After missing a month because of a fractured bone in his wrist, Jose Ramirez returned to the Cleveland lineup in grand fashion on this day in béisbol in 2019, belting a grand slam and a three-run homer in an 11-0 win over the White Sox. The star third baseman slugged the salami in the first inning batting lefty, then followed that up in his next at-bat with the three-run dinger from the right side. Ramirez fractured his hamate bone in his right wrist in late August after fouling off a pitch in a game against the Royals. He was expected to

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, not especially known for his bat, hit his 41st double of the season to break the record for doubles by a backstop on this day in béisbol, September 18, 2013. The Puerto Rico native broke the record set by fellow St. Louis star Ted Simmons in 1978. Molina was one of three brothers who played in the majors. Older brothers Bengie and Jose were also catchers and the trio were active simultaneously from 2004 to 2010. But Yadier, widely considered a borderline Hall of Famer, proved to be the best all-around player of the three as

In what turned out to be his best power year, Jose Bautista set a Blue Jays franchise record with his 48th home run on this day in béisbol, September 17, 2010. The Toronto right fielder slammed the homer in the sixth inning of an 11-9 thriller in Boston that saw the Red Sox battle back from a 10-2 score in the final innings but fall short. “Joey Bats,” of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic passed the club record of 47 set by slugger George Bell in 1987. Bautista ended the season with a MLB-leading 54 homers and 351 total bases. He

It was a Rockie start that ended well. Jorge de la Rosa, a middle-of-the-rotation starter at best for the Colorado Rockies, had a barely .500 lifetime record as the 2009 season got underway — and it went downhill from there for the Monterrey, Mexico, native after he lost his first six decisions. But not for long, as the struggling southpaw, 28, somehow turned his season around. On this day in béisbol, Sept. 16, 2009, de la Rosa pitched a beauty against the San Francisco Giants, tossing eight shutout innings in a must-win for the Rockies. De la Rosa gave up just

Whether it’s showboating, bat-licking or simply antagonizing the opposition, Yasiel Puig has been a polarizing player ever since he came from Cuba to the Dodgers in 2013. But love him or loathe him, there’s never been any question he could hit, and on this day in béisbol, Sept. 15, 2018, Puig showed what kind of force he could be down the pennant stretch. In a crucial game against the Cardinals, he banged out three home runs — a solo shot in the fourth inning, a three-run dinger in the fifth and another in the eighth — to power a 17-4

Miguel Olivo enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular major league career as a mostly starting catcher with some pop, averaging 21 home runs and more than 70 RBI over a 162-game season.  The Dominican Republic native retired in 2014 with a respectable 145 lifetime homers. But it was his first round-tripper ever that got plenty of attention.  On this day in béisbol in 2002, Olivo was catching and batting ninth for the White Sox when he stepped up to the plate in the top of the third with two men on base against Yankees great Andy Pettitte — and launched a

He was the definition of grace under pressure, and on this day in béisbol, Sept. 13, 2011, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera reached a milestone only one other pitcher before him had achieved. Rivera recorded the 600th save of his brilliant career, putting the Panama native just one behind Trevor Hoffman’s then-record of 601. The save came in a 3-2 win against the Mariners at Seattle. In the ninth inning Rivera sandwiched two swinging strikeouts around a single by fellow future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki — who was gunned down trying to steal second for the game’s final out. Rivera,

Few things frightened opposing pitchers more than the sight of David Ortiz striding to the plate with the game on the line, spitting into his batting gloves and daring them to throw their best stuff. On this day in béisbol, Sept. 12, 2015, Big Papi terrorized Tampa pitcher Matt Moore by hitting two home runs in a 10-4 rout of the Rays — becoming the 27th member of the 500 Home Run Club.  Ortiz, 39, clubbed a three-run shot in the first inning and added a solo blast in the fifth. He finished the year with 37 home runs and