Julio Franco, 45, became the oldest player to hit a grand slam homer in major league history, sparking the host Atlanta Braves to an 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League on Thursday.
Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox held the previous record after he slugged a bases-loaded homer in 1991, at the age of 43.
Franco's effort came in the first inning off Phillies starter Josh Hancock. It was his first grand slam since Sept. 1, 1996 when he was with Cleveland.
The homer put the Braves ahead 5-0 and a solid seven-inning start by John Thomson made those runs stand up. Thomson (5-2) allowed one run on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Cardinals 4 Pirates 2
In Pittsburgh, Scott Rolen produced three hits and drove in two runs on his return after being hit on the head by a pitch as the St Louis Cardinals overcame the Pirates 4-2.
Woody Williams (3-5) allowed six hits over six shutout innings, striking out six batters and walking two. Four relievers finished up, including Jason Isringhausen, who picked up the last four outs for his 11th save of the season.
Mets 4 Marlins 1
In New York, Ty Wigginton and Mike Cameron both drove in two runs as the Mets beat the Florida Marlins 4-1.
Jae Weong Seo (3-4) allowed one run on three hits over six innings with four strikeouts and two walks. Braden Looper pitched the ninth for his 11th save of the season.
Diamondbacks 11 Giants 5
In Phoenix, Doug Devore grabbed his first homer of the season and Alex Cintron had three hits and three RBI to carry the Arizona Diamondbacks to an 11-5 rout of the San Francisco Giants.
Chad Tracy and Luis Gonzalez both had two hits and drove in a run. Brandon Webb (3-5) went six innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits with five strikeouts and five walks.
AJ Pierzynski drove in two runs for the Giants. Jerome Williams (4-4) gave up six runs on eight hits over five innings for the loss.
Gary Sheffield drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run double in the seventh inning to power the New York Yankees to a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.
The host Yankees completed a three-game sweep as they won for the ninth time in 10 outings to open up a season-high two-and-a-half game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
Alex Rodriguez had two hits, drove in a run and scored another while Ruben Sierra also had two hits and drove in a run for the Yankees.
Javier Vazquez (6-4) went seven innings for the win, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts and a walk before Mariano Rivera closed out the game with a scoreless ninth for his 21st save of the season.
Loser John Parrish (3-2) was charged with two runs on one hit after he relieved Daniel Cabrera.
Royals 9 Tigers 6
In Detroit, Carlos Beltran drove in four runs as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Tigers 9-6.
Dennys Reyes (2-0) allowed five runs on nine hits over 6 1-3 innings for the win before Jeremy Affeldt pitched the ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Jeremy Bonderman (4-5) was pounded for seven runs on nine hits in three-plus innings.
Devil Rays 5 Twins 2
In Minneapolis, Aubrey Huff cracked a three-run homer as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays overcame the Minnesota Twins 5-2.
Mark Hendrickson (3-5) picked up the win, going 6 1-3 innings and allowing two runs on six hits. Danys Baez tossed a scoreless ninth for his 10th save of the season.
RSS