Cabrera will be eligible to win batting title

Major League Baseball appears unlikely to interfere if Melky Cabrera wins the N.L. batting title while serving his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test.

The San Francisco Giants outfielder began Wednesday with a league-leading .346 average, seven points ahead of Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen.

Cabrera has 501 plate appearances, one fewer than the required amount if the Giants play 162 games. Under section 10.22(a) of the Official Baseball Rules, he would win the batting title if an extra hitless at-bat is added to his average and it remains higher than that of any other qualifying player.

“We’ll see how it all plays out,” baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday after taping an episode of “CenterStage” for the YES Network. “We generally don’t interfere in that process. We’ll take a look at it at the end of the year.”

Cabrera, the All-Star game MVP, was suspended Aug. 15 for a positive test for testosterone and is missing the final 45 games of the regular season.

During the YES interview, scheduled to air for the first time Sept. 27, Selig was asked whether records set during the Steroids Era should be revisited.

“You can’t change records because once you get into that it would never stop,” Selig said. “It would create more problems than it would solve.”

Clearing the bases

R.A. Dickey’s face lit up when he saw Phil Niekro and Tim Wakefield, and the New York Mets’ ace greeted both with a big hug in front of the dugout. All three pitchers are featured in a documentary film called “Knuckleball,” which premieres in New York City tonight … A person familiar with the negotiations says Major League Baseball is nearing agreements with Fox and Turner Sports on eight-year contracts through 2021. Under the deals, which are likely to be announced before the postseason, Fox will retain rights to the World Series and to a league championship series every year. The amount baseball receives from the two networks is likely to double to an average of about $800 million annually … Reds closer Aroldis Chapman said his fatigued left shoulder “feels good” after throwing a bullpen session. The left-hander hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 10. Chapman is 5-5 with a 1.60 ERA and 35 saves in 40 chances this season. He has 119 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings pitched … Reds manager Dusty Baker left Wrigley Field to get chest X-rays to rule out pneumonia.