1953 – Carl Erskine defeats the Braves, 5 – 2, as the Dodgers clinch the pennant earlier than any other team in National League history up to that point.
1974 – The Reds sweep a pair from the Braves and the two teams combine for a major-league record three grand slams. Cesar Geronimo hits one in the 2nd inning of the first game, as does the Braves’ Darrell Evans. The Braves hang on for a 9 – 6 win, then take the second game by a 6 – 2 score. Johnny Bench hits the third grand slam of the day and drives in all six of the Reds’ runs in that game. He will finish the year with 129 RBIs to top the National League, and his 315 total bases will also lead the league. He is the only catcher in major league history to lead a league in total bases (Bench caught 137 games, played 3B in 36 games and 1B in 5).
1996 – Rockies OF Ellis Burks steals his 30th base of the season, making him the 19th player in history to join the 30-30 club. He hits his 37th homer of the season and drives in five runs in Colorado’s 16 – 8 win over Atlanta.
2010 – The Phillies take the lead in the NL East on Roy Oswalt’s four-hit complete game shutout of the Mets, 3 – 0. Oswalt is now 6-1, 1.98, since being acquired from Houston at the trading deadline. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols bangs two homers against Tim Hudson as the Braves lose, 7 – 3, to fall one game behind the Phils
1974 – Detroit P John Hiller picks up his 17th win in relief, an American League record, as he beats Milwaukee, 9 – 7.
1979 – Carl Yastrzemski reaches the 3000 hits milestone when he singles off Yankee Jim Beattie.
1991 – Texas Ranger Nolan Ryan wins his tenth game, beating the Twins, 4 – 3, and becoming just the second pitcher ever to reach double figures in wins in 20 different seasons. Don Sutton did it in 21 seasons. The win, Ryan’s 312th of his career moves him past Tom Seaver into 14th place on the career list. Jack Morris is the complete game loser.
1998 – Cubs OF Sammy Sosa becomes the fourth player in history to reach the 60-home run mark for a season when he slugs number 60 off Valerio de los Santos of the Brewers in the 7th inning of the 15 – 12 Chicago win.
2015 – David Ortiz of the Red Sox becomes the 27th member of the 500 home run club by going deep twice, both times off Matt Moore, in a 10 – 4 win over the Rays.
2021 – Max Scherzer of the Dodgers becomes the 19th pitcher in history to reach 3,000 strikeouts when he fans Eric Hosmer of the Padres in the 5th inning. Not content with that mark, Scherzer has one of his greatest days: he records the third immaculate inning of his career in the 3rd, joining Sandy Koufax and Chris Sale as the only pitchers to do so, and takes a perfect game into the 8th before Hosmer doubles with one out to break the spell. He will be the only baserunner Scherzer allows in eight scoreless innings as he strikes out nine and ends up an 8 – 0 winner.
2022 – Mike Trout homers for the seventh straight game, off Konnor Pilkington of the Guardians, but in an outcome that is typical of their season, the Angels still lose, 5 – 4. Trout is one away from the record of eight games, held by Dale Long, Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey Jr. and has 35 homers, second in the AL behind runaway leader Aaron Judge in spite of playing in just 100 of his team’s 141 games so far this year.