On this day in baseball, July 28, 1991, Dennis Martinez of the Montreal Expos hurls the 13th perfect game in MLB history against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The 2-0 gem by Martinez, a native of Granada, Nicaragua nicknamed El Presidente, made him the first Latino pitcher and first pitcher born outside the U.S. to toss a perfecto. Martinez, 37, stymied the Dodgers on 96 pitches in a game rife with trivia tidbits. It was the second perfect game caught by Expos backstop Ron Hassey, who was behind the plate for the Indians in May 1981 when Len

With his team down three runs in the bottom of the ninth of an 8-5 game, the bases were loaded and the Pirates were desperately in need of a clutch hit. Roberto Clemente came through. And topped it off with a flourish. The dynamic young right-fielder hit a walk-off grand slam to beat the Cubs on this day in baseball, July 25, 1956. As if that wasn’t enough heroics for one day, Clemente sealed the win with a huge dose of drama — the winning slam was an inside-the-park homer. Clemente, in his second year in the Majors, went to

With 511 career home runs, Miguel Cabrera will likely be the last player to pass the magic 500 milestone for a few more years yet. On this day in béisbol, July 12, 2012 the Detroit Tigers first baseman took a huge step toward that goal, blasting a pair of solo homers — numbers 299 and 300 — to key a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox at home. It was a typical performance that season for the Venezuela-born Cabrera, who would end the season as the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski  in 1967. Cabrera’s league-leading 44 HR,

They saved the best for last. On this day in béisbol, July 21, 2019, six players were immortalized in a lengthy induction ceremony at baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. — including Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, the first player to be elected unanimously. The greatest closer in history, the product of a poverty-stricken childhood in Panama, gave his heartfelt induction speech last after fellow inductees Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Lee Smith, Harold Baines and the late Roy Halladay were honored. Also on this day: With one mighty swing, Alex Rodriguez checked off two career milestones in 2006 — his

Albert Pujols was just 24 but already a superstar when on this day in béisbol, July 20, 2004 the St. Louis slugger carried the team on his broad back in a thrilling comeback victory over the rival Cubs at Wrigley Field. Playing first and batting third, the future Hall of Famer hit three home runs off three different pitchers and added a run-scoring double in the first inning to kickstart a 5-for-5 day.  With the Cards down 7-1 after only two innings, Pujols hit solo homers in the third and seventh innings to help get St. Louis back in the

Long before Big Papi Ortiz became a beloved Red Sox icon, “El Tiante” — Luis Tiant, the cigar-chomping, cocksure yet cuddly Cuban pitcher known for his funky windup and winning ways — was the first Latino player to capture Beantown hearts. On this day in béisbol, July 18, 1964, Tiant made his MLB debut — but it was for the Cleveland Indians, who had signed the stocky righty after he impressed scouts while playing in the Mexican and Cuban leagues. The  23-year-old had earned his call-up thanks to a 15-1 record at AAA, but Indians fans weren’t expecting too much

Perhaps only A-Rod could polarize fans, media and opposing teams alike more than Manny Machado, the San Diego Padres’ slick-fielding, trash-talking third baseman who quickly became one of the game’s best all-around players after his 2012 debut at age 19 with the Baltimore Orioles. On this day in béisbol, July 17, 2018, with the Orioles having one of the most putrid seasons in baseball history — never mind in the history of the once-storied franchise — Machado and his $16 million salary were dumped to the Dodgers in a trade that brought five minor leaguers. The Florida-born Dominican was only

For anyone who ever wondered why there’s a statue of Roberto Clemente at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, his accomplishments on this day in béisbol, July 17, 1970 proved why he was a once-in-a-generation immortal. In a thrilling 4-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pirates superstar showed off his five-tool skill set by hitting a single, triple and home run, scoring the tying run and knocking in the winning run. And, oh yeah, he also gunned down the potential winning run at the plate in the ninth inning. The hitting, running and throwing clinic the Hall of Fame right fielder