2000 Thanks to the Angels' video crew playing a clip from the 1994 movie "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective" on the JumboTron, the Rally Monkey is born. With the words "Rally Monkey" superimposed over a monkey jumping up and down in the Jim Carrey movie, the crowd goes wild when Anaheim scores two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Giants, 6-5.2002 The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission agrees to drop its lawsuit against the Twins and Major League Baseball. The deal settles pending legal action blocking baseball's contraction plan and removes the Twins from consideration for elimination for the 2003 season.
2003 Major League Baseball suspends Sammy Sosa for eight games, ignoring the Cubs' slugger insistence the corked bat was used accidentally in the Devil Rays' game. Bob Watson, baseball's vice president of on-field operations, agreed the Chicago's outfielder use of an illegal bat, designed to put on home run displays during batting practice, was an "isolated incident," but one that still deserved a penalty.
2006 When Eric Gagne, who will earn his first save in over a year, throws his first pitch to his receiver Russell Martin, the pair become the first All-French-Canadian battery in major league history. The pitcher and catcher each attended Polyvalente Edouard Montpetit High School, one of the few schools in Montreal which had a baseball program.
See AlsoFlorida baseball beats OSU to cap stunning comeback in Stillwater RegionalSTILLWATER REGIONAL: Gators 5, Oklahoma State 2 — Shelton Shines, Neely Saves Day - Florida GatorsScouting report, prediction Florida baseball vs Clemson at NCAA Super RegionalWCWS FINAL: Texas 10, Florida 0 (5 innings) - Florida Gators2006 On the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of the century, the Dodgers score six runs in the sixth inning during the sixth game of the homestand, beating the Mets, 8-5. On 05/05/05, the Twins scored five times in the fifth inning en route to a 9-0 victory over the Indians.
2006 Jason Schmidt, whiffing 16 Marlins during a 2-1 complete-game victory, ties a franchise record for strikeouts in one game, established in 1904 by Christy Mathewson. Also, the 33-year-old right-hander surpasses the San Francisco record of 15 K's set by Gaylord Perry in 1966.2007 At Petco Park, Trevor Hoffman becomes the first reliever to save 500 games. The all-time saves leader tosses only ten ninth-inning pitches, including an 87 mph fastball thrown past Russell Martin for the final out, to reach the milestone in the Padres' 5-3 victory over the Dodgers.
2008 Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski announces the club is optioning their off-season blockbuster acquisition Dontrelle Willis to their Class A minor league team in Lakeland of the Florida State League. The 2003 Rookie of the Year, who posted a 22-10 record two years later with the Marlins, recently signed a three-year, $29 million deal to play with Detroit.
2008 The Kimberly-Clark Corporation donates 59.59 acres to the city of Hendersonville, a parcel of land that includes the historic Berkeley Mills ballpark. In 2015, the North Carolina city will make an effort to place the storied stadium, once the former home the Berkeley Spinners, a semi-pro mill team sponsored by Berkeley Mills from 1948 to 1961, on the National Register of Historic Places.
2008 At Turner Field, Brad Lidge gets his 16th consecutive save when Gregor Blanco is thrown out at home plate, dramatically ending the game and preserving a Phillies 4-3 victory over the Braves. The Philadelphia closer's flawless record from the start of the season breaks Al Holland's club mark, who converted his first 15 opportunities in 1984.2010 The Nationals announce the team is donating the hat Stephen Strasburg wore in his major league debut to the Hall of Fame. The 21-year-old rookie right-hander struck out 14 batters in Washington's 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh.
2013 With John Sebastian's song "Welcome Back" playing in the background, the Seattle fans give Ichiro Suzuki a warm reception when the longtime Mariner legend returns to Safeco Field as a Yankee. The 39-year-old outfielder, who hit .322 during his 12 seasons with the team, was traded to the Bronx last July for Danny Farquhar and D.J. Mitchell.
2015 In the inaugural contest played in MGM Park, the Biloxi Shuckers, coming off a season-long, 54-game road trip, beat the Mobile BayBears, 5-4, in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,065 enthusiastic fans. The Opening Night dramatic 14-inning walk-off Southern League victory marks the first time since 1908, when the Sand Crabs played in the Cotton States League, that a minor league team at home has represented the city.2017 Scooter Gennett, who was claimed off of waivers by the Reds at the end of spring training, becomes 17th player in major league history, and the first in the franchise's 135 years of existence to hit four homers in a game. The Cincinnati second baseman establishes a franchise record with 17 total bases with his quartet of round-trippers in consecutive at-bats, contributing 10 RBIs to the club's 13-1 victory over the Cardinals at Great American Ball Park.
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