Schilling Logs 300 Strikeouts
National League
Curt Schilling passed the 300-strikeout mark and took a perfect game into the eighth inning Tuesday night before settling for a three-hitter as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Mets 3-1 in Philadelphia.
Pinch-hitter Luis Lopez broke up Schilling’s bid for perfection with a one-out, line-drive single to center in the eighth. Schilling (16-10) had retired 22 consecutive batters before Lopez’s hit.
In the fourth inning, Schilling recorded his 300th strikeout this season by fanning Edgardo Alfonzo. Schilling is the 13th pitcher to reach the 300-plateau and the first in the N.L. since Houston’s Mike Scott in 1986.
Marlins 9, Rockies 6 Miami
Bobby Bonilla fouled off six two-strike pitches before hitting a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning, giving Florida a victory over Colorado.
Bonilla’s clutch homer extended Florida’s lead in the N.L. wild-card race to six games over the New York Mets. Colorado lost for just the third time in 19 games.
Cardinals 7, Dodgers 6 St. Louis
Mark McGwire hit his 52nd home run hours after signing a three-year contract with St. Louis, but Cardinals closer Dennis Eckersley collapsed in the ninth inning as Los Angeles rallied for the victory.
The four-run rally gave the Dodgers a two-game lead in the N.L. West entering a two-game series against the Giants in San Francisco starting today.
Braves 6, Giants 4 Atlanta
Eddie Perez’s grand slam in the sixth inning broke a tie and Atlanta tied a major-league record with 11 slams this season in a win over San Francisco.
The Braves tied the mark for grand slams in a season set by Seattle and Baltimore last year. Atlanta, seeking an unprecedented sixth consecutive division title, leads second-place Florida by 5-1/2 games in the N.L. East.
Astros 15, Padres 3 Houston
Sean Berry hit a three-run double when Houston blew the game open early and Jeff Bagwell hit his 40th homer as Houston beat San Diego, eliminating the defending champion Padres from the N.L. West race.
The Astros lead second-place Pittsburgh by 3-1/2 games in the N.L. Central.
Pirates 8, Expos 2 Pittsburgh
Al Martin, Kevin Young and Shawon Dunston homered in a four-run Pittsburgh fourth inning as the Pirates beat Montreal.
The Pirates swept the two-game series - their first back-to-back wins since Aug. 23-24.
Cubs 5, Reds 0 Chicago
Kevin Tapani pitched a one-hitter for his first N.L. shutout and Sammy Sosa snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run, sixth-inning homer as Chicago defeated Cincinnati.
Tapani (7-3) won his fifth consecutive start by outdueling Kent Mercker (8-11), who allowed just three hits before giving up Mark Grace’s one-out single in the sixth followed by Sosa’s homer.
Clearing the bases
Ray Lankford is only the Cardinals’ 17th player to hit 30 home runs. … Curt Schilling’s strikeouts have benefited the battle against Lou Gehrig’s disease. The pitcher donates $100 per strikeout to Curt’s Pitch for ALS. … Scouts for both the Yankees and Mariners have attended recent Marlins games in anticipation of a possible World Series matchup.
The Dodgers used 26 players in their 7-6, 15-inning victory over St. Louis Monday night. It’s their most in an extra-inning game since Sept. 28, 1986, when 27 players saw action against San Francisco. … Fred McGriff’s two-run single for Atlanta in the fourth gave him 1,001 career RBIs. He has at least 90 RBIs in seven consecutive seasons.