Roberto Clemente was on a red-hot tear on this day in baseball, August 23, 1970: The Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder had a second consecutive five-hit game, making him the first modern-day major leaguer to have 10 hits in two  games. In the Saturday game of a weekend series against the L.A. Dodgers, Clemente had three singles, lined out twice, then capped his day with two more singles in an 11-0, 16-inning victory in which scored the winning run. The next day, Clemente had a home run, a double and three singles, good for 3 RBI and 4 runs scored.

Few players have made a huge first impression on their new team like Yoenis Cespedes, the much-traveled Cuban outfielder who was dealt to the Mets by the Tigers at the 2015 trading deadline and proceeded to carry the club right into the World Series. Cespedes brought a hot bat and rocket arm to New York, hitting over .300 with 17 homers and 42 RBIs in his first 41 games as a Met. But on this day in béisbol, Aug. 21, 2015, Cespedes absolutely sizzled at the plate with a monster game against the Rockies in Colorado. He bashed three home

Great teams don’t win without great shortstops, and the Big Red Machine of the 1970s — perennial postseason contenders and back-to-back world champs in 1975 and ’76 — don’t win without shortstop Dave Concepcion.  The Venezuelan defensive whiz was the backbone of the Cincinnati steamroller that has seen three players (Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez) make the Hall of Fame even with all-time hits king Pete Rose frozen out of consideration for now. On this day in béisbol, Aug. 20, 1988 Concepcion was in his final season of a 19-year career spent entirely with the Reds when he

He was one the best pitchers of the 2000s, and on this day in béisbol, Aug. 19, 2007, Johan Santana hurled one of the best games of a short but stellar 12-year career derailed by injuries. The Minnesota Twins ace set a team record by striking out 17 Texas Rangers in an old-school, 1-0 duel against Kevin Millwood. Santana only gave up two hits — both to Rangers DH Sammy Sosa — and walked none for his 13th win of the season. The Venezuelan southpaw might have been a bit gassed, though — he was pulled after eight innings and

Love him or loathe him, there’s no argument Manny Machado is one of the better players in either league, a power-hitting, Gold Glove-caliber infielder who can play third and short.   But on this day in béisbol, Aug. 18, 2017, the Dominican native, playing for the orioles, proved why a perennial loser like the Padres were so willing to sign him to what was briefly the biggest contract in sports history — the then-massive 10-year, $300 million Machado agreed to before the 2019 season. In a wild game against the Angels, Machado banged out three home runs — the last

A pair of Yankees all-stars shared a memorable game on this day in béisbol, Aug. 17, 2002.  Even back when stealing bases was deemed an important offensive weapon, joining the 30-30 Club was about as rare as pitching a perfect game. More out of the ordinary was having a middle infielder display that kind of dynamic blend of power and speed. In a game against the first-place Mariners in Seattle, the Yankees’ Alfonso Soriano became the first second baseman to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.  In an 8-3 win, Soriano hit his 30th

While winning 200 games won’t necessarily guarantee you're getting into the Hall of Fame, reaching that milestone does signify you’ve had a heckuva good career. Only 122 pitchers have won 200 or more games, and on this day in béisbol, Aug. 16, 1978, Boston Red Sox stalwart Luis Tiant joined the exclusive club. The Cuban-born righty out-dueled Nolan Ryan to beat the California Angels 4-2. Tiant hurled nine innings, giving up six hits and striking out five. Ryan, by the way, didn’t make it easy. He also pitched a complete game, struck out 13 batters and gave up two earned

For Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, August 15 turned out to be both an anniversary to celebrate — and a date to forget. On this day in béisbol in 2012, King Felix hurled the first perfect game in Mariners history,  a 1-0 gem against the Tampa Bay Rays at home. The 26-year-old righty threw 113 pitches and struck out 12 en route to his 11th win of the season. The 23rd perfect game in MLB history was rare in other ways. It was the third perfecto of the year, the first time three such games were tossed in a single