Batting infielders Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg were inducted into the US Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday to the raucous cheers of thousands of Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cub fans.
"There were many stops along the way," said Boggs. "But today that train has pulled into Cooperstown, and I've found this family here at the Hall of Fame. My wife and I believe this is the beginning of another baseball journey."
Boggs, a third baseman, played 18 seasons: 11 with Boston, five with the New York Yankees and two with Tampa Bay before retiring in 1999. He learned the trademark inside-out swing that produced 3,010 hits from his father, Winfield, a fast-pitch softball star. Boggs learned well, going on to hit .300 or higher 15 times and finishing with a .328 career average. He was the only major-league player in the 20th century with seven straight 200-hit seasons.
And when it came time to pay tribute to his 80-year-old father, Boggs broke down as his dad, too, brushed away tears.
"Daddy, I wouldn't be up here without you, my mentor, my idol," Boggs said. "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad. That's why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game, and you taught me how to play it right. Without you, I wouldn't be here. Thank you, dad."
Sandberg, a darling of Cubs fans because he excelled in every facet of the game as a star second baseman who shunned the spotlight, said he became a Hall of Famer because he respected the game. And the 48 Hall of Famers sitting behind seemed to nod in unison.
"A lot of people say this honor validates my career," said Sandberg, who wasn't picked until the 20th round of the 1978 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. "But I didn't work hard for validation. I didn't play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel. I played it right because that's what you're supposed to do -- play it right and with respect."
Although the 6-foot-2 Sandberg began at short stop, he eventually was switched to second and blossomed in 1984, two years after the Phillies traded him to the Cubs. That year he won National League MVP honors.
The trade gave Sandberg a chance to play every day, and he quickly quieted the skeptics who thought he was too tall to play second. He won the first of nine consecutive Gold Gloves, establishing a major league record of 123 consecutive errorless games over two seasons.
Also enshrined were San Diego Padres announcer and former New York Yankees second baseman Jerry Coleman, and longtime writer and broadcaster Peter Gammons.
Jason Giambi hit two home runs to reach 300 for his career, and Tony Womack had an 11th-inning single through a five-man infield that gave the New York Yankees an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.
Brothers Bengie and Jose Molina both homered in a major league game for the first time, connecting against Randy Johnson, but the American League West-leading Angels still lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Derek Jeter had four hits to help the Yankees rally from a four-run deficit for the second consecutive day.
Hideki Matsui tripled off the center-field fence against Kevin Gregg (1-2) to start the 11th, and Angels manager Mike Scioscia brought Chone Figgins in from center field to give his team five infielders. But Womack, who entered as a pinch-runner in the 10th, grounded a one-out single through the left side, ending a 4-hour, 20-minute game.
Tom Gordon (4-4) pitched a perfect 11th for the win.
Red Sox 4, Twins 3
At Boston, Manny Ramirez began his new life with the Red Sox with a go-ahead, pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, thrilling the Fenway Park crowd that thought he might be traded.
Fifty-four minutes after the trading deadline, Ramirez bounced a chopper up the middle to score Edgar Renteria and give the Red Sox their fifth consecutive victory.
Mike Timlin (4-1) allowed two hits and an intentional walk in 1 1-3 innings, striking out one, and Curt Schilling pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
Juan Rincon (4-4) allowed one run on two hits and a walk.
As the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox discussed a three-team trade with Tampa Bay that would have sent him to the New York Mets. But Ramirez told reporters before the game that he wanted to stay.
White Sox 9, Orioles 4
In Baltimore, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede had two RBIs apiece in a five-run first inning, Freddy Garcia earned his first win against Baltimore in three years and Chicago breezed past the Orioles.
The free-falling Orioles have lost 11 of 12 to dip two games under .500 (51-53) for the first time this season.
Juan Uribe had three hits and Dye drove in three runs to help Chicago improve the major league's best record to 68-35.
Garcia (11-4) gave up three earned runs and 10 hits in seven innings. The right-hander is 9-1, on the road and 8-1 overall since losing at home to the Orioles on May 14.
Rodrigo Lopez (9-6) was the loser.
Rafael Furcal homered from both sides of the plate, John Smoltz won his eighth straight decision and Marcus Giles had four hits, leading the Atlanta Braves over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 on Sunday to cap a successful July.
Atlanta was 4 games off the National League East lead at the end of June, then went 18-8 and began Sunday with a season-high five-game division lead. The Braves are 6-0 on a homestand that ends with Monday's finale of the four-game series against Pittsburgh.
Smoltz (12-5), who hasn't lost since June 6, gave up three runs and eight hits in eight innings. Chris Reitsma pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances, allowing a run-scoring single to Freddy Sanchez before ending the game by striking out Matt Lawton.
John Grabow (2-1) gave up two runs and three hits in one-third of an inning for the Pirates, who have gone 14-31 since June 11, when they were 30-30.
Nationals 4, Marlins 2
At Miami, Livan Hernandez allowed two runs in eight innings and added a run-scoring single, helping Washington end a season-high six-game losing streak.
Nick Johnson hit his ninth homer and drove in two runs for the Nationals, who avoided a three-game sweep and remained five games behind Atlanta in the NL East.
Hernandez (13-4), who won for the first time in his last five starts, allowed a season-high 11 hits and threw 145 pitches against the team he helped to win the 1997 World Series. Chad Cordero worked a perfect ninth for his NL-leading 35th save.
Mike Lowell had three hits for the Marlins, who lost for only the third time in their last 11 games but fell 6{ games behind Atlanta.
Brian Moehler (6-8) gave up three runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings.
Astros 9, Mets 4
At Houston, Ramon Castro's bloop single in the eighth inning gave the Mets their first lead in three games, then they piled on four more runs in the ninth to end Houston's seven-game winning streak.
The Astros lost for just the second time in 15 games. They went 22-7 in July, riding that to the top of the NL wild card standings.
New York had 17 hits, tying the most off the Astros this season. The Mets finished with just two wins on a seven-game road trip.
Cliff Floyd tied it in the seventh with an RBI single, then Castro drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth off Dan Wheeler (1-3).
Aaron Heilman (4-3) pitched one scoreless inning for the victory.
Brewers 5, Giants 1
At Milwaukee, Chris Capuano took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and won his seventh straight decision, and Milwaukee took advantage of wildness by San Francisco's pitchers.
Capuano (12-6) allowed two hits in eight innings, improving to 7-0 in nine starts since losing to Tampa Bay on June 13. It is the longest winning streak by a Brewers pitcher since reliever Curtis Leskanic won seven straight decisions in 2000.
Milwaukee went 16-12 in July.
Noah Lowry (6-11) gave up four runs and three hits in 5 1-3 innings, striking out eight and walking three. Lowry and Kevin Correia combined in the sixth inning to walk three and hit three batters, and the Brewers took a 4-0 lead with just one hit.
Diamondbacks 13, Cubs 6
At Chicago, Chris Snyder hit two of Arizona's season-high five homers, including his first career grand slam, and drove in five runs.
Luis Gonzalez added a pair of solo homers and an RBI double for the Diamondbacks, who knocked out Greg Maddux by scoring nine runs in the fourth and fifth innings and matched their highest-scoring game of the season.
Brandon Webb (9-8) limited the Cubs to two runs and three hits in seven innings. Chicago scored just 17 runs while going 3-4 on its homestand.
Maddux (8-8) gave up six runs and eight hits in his four-plus innings, throwing 68 pitches.
Rockies 9, Phillies 2
At Denver, Dustan Mohr had a double and a homer in Colorado's nine-run fifth inning as the Rockies avoided a four-game sweep.
Jeff Francis (10-7) had another of his usual, solid outings at Coors Field, matching his career high with eight strikeouts and shutting out the Phillies on four hits over six innings. He became the first National League rookie to win 10 games this season, and improved to 8-2 this year at home.
Francis was locked up in a scoreless tie with Jon Lieber (9-10) through four innings. Then, the Rockies got going and matched their season highs for both runs (9) and hits (8) in an inning.
Reds 7, Padres 1
At San Diego, Adam Dunn's grand slam in the fifth inning was Cincinnati's third homer of the game.
Wily Mo Pena and Rich Aurilia also homered to complete the three-game sweep for the Reds, who have won a season-high five straight. Eric Milton (5-11) threw seven scoreless innings.
The Diamondbacks (52-55, .4859) won 13-6 at the Chicago Cubs to leapfrog San Diego (51-54, .4857) atop the NL West, major league baseball's worst division. The Padres had led the West since May 26, when they were 28-19 and one-half game ahead of Arizona.
The Padres went 22-6 in May to set a franchise record for wins in a month and climb to 14 games over .500. But they have lost 12 of 13 overall and 35 of 53 since June 1.
Woody Williams (5-8) lasted only five innings, allowing seven runs and seven hits.
Cardinals 7, Dodgers 5,
11 innings
At Los Angeles, Jim Edmonds drove in three runs with a pinch RBI double in the seventh inning and a two-run homer in the 11th, and St. Louis beat Los Angeles.
Mark Grudzielanek hit a three-run homer against his former team, and Cal Eldred (1-0) pitched two innings of one-hit relief for the victory. Jason Isringhausen got three outs for his 29th save in 32 attempts and his 130th with the Cardinals, moving past Todd Worrell for second place on the team list behind Lee Smith's 160.
Wilson Alvarez (1-4) walked Abraham Nunez with one out in the 11th and Edmonds, who was scheduled for a day off, connected on a 3-2 pitch for his 20th homer, his third in four games.
Ricky Ledee, who struck out with the bases loaded as a pinch-hitter in the sixth against Al Reyes, tied the score in the eighth against Ray King with his second three-run homer of the series.
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