July 14: Shipley Slugs, Gonzalez Stays Hot, Castillo Carves
The Pirates needed every bit of Craig Shipley’s bat in Minnesota. The Pittsburgh left fielder hammered two home runs, went 4-for-4, drove in five, and crossed the plate four times in a wild 16–7 slugfest. Tony Gwynn added a clutch two-run blast as the Bucs piled up 17 hits and overwhelmed the struggling Twins.
In Cleveland, Luis Gonzalez kept the Cubs rolling. Gonzalez collected four hits—including a home run—and drove in three as Chicago cruised past the Spiders 7–2, extending their win streak to four.
Meanwhile at Shea Stadium, Frank Castillo was lights-out. The Mets’ right-hander struck out 10 and scattered four hits over eight shutout innings in a 1–0 win over Oakland. It marked the Mets’ eighth consecutive victory as they tightened their grip near the top of the UL East.
Other highlights:
- Quilvio Veras‘s walk-off sac fly lifted Kansas City past the Yankees 7–6 in 11 innings. The Royals made it seven straight wins.
- Bernie Williams crushed a three-run homer in the 11th to lift the Reds over the Rangers, 4–1.
July 15: Plantier Powers Orlando, Mack and Burks Lead Blue Jays
The Orlando Sun Rays stunned the Cardinals, 9–2, with Phil Plantier providing the fireworks. Plantier launched two home runs and drove in four to help Orlando to their 45th win, knocking St. Louis starter Miguel Batista out early.
Over in San Francisco, Shane Mack was a nightmare for Giants pitchers, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Ellis Burks chipped in two homers and three RBIs as Toronto edged San Francisco 9–8 in 12 innings, thanks to Carlos Delgado’s two-run single.
Other highlights:
- Barry Larkin walked it off for the Royals with a sharp RBI single, giving Kansas City a 5–4 win and their eighth straight victory.
- Mickey Tettleton broke a late tie with a ninth-inning RBI single to help Seattle defeat Washington 6–2.
- Tony Clark’s solo homer in the ninth lifted San Diego to a 7–3 win over Baltimore, their fifth straight.
July 16: Vaughn’s Big Day, Neagle Dominates, Hampton Shuts the Door
Mo Vaughn put on a show in Chicago. The White Sox slugger mashed two homers, drew two walks, and drove in four runs as the Sox demolished the Red Sox 12–2. Vaughn’s early two-run shot set the tone, and Chicago cruised from there.
Meanwhile, Denny Neagle made it look easy at Royals Stadium, striking out 11 Yankees while giving up just one run in a 12–1 thrashing. Kansas City extended their winning streak to nine games, showing no signs of cooling off.
In Cleveland, Mike Hampton delivered eight innings of three-hit ball as the Cubs toppled the Spiders 6–1, pushing Chicago’s win streak to six games.
Other highlights:
- Javy Lopez blasted a 3-run walk-off homer in the 12th to lift Cincinnati over Texas, 5–2.
- Jacob Brumfield’s sac fly in the bottom of the ninth gave Baltimore a rare 3–2 win over San Diego, snapping their long losing skid.