A decade after The Big Red Machine steamrolled the National League, one of its vital cogs was still making history. On this day in béisbol, May 13, 1985, Tony Perez celebrated an early birthday by becoming the oldest player to hit a grand slam. The Cuban slugger, a day before turning 43, was on his second go-round with the Cincinnati Reds when he stepped up to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning of a 3-3 tie against the Phillies. With the bases full, Perez launched a home run that turned out to be the

Alfonso Soriano isn't the first name that comes to mind when listing superstar players of the early 2000s. But on this day in béisbol, May 12, 2014, the 38-year-old Dominican Republic native, on his second stint with the Yankees and in the final season of his career, tied a record that showed just how productive he was.  Facing Mets starter Bartolo Colon at The Stadium, Soriano’s second-inning single made him only the seventh player with 100 home runs, 500 RBIs and 500 runs scored in both leagues. The other six weren’t bad hitters: Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Dave Winfield

In a perfect baseball world, Rafael Palmeiro, the Havana-born slugger with a sweet lefty stroke, would have guaranteed his place among the game’s immortals on this day in béisbol, May 11, 2003. That’s when the 38-year-old Texas Rangers first baseman became just the 19th player in MLB history — and the first born in Cuba — to become a charter member of the 500 Home Run Club.  But reaching a milestone that at one time punched you an instant ticket to Cooperstown turned out to be a tainted achievement for Palmeiro.  As one of the bigger names caught up in

By Robert Dominguez He was king of the hill for over a decade. But Felix Hernandez’s long reign as one of the AL’s top pitchers ended just about the time he entered his thirties, as injuries to the golden right arm that made him a perennial Cy Young candidate took its toll. From 2005 through 2015, when the Seattle Mariners ace was in his glorious prime, he posted a 143-101 record with an impressive 3.11 ERA in the power-packed, DH-rule American League — all before his 30th birthday.  To put it simply: Hall of Fame-bound numbers. On this day in