Touch 'Em All:
Where's everybody? Rookie Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs got an unexpected reception after his first big-league home run in Milwaukee.
Where's everybody?
Rookie Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs got an unexpected reception after his first big-league home run in Milwaukee.
As Bryant rounded the bases after his three-run blast in the third inning Saturday, his teammates and coaches scampered to the clubhouse as a joke.
After slapping hands with Anthony Rizzo, Bryant immediately trotted up the tunnel to find his teammates and shared laughs and hugs.
Unfortunately for Bryant and the Cubs, the rest of the game was not so funny. Poor pitching by Travis Wood, Edwin Jackson, and Phil Coke resulted in a 12-4 defeat.
Mowing 'em down
Wandy Rodriguez didn't figure in the decision Sunday, but he gave the Texas Rangers a franchise-record performance against Tampa Bay.
The 36-year-old lefty set down the first 15 Rays before Tim Beckham led off the Tampa Bay sixth with a line-drive single. Following the 19 straight hitters Rodriguez retired to end his previous start, he set down 34 consecutive batters. That broke the team record of 31 in a row set by Ken Hill in 1996.
There was some doubt if Rodriguez could continue to pitch when he walked off the mound in the third favoring his left leg. But he stayed in the game after a few warm-up pitches.
Rodriguez gave up two hits while striking out six in six innings. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for his fifth save to preserve the win for Keone Kela.
Retire? Not Franco
Julio Franco is getting the best of both worlds as a 56-year-old player-manager for the Ishikawa Million Stars of Japan's semi-pro Baseball Challenge League.
Not only does the native of the Dominican Republic and former major league all-star get to keep playing the game he loves, Franco now has a chance to pass on a wealth of baseball knowledge to a new generation of players.
"I don't see myself out of baseball," Franco said in a recent interview. When he signed a contract with the Million Stars, Franco saw himself more as a manager than player, but that hasn't been the case. Because of an injury to a key player, Franco is playing more than he expected.
And he's doing well for a guy who started his major-league career in 1982 with the Phillies. Playing in 10 games this season, Franco has a .333 batting average with four RBIs and six runs scored.
Franco was the oldest active player in the majors when he last played for the Atlanta Braves in 2007 at 49. He hopes to keep going.
"I want to play until I'm 66," Franco said. "That's the goal."
- Associated Press