To say baseball was a different game way back in 1969 is an understatement. That year saw both leagues split into two divisions each for the first time, while the designated hitter in the AL was a couple of years away and free agency — not to mention the millions that would come with it — was just a fantasy. And back then the all-time hits list was dominated by white men who played in the dead ball era at the dawn of the 20th Century. Which is why Roberto Clemente’s 2,500th hit on this day in béisbol, Aug. 5,

Long before injuries, age and PEDs took their toll, the smart money was on Alex Rodriguez being the one player who would legitimately challenge Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record.  On this day in béisbol, Aug. 4, 2007, A-Rod took a huge step towards fulfilling that prophesy when he hit his 500th career homer — and was the youngest player to do so. Rodriguez was 32 years and 8 days old when he reached the milestone as a Yankee, hitting a three-run homer off Kyle Davies of the Royals in a win at The Stadium. Number 500 came in his

There was no doubt Albert Pujols was a special player from the time he broke into the bigs in 2001 as a 21-year-old first baseman with the St Louis Cardinals and was named Rookie of the Year for his spectacular 37 HR, .329, 130 RBI, 1.013 OPS season. Three years later, on this day in béisbol Aug. 3, 2004, the Santo Domingo native was still raking at a Hall of Fame rate. He hit his 30th homer in a game against the Montreal Expos to become the first player ever with at least 30 in his first four seasons. He’d

In 1961, few teams were as progressive as the San Francisco Giants, whose roster was rife with dynamic young Black and Latino players. The Giants, who already had Puerto Rican players Orlando Cepeda and shortstop Jose Pagan, had also successfully dipped into the Dominican Republic talent pool with the Alou brothers (Felipe and Matty) and especially young pitcher Juan Marichal. On this day in béisbol, Aug. 2, 1961, Marichal, a 23-year-old fireballing righty in his second season, hurled a gem against the rival Dodgers. He only allowed a harmless fifth-inning single to Tommy Davis in a 6-0 whitewash in Los

Most every team these days strives to have an Asdrubal Cabrera on the roster — a switch-hitting infielder with pop who can play small ball and man multiple positions when needed.  Now retired, the well-traveled Venezuela native played for eight MLB teams, including eight seasons with the Cleveland Indians over a 15-year career that included winning a World Series after joining the Washington Nationals as a free agent in August 2019. The 33-year-year-old veteran hit .323 with 6 homers and 40 RBI in just 38 games down the pennant stretch.  But on this day in béisbol, Aug. 1, 2011, Cabrera

When the Yankees signed pitcher Jose Contreras out of Cuba in 2003, they were hoping he’d at least be another Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, the popular righty from the island who’d been a major cog in the Bombers’ late 1990s machine. But it didn’t work out that way, as an inconsistent Contreras struggled in the Bronx to show what had made him a star in Cuba.  On this day in béisbol, July 31, 2004, the frustrated Yankees front office gave up on the then-32 Contreras after only a season and a half and shipped him to the White Sox for

He was a feared middle-of-the-order hitter and Gold Glove-caliber third baseman, yet Adrian Beltre was more of a lunch pail kind of guy, never the type of flashy star player who got much attention other than a deep appreciation for his skills.   Not until late in his 21-year career, that is, when fans realized the unassuming Santo Domingo native was suddenly on the cusp of the magic 3,000-hit mark. On this day in béisbol, July 30, 2017, Beltre reached the milestone with a fourth-inning double as his Rangers lost to the Orioles at home, becoming the first Dominican-born player

The Hall of Fame had a stacked lineup of inductees on this day in baseball, July 29, 2018. Six baseball greats were welcomed into Cooperstown, one of the largest classes ever. More than 50,000 fans saw outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, DH/1B Jim Thome, reliever Trevor Hoffman, and infielder Chipper Jones get honored after being elected by the BBWAA. Jones, with 97.2% of the vote, and Guerrero with 92.9% were the leading vote getters. Also entering baseball’s hallowed hall were shortstop Alan Trammell and pitcher Jack Morris, who were selected by the Veterans Committee. Guerrero, born in the Dominican Republic, was the latest Latino legend to make the