Last night, the Diamondbacks honored their 2001 World Series-winning squad in a pre-game ceremony. That Series famously ended with Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off single in Game 7, and the D-backs paid tribute by walking off the Yankees in this contest. Ildemaro Vargas walked to put a man on in the bottom of the ninth before pinch-hitter Pavin Smith ended the game with a two-run homer. The win guarantees at least a .500 season for Arizona, though they are four games out of a playoff spot with just seven games remaining.

1. Benge passes Alonso for Mets’ rookie hit record

Mets right fielder Carson Benge led the charge in yesterday’s win over the Phillies. He went 3-for-4 with a walk out of the cleanup spot, homering in the second inning to get New York on the board. His last hit came on a check swing dribbler in the eighth, scoring Francisco Lindor and giving the Mets their tenth and final run. Benge’s infield single was his 156th hit of the season. That moved him ahead of Pete Alonso for the most hits in a season by a Mets rookie. Alonso, now playing for the Orioles, tallied 155 hits back in 2019.

2. Mancini retires as an Oriole

Trey Mancini announced his retirement last month after a big league career that spanned parts of eight seasons. Yesterday, he signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Orioles, allowing him to retire with his longest-tenured club. Mancini was drafted by the Orioles in 2013 and played with them in the Majors from 2016-22. He famously overcame colon cancer in 2020 and returned in 2021 to win the AL Comeback Player of the Year award, staying with Baltimore until a mid-season trade to the Astros the following year. Overall, Mancini batted .270/.334/.463 with 117 home runs as a member of the Orioles.

3. Rangers take the lead in the AL West

With the Astros losing 6-3 to the Braves yesterday, the Rangers took control of the AL West via a 6-2 win over the Blue Jays. Jordan Montgomery earned the win with 3 2/3 scoreless innings of bulk relief, while the lineup got to Jays starter José Soriano for six runs, five of which were earned. The 77-78 Astros are not only a game behind the Rangers in the division, but they’re now also two games back of the White Sox for a Wild Card spot, so they may need to retake the division if they are to make the playoffs. The Rangers and Astros each have seven games remaining, including two series apiece against losing clubs.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images