New York (N) with the offense Ogea needed as he collected 2 hits in 5 trips to the plate, hitting a homerun, scoring two runs. The final score of the game was 7-0.
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Sunday 9/17/1998: Francisco Cabrera out for 7 weeks
BOSTON - Boston's catcher Francisco Cabrera will miss at least 7 weeks after he got hurt seriously in a collision at home plate. He laid on the ground without movement for several minutes and had to be carried off the field. Doctors examined him after the game and diagnosed a Fractured Cheekbone which will require surgery. His season features a batting average of .305 (193 hits in 632 AB), 22 doubles, 2 triples and 33 taters. Cabrera collected 96 RBI and 113 runs as well.
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Sunday 9/17/1998: Edgar Martinez clubs three rockets
DETROIT - Edgar Martinez was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Oakland to a 8-1 win over Detroit by homering three times. His 1st shot, a solo homerun off Mike Draper in the 5th inning, cleared the fence in left-center. A pitch from Matt Whisenant in the 7th inning left his bat for a two-run homerun, landing 405 feet from home plate in left-center. His 3rd shot, off Scott Davison in the 9th inning, was a solo homerun and cleared the fence in left-center. Overall he finished 5 for 5, stroking a double, scoring FIVE runs and driving in 4 runs. So far this season he is batting .279 with 29 homers and 103 RBI. It's pretty obvious that he will enter the Hall of Fame some day! On 9/13/1998, Dean Palmer was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game.
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Monday 9/11/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Jones and Sheffield
The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Oakland's Chris Jones this time, as the rightfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Jones helped his team with an average of .458 and 16 RBI in 24 at bats. This year Jones drove in 70 and scored 63 runs while batting .268 with 14 bombs. The NL Player of the Week award goes to Gary Sheffield, New York (N)'s starting shortstop. Sheffield helped his team with an average of .522 and 13 RBI in 23 at bats. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 8 games. Gary is hitting .287 this year, with 132 hits in 460 at bats. He has driven in 109 runs, slugging .583. He's 8th in the NL in RBIs and 7th in homeruns!
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Friday 9/8/1998: Matt Williams stars with 2000th career hit
ST. LOUIS (N) - San Diego's players had every reason to congratulate Matt Williams, who reached a milestone today, collecting his 2000th career hit! With two outs in the 2nd inning, Matt drilled a single, causing a standing ovation from the crowd. Along with his 2000 hits, Matt collected 473 homeruns and 1434 RBI in 11 seasons. 'I'm out of words. I'll probably realize it tomorrow, but for now I'm done.'
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Wednesday 9/6/1998: Chili Davis unloads, hits number 500
CHICAGO (A) - California's players had every reason to congratulate Chili Davis, who reached a milestone today, slamming his 500th career longball! Perhaps his best year so far was 1990 where he hit .311 with 42 homeruns and 125 RBI. Chili hit 30+ homeruns in a season 6 times, hitting 40 bombs once. 'Good things happen when you put the bat on the ball.' He hit number 500 in the 4th inning, a shot estimated at 382 feet which cleared the wall in right field. The Hall of Fame already has reserved a place for this great player.
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Tuesday 9/5/1998: Seattle's Ricky Jordan slams five hits
CALIFORNIA - Ricky Jordan punished California's pitching today, collecting five hits in 5 AB. That definitely helped Seattle, they won the game 15 to 4. His 1st hit, a three-run homerun off Mike Sirotka in the 1st inning, cleared the fence in right-center. His 2nd hit, off Gregg Olson in the 2nd inning, was a two-run homerun and cleared the fence in left field. He collected singles in the 5th , in the 6th inning Ricky did drive in 5 while scoring 4 runs on his own. He is hitting .250 this season, with 10 HR and 55 RBI.
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Monday 9/4/1998: Pedro Astacio blanks Cleveland with a 1-hitter
CLEVELAND - Cleveland's hitters looked uncomfortable, and Toronto's Pedro Astacio didn't help them. The right-hander fired his 1st shutout of the season, a 1-hitter. With no outs in the 5th inning Sean Berry doubled to break up the no-hitter. 'Pitching a great game is always a good thing. And it doesn't get much better than today.' Astacio (11-10) fanned 5 and walked 1, throwing 107 pitches. Toronto's rightfielder Tony Gwynn went 3 for 5, doubling once. That was enough to support the brilliant performance of Astacio. The final score of the game was 5-0.
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Monday 9/4/1998: Fred Mcgriff collects 2000th hit against New York (A)
NEW YORK (A) - Texas' Fred Mcgriff showed a smile on his face after he got his 2000th career hit against New York (A) on Monday. With two outs in the 1st inning, Fred drilled a two run homerun, causing a standing ovation from the crowd. Along with his 2000 hits, Fred collected 515 homeruns and 1626 RBI in 12 seasons. 'You dream about that as a kid, but when you reach such a milestone it's hard to believe. Fantastic.'
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Monday 9/4/1998: Bagwell (NYY) and Glaus (HOU) win P.O.W. award
The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to New York (A)'s Jeff Bagwell this time, as the first baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Bagwell helped his team with an average of .448 and 15 RBI in 29 at bats. The Player of the Week award in the NL goes to Houston's Troy Glaus this time, as the third baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. In 23 at bats he hit .435 with 5 HR and 7 RBI.
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Saturday 9/2/1998: Ruben Sierra pounds three dingers
KANSAS CITY - Kansas City beat Milwaukee 11-9, but that was not the real story of the game. Ruben Sierra was, as he went deep three times. His 1st blast, a three-run homerun off Curt Schilling in the 3rd inning, landed an estimated 443 feet from home plate. A 392 foot drive to right field marked his 2nd bomb, a two-run homerun off Curt Schilling in the 4th inning. A pitch from Jim Converse in the 5th inning left his bat for a two-run homerun, landing 374 feet from home plate in right field. Overall he went 3 for 5, with three runs scored with 7 RBI.
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Saturday 9/2/1998: Jeff Bagwell found the stroke, smashes three homers
BALTIMORE - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. New York (A)'s first baseman Jeff Bagwell accomplished that feat in a 10-8 win over Baltimore. His 1st shot, a two-run homerun off Mark Gubicza in the 1st inning, cleared the fence in left field. His 2nd shot, off Mark Gubicza in the 2nd inning, was a three-run homerun and cleared the fence in left-center. A 399 foot drive to left-center marked his 3rd bomb, a two-run homerun off Jeff Gray in the 4th inning. Overall he finished 3 for 5, scoring three times and driving in 7 runs. On 8/13/1998, Frank Thomas was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game.
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Friday 9/1/1998: Pitcher of the Month award winners announced
It's the 1st time that the AL Pitcher of the Month award goes to Chicago (A)'s pitcher Javier Vazquez. He went 4-0 in August and finished the month with an ERA of 1.96. He struck out 34 in 41.1 innings. In 16 starts this year Javier struck out 93 batters in 109 innings of work. His ERA is 3.14, his record 8-2. St. Louis (N)'s Alex Fernandez had a terrific August, and it earned him the NL Pitcher of the month award. His ERA of just 1.61 helped him to a 5-1 record in August. He worked 44.2 innings, striking out 51 hitters while walking 1. Opposing players hit .229 against Alex this season. While posting an ERA of 2.31 he went 15-6 in 30 starts, fanning 221 and walking 19 hitters. He's 1st in the NL in ERA and 2nd in wins!
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Friday 9/1/1998: Thomas (KC) and Piazza (HOU) win monthly award
The AL Batter of the Month award goes to Frank Thomas, Kansas City's starting first baseman. He hit .387 with 46 RBI and slugged 1.075 in 93 at bats. Thomas has hit for a .355 average this season. He has 91 extra base hits along with 346 total bases, resulting in a .852 slugging percentage. He's 2nd in the AL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 1st in RBI! It's the 1st time that the NL Batter of the Month award goes to Houston's catcher Mike Piazza. Mike went 37 for 93 (.398), while hitting 13 HR and collecting 25 RBI. Piazza has hit 31 taters this year while batting .324. He adds 25 doubles, along with 91 runs scored.
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Monday 8/28/1998: Hamelin (DET) and Anderson (CIN) win P.O.W. award
Bob Hamelin from Detroit wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. Bob pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .520 with 5 HR and 14 RBI while slugging 1.160. His season numbers are: .248 AVG, 103 hits, 29 doubles, one triple and 21 longballs, along with 59 RBI and 67 runs scored. Brady Anderson wins his 3rd Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Anderson helped his team with an average of .500 and 10 RBI in 22 at bats.
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Wednesday 8/23/1998: Gregg Jefferies stars with 2000th career hit
PHILADELPHIA (N) - Gregg Jefferies got a standing ovation from 31017 fans in Philadelphia (N), who witnessed his 2000th career hit. In 10 years of big league action so far, Gregg has compiled a batting average of .308, along with 267 homeruns and 1005 RBI. 'It's hard to believe that I did it. I want to thank my family, my friends and my teammates!' With one out in the 5th inning, Gregg drilled a single, causing a standing ovation from the crowd.
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Monday 8/21/1998: Simmons (SEA) and Ventura (CIN) win P.O.W. award
It's the 3rd time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to Seattle's centerfielder Nelson Simmons. Nelson was on fire, hitting .450 with 3 HR and 8 RBI. This year Simmons drove in 120 and scored 88 runs while batting .348 with 32 longballs. He's 3rd in the AL in batting, 8th in homeruns and 4th in RBI! Robin Ventura from Cincinnati wins his 14th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. He hit .500 with 8 RBI and slugged 1.000 in 16 at bats.
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Wednesday 8/16/1998: Colorado's Jay Bell ropes five hits
NEW YORK (N) - Jay Bell hits 'em where they ain't. New York (N) certainly agrees as Colorado's second baseman unloaded five hits, adding to his reputation of being one of the best pure hitters in the game. Number 1 in the 1st inning, a shot estimated at 381 feet, cleared the wall in left field. His 2nd hit, a solo homerun off Greg Mathews in the 5th inning, landed an estimated 348 feet from home plate. A pitch from Edwin Nunez in the 8th inning left his bat for a double. He collected singles in the 8th and in the 9th inning . Jay scored 5 runs, and he collected 2 RBI as well! He now has a total of 69 hits this season, accounting for a .248 batting average. Colorado scored 25 runs on 23 hits.
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Tuesday 8/15/1998: Florida's Jones out for the season
FLORIDA - Florida's third baseman Chipper Jones suffered a season ending injury when he hurt himself firing a ball to first base. He collapsed in pain after the throw and was helped off the field. Doctors examined him after the game and diagnosed a Torn Back Muscle which will require surgery. Chipper is hitting .233 this year, with 102 hits in 438 at bats. He has driven in 73 runs, slugging .493.
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Tuesday 8/15/1998: Dante Bichette collects 2000th hit against Baltimore
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's centerfielder Dante Bichette was in good mood after the game against Baltimore, and he had every reason as he made some history while collecting his 2000th career hit. His best year so far was 1997 where he hit .394 with 29 homeruns and 135 RBI. 'Good things happen when you put the bat on the ball.' With no outs in the 2nd inning, Dante drilled a single, causing a standing ovation from the crowd.
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Monday 8/14/1998: Thomas and Lankford win Player of the Week award
The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Kansas City's Frank Thomas this time, as the first baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He had an on base percentage of .571 and hit .500, while driving in 22 runs. The NL Player of the Week award goes to Ray Lankford, Florida's starting centerfielder. Ray was on fire, hitting .552 with 3 HR and 15 RBI. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 8 game hitting streak right now.
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Sunday 8/13/1998: Frank Thomas on fire, crushes three
TORONTO - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. Kansas City's designated hitter Frank Thomas accomplished that feat in a 13-10 win over Toronto. A pitch from Dwight Gooden in the 1st inning left his bat for a three-run homerun, landing 354 feet from home plate in right field. In the 2nd inning he unloaded a GRAND SLAM off Dwight Gooden. His 3rd blast, a solo homerun off Scott Radinsky in the 6th inning, landed an estimated 431 feet from home plate. Overall he collected 4 hits in 4 trips to the plate, stroking a double, with FOUR runs scored and collecting 10 RBI. On 8/11/1998, Danny Tartabull was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game.
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Saturday 8/12/1998: Season ending injury strikes Texas' Wilkins
TEXAS - Texas' catcher Rick Wilkins suffered a season ending injury he was bowled over in a collision at home plate. Wilkins laid unconscious on the field for several minutes and had to be carried off the field. He will miss the entire season. Broken Wrist was the diagnosis after x-rays were taken in a nearby hospital. The message shocked teammates and team officials. Wilkins has hit for a .309 average this season. He has 33 extra base hits along with 178 total bases, resulting in a .504 slugging percentage.
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Friday 8/11/1998: Danny Tartabull on fire, crushes three
CHICAGO (N) - Danny Tartabull was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Chicago (N) to a 6-2 win over Los Angeles (N) by homering three times. His 1st blast, a two-run homerun off Will Cunnane in the 1st inning, landed an estimated 380 feet from home plate. A pitch from Will Cunnane in the 5th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 396 feet from home plate in right field. A 417 foot drive to center field marked his 3rd bomb, a solo homerun off Mike Trombley in the 7th inning. Overall he collected 3 hits in 5 trips to the plate, scoring three runs and driving in 4 runs. Frank Thomas was the last player to hit 3 homeruns in a game, doing it 8/9/1998.
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Friday 8/11/1998: Florida's Ray Lankford gets the cycle
SAN DIEGO - Florida's centerfielder Ray Lankford accomplished a difficult feat in a game against San Diego, hitting for the cycle to improve his career batting average to .311! A single in the 1st off Curt Lyons accounted for his 1st hit. Number 2 in the 3rd inning, a shot estimated at 443 feet, cleared the wall in center field. A pitch from Curt Lyons in the 4th inning left his bat for a three-run triple. Number 4 in the 8th inning accounted for a RBI double. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Ray scored one run, and he collected 6 RBI as well! His 4 hit performance increases his batting average to .322. He's now the 160th player in league history to hit for the cycle! On 6/25/1998, Al Martin was the last player to hit for the cycle.
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Friday 8/11/1998: Tom Glavine fires 2-hitter against Montreal
MONTREAL - Tom Glavine had some fun again. Montreal hitters did not. Houston's left-hander gave up just 2 hits in his 1st shutout of the season. He now has 10 career shutouts in 405 games started. Glavine (11-3) was overpowering, fanning 11 while walking 1, throwing 94 pitches. 'That was one of the best games of my career. I had my stuff working very well today.' The hitting star for Houston was catcher Mike Piazza, he finished with 3 hits in 4 AB, homering once. The final score of the game was 5-0.
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Wednesday 8/9/1998: Frank Thomas blisters three bombs
KANSAS CITY - Kansas City beat Cleveland 18-9, but that was not the real story of the game. Frank Thomas was, as he went deep three times. His 1st shot, a three-run homerun off Hector Fajardo in the 2nd inning, cleared the fence in left-center. His 2nd shot, off Brian Bevil in the 4th inning, was a three-run homerun and cleared the fence in left-center. His 3rd blast, a solo homerun off Luis Aquino in the 7th inning, landed an estimated 356 feet from home plate. Overall he stroked 3 hits in 5 AB, scoring three runs and driving in 7 runs. His homerun total this year is 42, along with 116 RBI. The induction into the Hall of Fame is almost a sure thing for him now!
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Wednesday 8/9/1998: Kansas City's Pulsipher out for 9 weeks
KANSAS CITY - Kansas City is without its southpaw Bill Pulsipher for at least 9 weeks. He injured himself while throwing a pitch to Jay Buhner in a game against Cleveland. His face showed signs of pain immediately after the ball left his hand. After x-rays were taken the diagnosis did not surprise many: Bone Chips Shoulder. Surgery will be performed next week. This season Pulsipher compiled an ERA of 5.43, going 8-7 in 20 starts. He fanned 90 while giving up 118 hits in 114.1 innings.
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Monday 8/7/1998: Boston's Bass wins Player of the Week award
Kevin Bass from Boston wins his 6th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. In 24 at bats he hit .625 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. He has hit 8 homeruns while batting .367 this season. His 143 hits and 33 walks add up to a .418 on-base percentage. He's 1st in the AL in batting! The NL Player of the Week award goes to Matt Williams, San Diego's starting shortstop. In 24 at bats he hit .417 with 4 HR and 12 RBI. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 7 game hitting streak right now. He now has homered in 3 consecutive games as well!
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Sunday 8/6/1998: Chicago (A)'s Greer out for the season
CHICAGO (A) - Chicago (A)'s rightfielder Rusty Greer suffered a season ending injury when he hurt himself diving for a ball. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Doctors examined him after the game and diagnosed a Ruptured Disc Back which will require surgery. Greer has walked 66 times this year and posts a .400 OBP. While batting .299, 111 for 371, he has driven in 72 runs.
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Thursday 8/3/1998: Chicago (A)'s Sellers severely injured
CHICAGO (A) - When it rains, it pours. Chicago (A)'s right-hander Jeff Sellers will not pitch for at least 5 weeks, handing the team a huge setback. He suffered a serious injury in a game against Milwaukee where he left the field in the 2nd inning. Chicago (A) wasted no time and rushed him to an hospital. Team officials were informed later that Sellers had suffered a Herniated Disc Back. Jeff has a record of 10-2 this season, with an ERA of 4.16. In 106 Innings he was able to strike out 91 batters. He's 8th in the AL in ERA and 5th in wins!
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Tuesday 8/1/1998: Jose Rijo turns in great performance against St. Louis (N)
ST. LOUIS (N) - Jose Rijo took the mound and never left. And St. Louis (N) hitters couldn't touch him at all. New York (N)'s right-hander gave up just one hit in his 3rd shutout of the season. He now has 20 career shutouts in 481 games started. The bid for a no-hitter was broken up when B.j. Surhoff doubled with two outs in the 6th inning. Rijo (13-7) was overpowering, fanning 10 while walking none, throwing 118 pitches. 'Things like that happen. You take the mound and everything works. My velocity was pretty good today and I guess it showed.' Jeromy Burnitz helped Rijo at the plate, he collected 2 hits in 3 trips to the plate, hitting a homerun, hitting a double, scoring two runs. New York (N) scored 5 runs on 5 hits.
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Tuesday 8/1/1998: Nagy and Burkett receive Pitcher of the Month award
California's pitcher Charles Nagy is the AL winner of the Pitcher of the Month award in July. His ERA of just 1.83 helped him to a 4-0 record in July. He worked 34.1 innings, striking out 22 hitters while walking 9. In 20 starts this year Charles struck out 75 batters in 124.1 innings of work. His ERA is 4.63, his record 8-6. Houston's pitcher John Burkett is the NL winner of the Pitcher of the Month award in July. He had an ERA of just 1.86 in 38.2 innings of work in which he struck out 18 hitters. His record in July is 4-1. In 23 starts this year John struck out 84 batters in 152 innings of work. His ERA is 3.67, his record 9-3. John has pitched one shutout and 2 complete games.
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Tuesday 8/1/1998: Batter of the Month award winners announced
The AL Batter of the Month award goes to Frank Thomas, Kansas City's starting first baseman. Frank pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .459 with 12 and 27 RBI while slugging 1.131. His season features a batting average of .345 (108 hits in 313 AB), 28 doubles, one triple and 36 bombs. Thomas collected 98 RBI and 84 runs as well. He's 3rd in the AL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 5th in RBI! Pete Incaviglia of Chicago (N) wins his 2nd Batter of the Month award for putting up the best numbers in the NL. Pete was on fire, hitting .367 with 11 homeruns and 27 RBI. Incaviglia has walked 58 times this year and posts a .419 OBP. While batting .318, 119 for 374, he has driven in 112 runs. He's 1st in the NL in RBIs and 1st in homeruns!
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Monday 7/31/1998: Mark Grace out for 5 weeks
OAKLAND - Being hit with a pitch is no fun at all. Especially when you get injured. Oakland's first baseman Mark Grace will miss about 5 weeks after being hit by Dave Haas in the 9th inning of the game between Oakland and California. After being taken to a local hospital, Grace was examined by specialists. The diagnosis revealed the sad truth, a Broken Finger. While compiling an on base percentage of .428, Mark hit .340 and slugged .539. He has collected 71 runs batted in this year. He's 6th in the AL in batting!
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Monday 7/31/1998: New York (N)'s Hansen wins Player of the Week award
It's the 4th time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to Milwaukee's centerfielder Dante Bichette. In 26 at bats he hit .615 with 4 HR and 10 RBI. While compiling an on base percentage of .373, Dante hit .337 and slugged .523. He has collected 67 runs batted in this year. He's 7th in the AL in batting! New York (N)'s third baseman Dave Hansen had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Player of the Week. He had an on base percentage of .531 and hit .423, while driving in 10 runs. This year Hansen drove in 70 and scored 63 runs while batting .298 with 22 homeruns.
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Sunday 7/30/1998: Mark Grant blanks Cincinnati with a 2-hitter
CINCINNATI - Colorado's right-hander Mark Grant will never forget this day. The 34-year old recorded his first career shutout, a 2-hitter, against Cincinnati on Sunday. 'Hey, that's my job! Everytime I take the mound I give the best I can. And my best stuff was too much for them today.' Grant (14-7) struck out 8 and issued 2 BB, throwing 58 of 100 pitches for strikes. Colorado's rightfielder David Justice went 2 for 4, blasting a homerun, scoring two runs and collecting 2 RBI. That was enough to support the brilliant performance of Grant. Colorado improved its record to 51-52, scoring 7 runs on 8 hits.
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Saturday 7/29/1998: Frank Thomas parks three against Detroit
KANSAS CITY - Frank Thomas was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Kansas City to a 10-8 win over Detroit by homering three times. His 1st shot, a two-run homerun off Sam Militello in the 3rd inning, cleared the fence in left field. A pitch from Sam Militello in the 4th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 371 feet from home plate in right field. Number 3 in the 6th inning, a shot estimated at 410 feet, cleared the wall in left-center. Overall he stroked 3 hits in 3 AB, scoring FOUR runs with 5 RBI.
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Monday 7/24/1998: Jeff Kent blisters three bombs
OAKLAND - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. Kansas City's second baseman Jeff Kent accomplished that feat in a 18-6 win over Oakland. His 1st blast, a solo homerun off Mike Magnante in the 3rd inning, landed an estimated 383 feet from home plate. In the 6th inning he unloaded a solo homerun off Esteban Loaiza. A pitch from Esteban Loaiza in the 7th inning left his bat for a three-run homerun, landing 428 feet from home plate in left field. Overall he stroked 4 hits in 6 AB, stroking a double, scoring three times and collecting 7 RBI. Greg Vaughn was the last player to hit 3 homeruns in a game, doing it 6/18/1998.
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Monday 7/24/1998: Worthington and Castilla win Player of the Week award
The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Texas' Craig Worthington this time, as the third baseman displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Craig pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .571 with 4 HR and 8 RBI while slugging 1.143. Craig is hitting .270 this year, with 96 hits in 356 at bats. He has driven in 60 runs, slugging .475. Vinny Castilla from Houston wins his 2nd Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Vinny pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .429 with 3 HR and 9 RBI while slugging 1.000.
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Monday 7/17/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Thomas and Pierzynski
Frank Thomas wins his 8th Player of the Week award. AL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. In 21 at bats he hit .429 with 4 HR and 10 RBI. Thomas has hit 29 bombs this year while batting .330. He adds 24 doubles, along with 67 runs scored. He's 8th in the AL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 5th in RBI! A.j. Pierzynski wins his 1st Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. A.j. pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .545 with 1 HR and 10 RBI while slugging .909.
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Friday 7/14/1998: New York (N)'s Kevin Elster slams five hits
HOUSTON - Kevin Elster punished Houston's pitching today, collecting five hits in 5 AB. That definitely helped New York (N), they won the game 16 to 1. His 1st hit was a double off Ben Mcdonald in the 2nd inning. In the 4th inning he unloaded a solo homerun off Dave Fleming. His 3rd hit was a double off T.j. Mathews in the 6th inning. Number 4 in the 7th inning accounted for a two-run double. A pitch from Mike Holtz in the 8th inning left his bat for a double. Kevin scored 2 runs, and he collected 3 RBI as well! His 5 hit performance increases his batting average to .195.
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Friday 7/14/1998: Toronto's Bonds severely injured, out for season
TORONTO - Toronto's centerfielder Barry Bonds suffered a season ending injury when he was struck by a pitch from Detroit's Sam Militello. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Doctors examined him after the game and diagnosed a Broken Wrist which will require surgery. Barry is hitting .294 this year, with 88 hits in 299 at bats. He has driven in 79 runs, slugging .662. He's 6th in the AL in RBIs and 1st in homeruns!
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Tuesday 7/11/1998: New York (N)'s Morris out for the season
NEW YORK (N) - New York (N)'s right-hander Matt Morris experienced probably the worst case scenario for a pitcher, a season ending injury. After pitching in the 6th inning of the game against San Diego, Morris complained about serious pain in his throwing arm. He had to leave the game. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Ruptured Disc Back. This season Morris compiled an ERA of 3.97, going 10-6 in 22 starts. He fanned 95 while giving up 131 hits in 133.2 innings. He's 2nd in the NL in wins!
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Monday 7/10/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Daniels and Ibanez
It's the 6th time that the AL Player of the Week award goes to California's leftfielder Kal Daniels. Kal was on fire, hitting .563 with 4 HR and 8 RBI. He now has homered in 5 consecutive games as well! His season numbers are: .266 AVG, 74 hits, 18 doubles, 2 triples and 13 taters, along with 44 RBI and 54 runs scored. The NL's best player of the week was Houston's Raul Ibanez, who wins the award for the 2nd time in his career. Ibanez helped his team with an average of .563 and 6 RBI in 16 at bats. He now has homered in 4 consecutive games as well!
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Monday 7/3/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Cabrera and Carr
Boston's catcher Francisco Cabrera had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. He hit .529 with 8 RBI and slugged 1.235 in 17 at bats. The NL's best player of the week was Philadelphia (N)'s Chuck Carr, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. Carr helped his team with an average of .474 and 6 RBI in 19 at bats.
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Saturday 7/1/1998: Milwaukee's Smoltz earns Pitcher of the Month award
Winner of this months AL Pitcher of the Month award is Milwaukee's John Smoltz. His record of 1-0 in 3 was among the leagues best this month. In 16.1 innings of work he allowed just 12 hits while striking out 15, compiling an ERA of just 1.10. His ERA of 3.44 helped him to a 7-3 record this year. He struck out 85 and walked 34 in 91.2 innings. It's the 1st time that the NL Pitcher of the Month award goes to Colorado's pitcher Mark Grant. He struck out 37 hitters in his 7 starts, putting together a record of 5-1 while pitching 37 innings. His ERA in June was 2.32. His ERA of 3.91 helped him to a 11-5 record this year. He struck out 102 and walked 46 in 115 innings. He's 1st in the NL in wins!
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Saturday 7/1/1998: Milwaukee's Jackson earns Batter of the Month award
The AL's best player of the month was Milwaukee's Bo Jackson, who wins the award for the 2nd time in his career. Jackson helped his team with an average of .417 and 34 RBI in 96 at bats. His season numbers are: .312 AVG, 78 hits, 15 doubles, one triple and 15 taters, along with 56 RBI and 38 runs scored. The NL Batter of the Month award goes to Dave Nilsson, Pittsburgh's starting catcher. Dave pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .341 with 10 and 36 RBI while slugging .812. This year Nilsson drove in 78 and scored 57 runs while batting .374 with 22 homeruns. He's 1st in the NL in batting, 7th in homeruns and 3rd in RBI!
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Monday 6/26/1998: Chuck Carr socks five hits for Philadelphia (N)
CHICAGO (N) - On Monday, Philadelphia (N)'s rightfielder Chuck Carr displayed his sensational ability to handle the bat against Chicago (N), punishing their pitchers with five hits. A pitch from Stan Spencer in the 5th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 343 feet from home plate in left field. The game was tied, 3-3, after the blast. In the 7th inning he belted a double off Scott Baker. His 4th hit, off Trevor Hoffman in the 7th inning, was a three-run homerun and cleared the fence in left-center. He had singles in the 3rd inning (one RBI) and in the 9th . Chuck did drive in 5 while scoring 3 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .358. Philadelphia (N) scored 17 runs on 22 hits.
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Monday 6/26/1998: Fred Mcgriff ropes 500th career homerun
DETROIT - Fred Mcgriff got a standing ovation from 20235 fans in Detroit, who witnessed his historic 500th career homerun. His historic shot, off Kevin Appier in the 4th inning, was a solo homerun and cleared the fence in right field. In 12 years of big league action so far, Fred has compiled a batting average of .277, along with 1957 hits and 1579 RBI. Fred has managed to hit 30+ homeruns in a season 12 times, and he topped 40 homeruns 6 times. 'It's hard to believe that I did it. I want to thank my family, my friends and my teammates!' The Hall of Fame already has reserved a place for this great player.
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Monday 6/26/1998: New York (A)'s Posada wins Player of the Week award
New York (A)'s catcher Jorge Posada had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. He had an on base percentage of .704 and hit .619, while driving in 11 runs. Jorge managed to drive in at least one run in every game he played this week. He has hit 9 taters while batting .256 this season. His 54 hits and 51 walks add up to a .410 on-base percentage. The Player of the Week award in the NL goes to New York (N)'s Gary Sheffield this time, as the shortstop displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He had an on base percentage of .559 and hit .480, while driving in 9 runs. He got at least one hit each game this week and is on a 10 game hitting streak right now.
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Sunday 6/25/1998: Chicago (A)'s Al Martin gets the cycle
CLEVELAND - Chicago (A)'s rightfielder Al Martin once again displayed his tremendous ability to make contact with that little white ball. He tore up Cleveland's pitching staff with a 4 hit performance on Sunday. His 1st hit, off Derek Lowe in the 1st inning, was a three-run homerun and cleared the fence in right field. A triple off Derek Lowe in the 5th inning, accounted for his 2nd hit. A pitch from Rafael Montalvo in the 7th inning left his bat for a double. A single in the 8th off Jeff Nelson accounted for his 4th hit. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Al did drive in 4 while scoring 2 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .315. He becomes the 159th player in league history collect at least a single, double, triple and a homerun in a single game. On 6/1/1998, Vinny Castilla was the last player to hit for the cycle.
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Saturday 6/24/1998: Ellis Burks out for 5 weeks
TEXAS - Texas' Ellis Burks suffered a serious injury Saturday in a game against Detroit. Burks fell down while running the bases and couldn't get up without help. He will miss probably 5 weeks. Burks was rushed to an hospital near the ballpark, where doctors took x-rays. Those revealed the serious injury, Torn Abdominal Muscle. While compiling an on base percentage of .383, Ellis hit .293 and slugged .537. He has collected 61 runs batted in this year.
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Thursday 6/22/1998: Jose Lima pitches his 1st shutout of the season
CHICAGO (A) - Jose Lima had his best stuff going, and Kansas City hitters had nothing to cheer about. Chicago (A)'s right-hander pitched a 2-hitter, his 1st shutout of the season. 'I was able to keep´em off balance. That certainly helped.' Lima (6-3) struck out 4 and walked none, throwing 56 of 95 pitches for strikes. Tony Fernandez provided Chicago (A) with the offense Lima needed as he got 1 hit in 3 AB, hitting a double. Chicago (A) scored 2 runs on 4 hits.
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Monday 6/19/1998: Damon (CHA) and Hosey (NYM) win P.O.W. award
The Player of the Week award in the AL goes to Chicago (A)'s Johnny Damon this time, as the centerfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. Johnny was on fire, hitting .483 with 5 HR and 15 RBI. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 8 games. The NL Player of the Week award goes to Dwayne Hosey, New York (N)'s starting leftfielder. He had an on base percentage of .483 and hit .375, while driving in 8 runs.
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Sunday 6/18/1998: Greg Vaughn parks three against Los Angeles (N)
LOS ANGELES (N) - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. Florida's rightfielder Greg Vaughn accomplished that feat in a 10-7 win over Los Angeles (N). His 1st shot, a solo homerun off Chris Gardner in the 6th inning, cleared the fence in left field. Number 2 in the 8th inning, a shot estimated at 377 feet, cleared the wall in right field. That one tied it at 7 runs apiece. A pitch from Terry Mathews in the 9th inning left his bat for a two-run homerun, landing 368 feet from home plate in right field. Greg got 4 hits in 5 AB, with three runs scored with 5 RBI. In 4673 career at bats, he has hit 268 homeruns and collected 850 RBI.
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Thursday 6/15/1998: Barry Bonds ropes 2000th career hit
TORONTO - Toronto's centerfielder Barry Bonds joined some elite company today, collecting his 2000th career hit! He hit a double in the 7th off Rich Garces for number 2000. In 12 years of big league action so far, Barry has compiled a batting average of .315, along with 657 homeruns and 1672 RBI. 'My firends always told me that I will do it one day. I never believed it. Good that I was wrong!'
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Thursday 6/15/1998: Tony Clark blisters three bombs
TEXAS - Boston beat Texas 14-4, but that was not the real story of the game. Tony Clark was, as he went deep three times. His 1st blast, a two-run homerun off Daryl Smith in the 3rd inning, landed an estimated 409 feet from home plate. A 434 foot drive to center field marked his 2nd bomb, a two-run homerun off Daryl Smith in the 5th inning. In the 6th inning he unloaded a two-run homerun off Heath Murray. Overall he went 5 for 5, scoring three times and collecting 7 RBI.
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Monday 6/12/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Jackson and Ibanez
Milwaukee's leftfielder Bo Jackson had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. Jackson helped his team with an average of .583 and 15 RBI in 24 at bats. Raul Ibanez wins his 1st Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. In 19 at bats he hit .684 with 1 HR and 5 RBI.
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Sunday 6/11/1998: Milwaukee's Smoltz out for 5 weeks
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's right-hander John Smoltz suffered a severe injury on Sunday and will be out for at least 5 weeks. In the 1st of the game against California he experienced pain in his throwing arm and had to leave the game. After being taken to a local hospital, Smoltz was examined by specialists. The diagnosis revealed the sad truth, a Torn Bicep Muscle. John has a record of 7-3 this season, with an ERA of 3.44. In 91.2 Innings he was able to strike out 85 batters. He's 7th in the AL in ERA and 5th in wins!
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Thursday 6/8/1998: Texas' Wally Joyner ropes six hits
MINNESOTA - Wally Joyner led Texas to a 24-8 win over Minnesota by squeezing six hits out of his bat. In the 1st inning he belted a double off Brian Keyser. Number 3 in the 3rd inning, a shot estimated at 387 feet, cleared the wall in right field. He collected singles in the 2nd inning (one RBI) , in the 3rd (one RBI) , in the 7th inning (two RBIs) and in the 8th . Wally scored 2 runs, and he collected 8 RBI as well! He's having a very good season so far, batting .351.
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Thursday 6/8/1998: Bobby Howry (MIN) will miss 7 weeks
MINNESOTA - Minnesota's right-hander Bobby Howry suffered a severe injury on Thursday and will be out for at least 7 weeks. In the 9th of the game against Texas he experienced pain in his throwing arm and had to leave the game. Strained Bicep Muscle was the diagnosis after x-rays were taken in a nearby hospital. The message shocked teammates and team officials. Bobby has a record of 0-0 this season, with an ERA of 4.91. In 14.2 Innings he was able to strike out 4 batters.
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Thursday 6/8/1998: Wally Joyner stars with 2000th career hit
MINNESOTA - Texas' first baseman Wally Joyner was in good mood after the game against Minnesota, and he had every reason as he made some history while collecting his 2000th career hit. In 12 years of big league action so far, Wally has compiled a batting average of .298, along with 243 homeruns and 1129 RBI. 'It's hard to believe that I did it. I want to thank my family, my friends and my teammates!' His hit in the 8th inning was a single off Bobby Howry.
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Monday 6/5/1998: Bo Jackson found the stroke, smashes three homers
BOSTON - Bo Jackson was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Milwaukee to a 11-6 win over Boston by homering three times. His 1st shot, a solo homerun off Keith Shepherd in the 4th inning, cleared the fence in left-center. His 2nd blast, a three-run homerun off Johnny Ruffin in the 5th inning, landed an estimated 357 feet from home plate. Number 3 in the 8th inning, a shot estimated at 320 feet, cleared the wall in right field. Overall he stroked 5 hits in 5 AB, scoring three runs with 8 RBI. So far this season he is batting .279 with 10 homers and 34 RBI.
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Monday 6/5/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Simmons and Williams
Nelson Simmons from Seattle wins his 2nd Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. He had an on base percentage of .692 and hit .636, while driving in 13 runs. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 7 games. Matt Williams from San Diego wins his 7th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Williams helped his team with an average of .591 and 12 RBI in 22 at bats.
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Sunday 6/4/1998: Texas' Tim Salmon slams three taters
TEXAS - Texas beat Oakland 8-5, but that was not the real story of the game. Tim Salmon was, as he went deep three times. His 1st shot, a solo homerun off Brad Radke in the 2nd inning, cleared the fence in left field. A 351 foot drive to right field marked his 2nd bomb, a two-run homerun off Brad Radke in the 5th inning. In the 7th inning he unloaded a solo homerun off Mike Magnante. Overall he collected 3 hits in 4 trips to the plate, scoring three runs and collecting 4 RBI. So far this season he is batting .376 with 20 homers and 59 RBI.
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Thursday 6/1/1998: Vinny Castilla punishes St. Louis (N) with four hits, cycle
HOUSTON - Vinny Castilla is a pretty good hitter, but his 4 hit performance seemed to surprise even himself considering that the hits added up to the cycle, one of the most difficult things to accomplish in baseball. Number 1 in the 1st inning accounted for a double. A pitch from Scott Sanders in the 3rd inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 369 feet from home plate in left field. A single in the 4th off Andres Berumen accounted for his 3rd hit. Hit number 4 followed in the 6th inning, a triple. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Vinny scored 3 runs, and he collected one RBI as well! He's having a very good season so far, batting .332. He's now the 158th player in league history to hit for the cycle! On 9/10/1997, Damion Easley was the last player to hit for the cycle.
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Thursday 6/1/1998: Season ending injury strikes New York (N)'s Jefferson
NEW YORK (N) - New York (N)'s first baseman Reggie Jefferson suffered a season ending injury when he was struck by a pitch from Philadelphia (N)'s Tim Mauser. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Doctors examined him after the game and diagnosed a Broken Wrist which will require surgery. Jefferson has walked 16 times this year and posts a .366 OBP. While batting .304, 56 for 184, he has driven in 30 runs.
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Thursday 6/1/1998: Houston's Glavine named Pitcher of the Month
The best month of May in the AL certainly had Kansas City's right-hander Ramon Martinez, earning him the Pitcher of the Month award. He had an ERA of just 2.01 in 49.1 innings of work in which he struck out 42 hitters. His record in May is 4-1. Ramon pitched a shutout as well. Opposing players hit .236 against Ramon this season. While posting an ERA of 2.88 he went 7-3 in 12 starts, fanning 71 and walking 10 hitters. He has 6 complete games and 2 shutouts. He's 3rd in the AL in ERA and 3rd in wins! Winner of this months NL Pitcher of the Month award is Houston's Tom Glavine. He started 6 games in May, going 5-0 and compiling an ERA of 1.86 in 38.2 innings. Tom fanned 41 hitters. Tom has a record of 7-1 this season, with an ERA of 2.64. In 71.2 Innings he was able to strike out 71 batters. He's 2nd in the NL in ERA and 3rd in wins!
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Thursday 6/1/1998: Seattle's Simmons earns Batter of the Month award
The AL's best player of the month was Seattle's Nelson Simmons, who wins the award for the 1st time in his career. Simmons helped his team with an average of .375 and 33 RBI in 104 at bats. His season numbers are: .360 AVG, 71 hits, 10 doubles, one triple and 17 bombs, along with 58 RBI and 36 runs scored. He's 2nd in the AL in batting, 2nd in homeruns and 2nd in RBI! The NL's best player of the month was San Diego's Matt Williams, who wins the award for the 7th time in his career. He had an on base percentage of .450 and hit .363, while driving in 27 runs. Matt is hitting .363 this year, with 69 hits in 190 at bats. He has driven in 49 runs, slugging .863. He's 4th in the NL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 4th in RBI!
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Monday 5/29/1998: San Diego's Williams wins Player of the Week award
The AL Player of the Week award goes to Sam Horn, Toronto's starting leftfielder. Sam was on fire, hitting .423 with 8 HR and 13 RBI. Horn has walked 30 times this year and posts a .395 OBP. While batting .287, 54 for 188, he has driven in 47 runs. He's 8th in the AL in RBIs and 7th in homeruns! San Diego's shortstop Matt Williams had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Player of the Week. Matt pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .474 with 3 HR and 8 RBI while slugging 1.000.
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Monday 5/22/1998: Toronto's Sam Horn slams three taters
TORONTO - Sam Horn was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered Toronto to a 11-0 win over Milwaukee by homering three times. A pitch from Curt Schilling in the 1st inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 385 feet from home plate in right-center. In the 3rd inning he unloaded a three-run homerun off Curt Schilling. A 470 foot drive to left field marked his 3rd bomb, a solo homerun off Jamie Brewington in the 7th inning. Overall he stroked 3 hits in 4 AB, with three runs scored with 5 RBI. On 5/7/1998, Jorge Posada was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game.
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Monday 5/22/1998: Player of the Week honors go to Jones and Belle
Andruw Jones from New York (A) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. He had an on base percentage of .500 and hit .409, while driving in 12 runs. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 9 games. Andruw has gone 48 for 160 (.300) this season, hitting 15 homeruns and driving in 37 runs. He has scored 40 runs on his own. The NL's best player of the week was Chicago (N)'s Albert Belle, who wins the award for the 10th time in his career. Albert went 15 for 23 (.652), while hitting 2 HR and collecting 8 RBI.
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Thursday 5/18/1998: Montreal's Dye out for the season
MONTREAL - Montreal's leftfielder Jermaine Dye suffered a season ending injury when he was struck by a pitch from New York (N)'s Matt Morris. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. Montreal wasted no time and rushed him to an hospital. Team officials were informed later that Dye had suffered a Broken Wrist. His season numbers are: .256 AVG, 34 hits, 6 doubles, one triple and 11 taters, along with 21 RBI and 17 runs scored.
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Tuesday 5/16/1998: Cincinnati's Vince Coleman gets milestone hit
ATLANTA - Cincinnati's centerfielder Vince Coleman was in good mood after the game against Atlanta, and he had every reason as he made some history while collecting his 2000th career hit. His best year so far was 1991 where he hit .296 with 4 homeruns and 65 RBI. 'Good things happen when you put the bat on the ball.' His hit in the 1st inning was a single off Amaury Telemaco.
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Monday 5/15/1998: Bonds (TOR) and Jefferies (STL) win P.O.W. award
Toronto's centerfielder Barry Bonds had some reason to celebrate, as the league named him the AL Player of the Week. He hit .478 with 15 RBI and slugged 1.130 in 23 at bats. Gregg Jefferies from St. Louis (N) wins his 7th Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. In 23 at bats he hit .522 with 5 HR and 8 RBI. Gregg has gone 62 for 150 (.413) this season, hitting 18 longballs and driving in 38 runs. He has scored 44 runs on his own. He's 1st in the NL in batting, 2nd in homeruns and 4th in RBI!
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Monday 5/8/1998: Mondesi (KC) and Mueller (PHI) win P.O.W. award
Raul Mondesi from Kansas City wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. Raul pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .423 with 5 HR and 19 RBI while slugging 1.038. This year Mondesi drove in 33 and scored 18 runs while batting .237 with 8 longballs. Bill Mueller from Philadelphia (N) wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the NL. Bill was on fire, hitting .438 with 3 HR and 12 RBI.
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Sunday 5/7/1998: Jorge Posada clubs three rockets
NEW YORK (A) - Jorge Posada was in a groove, and the results spoke for themselves. He powered New York (A) to a 10-3 win over Kansas City by homering three times. A pitch from Mark Guthrie in the 2nd inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 463 feet from home plate in center field. His 2nd blast, a two-run homerun off Mark Guthrie in the 3rd inning, landed an estimated 329 feet from home plate. His 3rd shot, a solo homerun off Rich Croushore in the 4th inning, cleared the fence in right-center. Overall he stroked 3 hits in 3 AB, scoring three runs and driving in 4 runs. Troy Neel was the last player to hit 3 homeruns in a game, doing it 5/5/1998.
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Sunday 5/7/1998: Derek Lowe (CLE) will miss 5-6 weeks
CLEVELAND - Cleveland is without its right-hander Derek Lowe for at least 5-6 weeks. He injured himself while throwing a pitch to Craig Biggio in a game against Detroit. His face showed signs of pain immediately after the ball left his hand. After being taken to a local hospital, Lowe was examined by specialists. The diagnosis revealed the sad truth, a Strained Bicep Muscle. Opposing players hit .289 against Derek this season. While posting an ERA of 4.17 he went 3-2 in 7 starts, fanning 22 and walking 12 hitters.
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Friday 5/5/1998: St. Louis (N)'s Gonzalez out for 8-9 weeks
ST. LOUIS (N) - St. Louis (N)'s leftfielder Juan Gonzalez will miss about 8-9 weeks after he hurt himself badly in the 6th inning of the game between St. Louis (N) and Houston. He dove for a drive off the bat of Doug Mientkiewicz, and immediately signaled that he's not OK after hitting the ground. Doctors examined him after the game and diagnosed a Broken Hand which will require surgery. His season numbers are: .274 AVG, 32 hits, 9 doubles, no triples and 10 longballs, along with 27 RBI and 18 runs scored. He's 7th in the NL in RBIs and 6th in homeruns!
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Friday 5/5/1998: 5-hit performance by Cleveland's Curtis Pride
DETROIT - 'You know, in batting practice I didn't really feel that comfortable about my stroke today, but baseball is more than hitting. Then, when you're not trying to force a hit, you slug them in droves,' says Curtis Pride after his 5 hit game, which Cleveland won 24-7 against Detroit. A 389 foot drive to right-center marked his 1st hit, a three-run homerun off Jose Dejesus in the 1st inning. A three-run triple off Ben Rivera in the 2nd inning, accounted for his 2nd hit. He had singles in the 6th (two RBIs) , in the 8th inning and in the 8th . Curtis did drive in 8 while scoring 2 runs on his own. He now has a total of 18 hits this season, accounting for a .240 batting average.
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Friday 5/5/1998: Troy Neel parks three against Detroit
DETROIT - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. Cleveland's designated hitter Troy Neel accomplished that feat in a 24-7 win over Detroit. A pitch from Jose Dejesus in the 1st inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 378 feet from home plate in right field. His 2nd shot, a solo homerun off Ben Rivera in the 6th inning, cleared the fence in right field. His 3rd blast, a solo homerun off Jim Corsi in the 7th inning, landed an estimated 343 feet from home plate. Troy collected 3 hits in 7 trips to the plate, scoring three times with 3 RBI.
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Thursday 5/4/1998: Jose Rijo blanks San Diego with a 2-hitter
SAN DIEGO - New York (N)'s right-hander Jose Rijo is a great pitcher. And he once again showed his stuff, blanking San Diego on just 2 hits. It's his 1st shutout this season, and the 18th time he has done it in his career. The bid for a no-hitter was broken up when Michael Tucker singled with no outs in the 7th inning. Rijo (4-2) struck out an astounding 13 and walked 3, throwing 69 of 128 pitches for strikes. 'That was one of the best games of my career. I had my stuff working very well today.' Reggie Jefferson provided New York (N) with the offense Rijo needed as he went 1 for 4, with 3 RBI. The final score of the game was 6-0.
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Monday 5/1/1998: St. Louis (N) has no chance in a 1-hitter by Scott Lewis
LOS ANGELES (N) - It was a great day for Los Angeles (N)'s right-hander Scott Lewis. The 32-year old recorded his first career shutout, a 1-hitter, against St. Louis (N) on Monday. Lewis (1-2) struck out 3 and walked 4, throwing 58 of 101 pitches for strikes. 'I was hitting my spots. Now I'll start concentrating on my next start, and hopefully it will work again.' The hitting star for Los Angeles (N) was second baseman Andujar Cedeno, he collected 3 hits in 5 trips to the plate, homering twice, scoring twice with 3 RBI. Los Angeles (N) scored 6 runs on 10 hits.
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Monday 5/1/1998: New York (N)'s Morris named Pitcher of the Month
Minnesota's pitcher Mike Mussina is the AL winner of the Pitcher of the Month award in April. His record of 4-1 in 5 was among the leagues best this month. In 34.1 innings of work he allowed just 30 hits while striking out 42, compiling an ERA of just 1.05. Matt Morris couldn't have pitched much better than he did in April, and the NL thought so as well, naming the right-hander Pitcher of the Month. He struck out 26 hitters in his 6 starts, putting together a record of 4-1 while pitching 26 innings. His ERA in April was 3.38.
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Monday 5/1/1998: Batter of the Month award winners announced
The AL Batter of the Month award goes to Miguel Tejada, Minnesota's starting shortstop. He hit .394 with 39 RBI and slugged .894 in 94 at bats. The Batter of the Month award in the NL goes to Chicago (N)'s Pete Incaviglia this time, as the rightfielder displayed the best offensive perfomance in his league. He hit .337 with 35 RBI and slugged .884 in 86 at bats.
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Monday 5/1/1998: Oakland's Grace wins Player of the Week award
Mark Grace from Oakland wins his 3rd Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. Mark was on fire, hitting .560 with 1 HR and 6 RBI. The NL's best player of the week was Colorado's Mo Vaughn, who wins the award for the 6th time in his career. He hit .563 with 13 RBI and slugged 1.500 in 16 at bats. He now has homered in 3 consecutive games as well! Vaughn has hit for a .326 average this season. He has 13 extra base hits along with 65 total bases, resulting in a .730 slugging percentage. He's 5th in the NL in RBIs and 2nd in homeruns!
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Saturday 4/29/1998: Mark Grace stars with 2000th career hit
MINNESOTA - Oakland's first baseman Mark Grace already had some highlights in his career, and today he added another one, getting his 2000th career hit. His best year so far was 1995 where he hit .369 with 12 homeruns and 96 RBI. 'I still remember my first hit. But the one today is something special. I'll definitely keep that ball!' He hit a single in the 9th off Angel Miranda for number 2000.
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Tuesday 4/25/1998: Paul O'neill stars with 2000th career hit
NEW YORK (A) - New York (A)'s rightfielder Paul O'neill joined some elite company today, collecting his 2000th career hit! With two outs in the 8th inning, Paul drilled a single, causing a standing ovation from the crowd. His best year so far was 1994 where he hit .345 with 23 homeruns and 105 RBI. 'I guess I'll celebrate a bit today. But the most important thing is winning, and my whole career I gave everything I could to help my team.'
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Monday 4/24/1998: Bonds and Casey win Player of the Week award
The AL's best player of the week was Toronto's Barry Bonds, who wins the award for the 15th time in his career. Barry pounded opposing pitchers, hitting .414 with 7 HR and 14 RBI while slugging 1.207. He now has homered in 5 consecutive games as well! He has hit 9 taters while batting .303 this season. His 23 hits and 15 walks add up to a .418 on-base percentage. He's 4th in the AL in RBIs and 3rd in homeruns! Philadelphia (N)'s first baseman Sean Casey had some reason to celebrate as well, as the league named him the NL Player of the Week. In 27 at bats he hit .556 with 3 HR and 7 RBI. Casey has hit 3 homeruns this year while batting .408. He adds 7 doubles, along with 16 runs scored. He's 3rd in the NL in batting!
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Sunday 4/23/1998: Philadelphia (N)'s Jeter severely injured
PHILADELPHIA (N) - Philadelphia (N)'s shortstop Derek Jeter will miss at least 4-5 weeks after he got hurt seriously while running hard toward second base. He began limping and then fell down, causing a scary moment for his teammates. He had to be carried off the field. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Torn Abdominal Muscle. Derek is hitting .241 this year, with 19 hits in 79 at bats. He has driven in 6 runs, slugging .380.
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Sunday 4/23/1998: Minnesota's Escobar severely injured
MINNESOTA - Minnesota's right-hander Kelvim Escobar suffered a severe injury on Sunday and will be out for at least 7 weeks. In the 9th of the game against Boston he experienced pain in his throwing arm and had to leave the game. Escobar was rushed to an hospital near the ballpark, where doctors took x-rays. Those revealed the serious injury, Strained Bicep Muscle. His ERA of 3.41 helped him to a 1-1 record this year. He struck out 24 and walked 6 in 29 innings.
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Wednesday 4/19/1998: Chuck Carr clubs five hits in a game
CINCINNATI - Chuck Carr is among the best pure hitters in the game, but his 5 hit performance seemed to surprise even himself. A pitch from Fernando Hernandez in the 6th inning left his bat for a two-run homerun, landing 399 feet from home plate in right-center. In the 8th inning he unloaded a RBI triple off Russ Springer. He collected singles in the 1st , in the 3rd inning and in the 5th inning . Chuck did drive in 3 while scoring 4 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .328. Philadelphia (N) scored 10 runs on 21 hits.
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Monday 4/17/1998: Tejada (MIN) and Jefferies (STL) win P.O.W. award
Miguel Tejada wins his 1st Player of the Week award. AL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. He hit .500 with 13 RBI and slugged 1.077 in 26 at bats. Miguel has gone 23 for 50 (.460) this season, hitting 7 taters and driving in 25 runs. He has scored 15 runs on his own. He's 1st in the AL in batting, 1st in homeruns and 1st in RBI! The NL Player of the Week award goes to Gregg Jefferies, St. Louis (N)'s starting third baseman. He had an on base percentage of .606 and hit .552, while driving in 13 runs. He hit in every game this week and extended his hitting streak to 7 games. He now has homered in 3 consecutive games as well!
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Sunday 4/16/1998: Randy Johnson dominates San Francisco, gives up just 2 hits
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's offense is struggling, and Chicago (N)'s Randy Johnson didn't help them. The left-hander fired his 1st shutout of the season, a 2-hitter. Johnson (3-0) was overpowering, fanning 11 while walking 2, throwing 127 pitches. 'Well, the ball went where I wanted it. I was able to hit the corners with all of my pitches.' Pete Incaviglia provided Chicago (N) with the offense Johnson needed as he finished 4 for 5, homering twice, scoring FOUR runs with 4 RBI. Chicago (N) scored 15 runs on 16 hits.
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Friday 4/14/1998: Daryl Boston (STL) will miss 5 weeks
ST. LOUIS (N) - Colorado's Ken Hill drilled St. Louis (N)'s rightfielder Daryl Boston in the 3rd inning. He was slow getting up and had to leave the game. Daryl Boston will miss at least 5 weeks. Boston was rushed to an hospital near the ballpark, where doctors took x-rays. Those revealed the serious injury, Broken Hand.
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Friday 4/14/1998: Andy Pettitte fires 2-hitter against Chicago (A)
SEATTLE - Chicago (A)'s hitters looked uncomfortable, and Seattle's Andy Pettitte didn't help them. The lefty fired his 1st shutout of the season, a 2-hitter. 'I really like to play baseball, and I love the way I was able to play it today.' Pettitte (1-0) struck out 3 and issued 4 BB, throwing 61 of 117 pitches for strikes. Todd Walker helped Pettitte at the plate, he went 2 for 5, blasting a homerun, scoring twice and driving in 2 runs. Seattle improved its record to 3-8, scoring 10 runs on 19 hits.
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Monday 4/10/1998: Gary Sheffield clubs three rockets
CINCINNATI - Hitting a homerun is fine, but hitting three of them in one game is something special. New York (N)'s shortstop Gary Sheffield accomplished that feat in a 12-5 win over Cincinnati. A pitch from Tim Belcher in the 1st inning left his bat for a three-run homerun, landing 408 feet from home plate in left-center. His 2nd shot, off Tim Belcher in the 5th inning, was a two-run homerun and cleared the fence in right field. A 373 foot drive to left field marked his 3rd bomb, a solo homerun off Dave Telgheder in the 7th inning. Gary got 5 hits in 5 AB, scoring FOUR runs with 7 RBI. On 9/8/1997, Melvin Nieves was the last player to hit 3 dingers in a single game.
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Monday 4/10/1998: Al Martin punishes Cleveland with five hits
CLEVELAND - 'You know, in batting practice I didn't really feel that comfortable about my stroke today, but baseball is more than hitting. Then, when you're not trying to force a hit, you slug them in droves,' says Al Martin after his 5 hit game, which Milwaukee won 21-7 against Cleveland. A 433 foot drive to center field marked his 1st hit, a solo homerun off Derek Lowe in the 1st inning. His 4th hit was a two-run double off Luis Aquino in the 5th inning. In the 9th inning he belted a double off Jeff Nelson. He had singles in the 3rd and in the 4th inning . Al did drive in 3 while scoring 5 runs on his own. His 5 hit performance increases his batting average to .261.
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Monday 4/10/1998: Abreu (BAL) and Clark (CHN) win P.O.W. award
Bobby Abreu from Baltimore wins his 1st Player of the Week award for putting up the best numbers this week in the AL. In 19 at bats he hit .579 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Will Clark wins his 3rd Player of the Week award. NL pitchers couldn't figure out how to retire this guy all week long. Will was on fire, hitting .565 with 3 HR and 10 RBI.
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Sunday 4/9/1998: Atlanta's Anderson out for the season
ATLANTA - Atlanta's leftfielder Garret Anderson suffered a season ending injury when he hurt himself diving for a ball. He collapsed in pain and was helped off the field. After being taken to a local hospital, Anderson was examined by specialists. The diagnosis revealed the sad truth, a Broken Foot.
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Saturday 4/8/1998: Tim Salmon punishes Oakland with five hits
TEXAS - Texas' rightfielder Tim Salmon accomplished a difficult feat in a 19-10 win over Oakland, drilling five hits to improve his career batting average to .248! His 1st hit, a three-run homerun off Jason Jacome in the 1st inning, cleared the fence in right field. In the 6th inning he belted a two-run double off Yorkis Perez. A pitch from Bob Wickman in the 8th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 370 feet from home plate in left field. He had singles in the 2nd (one RBI) and in the 4th . Tim did drive in 7 while scoring 3 runs on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .400. The final score of the game was 19-10.
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Friday 4/7/1998: Howard Johnson stars with 2000th career hit
NEW YORK (N) - New York (N)'s players had every reason to congratulate Howard Johnson, who reached a milestone today, collecting his 2000th career hit! His hit in the 9th inning was a single off T.j. Mathews. His best year so far was 1991 where he hit .278 with 38 homeruns and 94 RBI. 'You dream about that as a kid, but when you reach such a milestone it's hard to believe. Fantastic.'
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Thursday 4/6/1998: Jose Canseco stars with 2000th career hit
BOSTON - Boston's leftfielder Jose Canseco was in good mood after the game against Toronto, and he had every reason as he made some history while collecting his 2000th career hit. With two outs in the 6th inning, Jose drilled a single, causing a standing ovation from the crowd. Along with his 2000 hits, Jose collected 470 homeruns and 1310 RBI in 13 seasons. 'I'm out of words. I'll probably realize it tomorrow, but for now I'm done.'
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