2009 in Baseball - Events - September

September

• September 3 – Kendrys Morales of the Anaheim Angels was named the American League Player of the Month for August, after hit .385 (42-for-109) with 10 home runs, eight doubles, 22 runs, and 33 RBI in 28 games. Morales also set a new club record for RBI in the month, previously held by Bobby Bonds (31, 1977) and was one RBI shy of the franchise record for any month. Last month, Angels' outfielder Bobby Abreu was selected as the A.L. Player of the Month for July. This is the first time any major league club has had consecutive monthly award winners since Texas Rangers' outfielder Josh Hamilton won in both April and May of 2008.
• September 6 – Ichiro Suzuki becomes the second-fastest player in Major League history to reach 2,000 hits with a first inning double in his 1,402nd game (2001–present). Al Simmons did it in 1,390 games (1924–1934).
• September 7
  • At PNC Park, the Chicago Cubs assured the Pittsburgh Pirates of a record-breaking 17th consecutive losing season, getting two home runs from Derrek Lee and a solid start from pitcher Ted Lilly while winning 4–2. The Pirates will finish below a .500 average, just as they have every season since 1993. The losing string is a major league record and the longest for any team in the four major North American professional team sports.
  • Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals tossed a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts against the Milwaukee Brewers, 3–0. Carpenter also threw a one-hitter shutout with 10 strikeouts for St. Louis in 2005 (Blue Jays). Since 1900, only two other Cardinals pitchers had a shutout in which they struck out at least 10 batters and did not allow more than one hit: Bob Gibson in 1970 (Padres) and 1971 (Pirates, no-hitter) and Ernie Broglio in 1960 (Cubs).
  • Mark Buehrle and the Chicago White Sox beat the Boston Red Sox 5–1. It is Buehrle's first victory since his perfect game on July 23. Since then, he had been 0–4 with a 5.44 ERA before this win.
• September 8
  • Raúl Ibáñez belted two home runs while Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruíz and Chase Utley each added one a piece, to help the Philadelphia Phillies and Pedro Martínez to a 5–3 victory over the Washington Nationals. Ibáñez and Utley both reached their 30th HR of the season, joining Werth (32) and Ryan Howard (38), making the Philliies the 12th team in MLB history with four 30-HRs players and only the second with three left-handed batters to reach 30 homers (Howard, Ibáñez and Utley). The first was the 1929 Phillies trio of Lefty O'Doul, Don Hurst and Chuck Klein. The other 11 teams with four 30-HRs players in a season are the 1977 Dodgers, 1995 Rockies, 1996 Rockies, 1997 Dodgers, 1997 Rockies, 1998 Braves, 1999 Rockies, 2000 Blue Jays, 2000 Angels, 2004 Chicago Cubs and 2006 White Sox.
  • The Chicago Cubs tied a major league record with eight consecutive hits to start a game in a 9–4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs also accomplished this feat in 1973 (both against Pittsburgh). Only four other teams had eight straight hits to start a game: 1975 Phillies, 1975 Pirates, 1981 Athletics and 1990 Yankees.

• September 9
  • Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles became just the fourth player in major league history to have three seasons with at least 50 doubles (2004, 2008–'09). The other players to reach 50 or more doubles at least three times were Hall of Famers Tris Speaker (1912, 1920–'21, 1923), Paul Waner (1928, 1932, 1936) and Stan Musial (1944, 1946, 1953). Roberts also set the all-time record for second basemen with his three 50-double seasons. HoF Billy Herman (1935–'36) and Houston Astros' Craig Biggio (1998–'99) both collected 50-plus doubles in back-to-back seasons but never came close to matching it again.
  • Scott Feldman earned his club-record 12th road win of the season as the Texas Rangers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 10–0, at Progressive Field. Feldman's eight successive road wins is the longest such streak in club history.
  • Derek Jeter collects three hits against the Tampa Bay Rays to give him 2,721 for his Yankee career, and tying him with Lou Gehrig atop the Yankees' all-time hits list.
• September 10 – Ian Desmond hit a home run and drove in four runs in his major league debut to lead the Washington Nationals to a 8–7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Desmond is only the second player since 1920 (first season run batted in was recorded as an official statistic) to drive in at least four runs as a shortstop in his major league debut. The other player to do it was Ted Kazanski for the Phillies against the Cubs on June 25, 1953. Matt Stairs of the Phillies belted the second pinch-hit grand slam of his career in a lost cause.
• September 11 – With a single off Chris Tillman to lead off the third inning, Derek Jeter collected his 2,722nd career hit to pass Lou Gehrig as the all-time Yankees hit leader.
• September 13 – In the second inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers, Ichiro Suzuki hits a slow grounder to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus that he legs out for a single. It is his 200th hit of the season, giving him a MLB record nine consecutive 200 hit seasons.
• September 15
  • In the eighth inning of the Toronto Blue Jays' 10–4 victory over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, a bench clearing brawl breaks out. Earlier in the game Blue Jays third baseman Edwin Encarnación had been hit by a Sergio Mitre pitch, and in the eighth inning second baseman Aaron Hill is hit by Mark Melancon. In what appeared to be retaliation for the shot to Hill, Jays pitcher Jesse Carlson throws a pitch behind Yankees catcher Jorge Posada in the bottom half of the inning. Both benches and bullpens clear, however, no punches are thrown. Posada ended up reaching on a walk, and scoring on a Brett Gardner double. As he crosses the plate, he bumps Carlson, who had been backing up home plate on the play. Posada is immediately ejected from the game, and the benches and bullpens empty for a second time as a fight breaks out between the two.
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox was activated following his near three-month stint on the disabled list, to become the fourth Japanese player on Boston's active roster, setting a Major League record. Matsuzaka joined fellow pitchers Takashi Saito, Hideki Okajima and Junichi Tazawa. On August 7, in a 15-inning loss at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox had set another record, becoming the first team to deploy three Japanese pitchers in the same game.
• September 16 – Jayson Werth's seventh-inning grand slam was the key hit in Philadelphia's 6–1 win against Washington. It was the Phillies' major-league leading tenth slam this season and it made them only the sixth team in National League history to hit at least 10 slams in one season. Meanwhile, Ian Desmond went 2-for-4 against the Phillies and is now 10-for-17 (.588) since making his major-league debut, to become the first major league player in more than half a century to collect 10 hits over his first four career games. The last player to do that was Jim Davenport for the 1958 Giants, in the team's first season in San Francisco.
• September 18 – With two outs in the ninth inning, and Mariano Rivera on the mound for the Yankees, Mike Sweeney hits a double, followed by a first-pitch home run by Ichiro Suzuki to give the Mariners a 3–2 victory. It is the first walk off home run of Ichiro's career.
• September 20 – Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry suspends outfielder Milton Bradley for the final two weeks of the 2009 season following comments he made in which he said the Cubs were "not a positive environment." Hendry explained the decision with the following:

Three days later, Bradley would issue an apology.

• September 21 – Cecil Cooper is fired as manager of the Houston Astros. Third-base coach Dave Clark is named interim manager for the thirteen games remaining in their season.
• September 22
  • Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins hits his 30th home run of the season in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving Uggla three consecutive seasons of 30-or-more homers. He is the first player in major league history to do so while playing at least 100 games at second base. Ryne Sandberg (1989–1990), Alfonso Soriano (2002–2003) and Chase Utley (2008-2009) are the only other second basemen with 30-HRs in 100 games during two straight seasons.
  • Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks strikes out three times for a total of 206 on the season, breaking the single-season record of 204 that he set in 2008.
• September 23 – The Atlanta Braves announce that manager Bobby Cox will retire from his managerial position at the conclusion of the 2010 season and immediately enter into a five-year contract that will enable him to continue serving as a consultant with the organization.
• September 24:
  • Sporting News published the names of the players on its All-Decade Team.
  • Sporting News named St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols the MLB Athlete of the Decade.
  • Sporting News named Joe Torre the Manager of the Decade. He managed the New York Yankees from 2000 to 2007 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2009.
  • Sporting News chose the Boston Red Sox as the Team of the Decade.

• September 25 – Ian Kinsler's three-run home run in the Texas Rangers' 8–3 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays is his 30th home run of the season. Combined with his 30th stolen base a day before, he becomes only the second player in Rangers' history to put up a 30-HR 30-SB season, joining Alfonso Soriano, who did it in 2005. Kinsler also joined Soriano, who also had 30–30 seasons for the Yankees (2002–2003), and with Brandon Phillips of the Reds (2007) as the only 30/30 second basemen in Major League history.
• September 26
  • Ichiro Suzuki is ejected for the first time in his professional career, ending a streak that Suzuki started in 1992 as a rookie with the Japan's Orix BlueWave. It happened in the top of the fifth inning of the Mariners' eventual extra-inning 5–4 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, and was also the first ejection of a Mariners player, coach or manager this season.
  • Marlon Byrd of the Texas Rangers hit his sixth career grand slam in the 15–3 victory against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Byrd, who homered twice in the game, now has 59 lifetime home runs, becoming the only player in major-league history with fewer than 60 home runs and six-or-more grand slams.
  • The St. Louis Cardinals clinch the National League Central Division title with a 6–3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. It is the eighth division title for the Cardinals manager Tony La Russa in his 14-year tenure in St. Louis.
  • Víctor Martínez of the Boston Red Sox singled with two outs in the ninth off Mariano Rivera, extending his hitting streak to 25 games, in a 3–0 defeat against New York at Yankee Stadium. Martinez's streak is the longest by a Venezuelan-born player, surpassing the 59-year, 24-game streak set by Chico Carrasquel in 1950. Martínez's streak ends the following day, but he bats 34-for-95 (.358) during the streak.
  • Team Canada earned its first bronze medal in the 2009 Baseball World Cup by upending Puerto Rico, 6–2, in Grosseto, Italy. The third place finish is the senior national team's highest placing since earning a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. The medal also adds to Baseball Canada's total which is now 11 with two bronze and a silver for the women's national team and five bronze and one gold (1991 world junior) for the national junior team.
• September 27
  • The New York Yankees secure their 16th AL division crown since 1969 (11th since 1995) with a 4–2 win over their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees put a bow on this title with their major-league leading 100th win, as second baseman Robinson Canó collected his 200th hit of the season. Canó's infield partner, shortstop Derek Jeter, already has 200 hits in the season, becoming the first second baseman/shortstop combo to accomplish the feat in major league history.
  • Team USA took advantage of a critical error by Cuba, scoring six runs with two outs in the seventh inning on its way to a 10–5 win in the gold medal game of the 2009 Baseball World Cup in Nettuno, Italy. Paired with its win over Cuba in the 2007 tournament, the Americans have won back-to-back World Cup titles for the first time since 1973 and 1974. Justin Smoak, Terry Tiffee and Jon Weber were named to the IBAF World Cup All-Tournament Team. Smoak was also named the Baseball World Cup's Most Valuable Player.
  • In the eighth inning of the Cardinals' 4–3 loss to the Rockies in Coors Field, Albert Pujols recorded his 181st assist of the season, setting a National League record for most assists in a season by a first baseman. The previous record had been set by the Cubs' Mark Grace in 1990. Bill Buckner holds the Major League record of 184, set in 1985 with the Red Sox.
• September 28
  • The Los Angeles Angels defeat the Texas Rangers convincingly, 11–0, to take the American League West title. Los Angeles is headed back to the playoffs for the sixth time in eight years.
  • Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros drove in his 100th run of the season, giving him a five-year streak of reaching triple-digits in RBIs. Only four other players have driven in at least 100 runs in each of the last five seasons: Bobby Abreu, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols and Mark Teixeira.
  • Robinson Canó hit his 25th home run of the season, and he now has 201 hits as a second baseman this year. Since Rogers Hornsby retired in 1937, only two other players have had 200 hits and 25 homers as a second baseman in one season: Bret Boone in 2001 and Alfonso Soriano in 2002. Over the last 70 years only three other Yankees players have had a 200-hit, 25-HR season: Don Mattingly (1985–1986), Bernie Williams (1999) and Soriano (2002).
• September 29
  • The Baltimore Orioles' Brian Roberts hits his 56th double this season against Tampa Bay's Wade Davis, breaking the record for a switch-hitter set by Lance Berkman in 2001. Earlier in the season, Roberts became just the fourth player all-time to record three 50-double seasons, the other three being Stan Musial, Tris Speaker and Paul Waner.
  • After being down 8–2 to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox score five in the eighth to bring it within one run. Their comeback attempt falls short, however, a 5–2 loss by the Texas Rangers to the Los Angeles Angels secures the Wild Card for the BoSox. Adam Lind had a memorable game, hitting three home runs for the Blue Jays.
• September 30
  • Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro announced that Eric Wedge and his coaches have all been relieved of their duties. However, Wedge and his staff will stay aboard for the season's final six games.
  • The Philadelphia Phillies clinch their third straight NL East title, 10–3 at home against the Houston Astros.
  • Ricky Nolasco of the Florida Marlins set a club record with 16 strikeouts and came one shy of a Major League mark by fanning nine straight in a 5–4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. The big league record for consecutive strikeouts in a game is 10 by Tom Seaver for the New York Mets on April 22, 1970. Two other pitchers had nine consecutive strikeouts in one game: Mickey Welch for the New York Giants in 1884 and Jake Peavy for the San Diego Padres in 2007.
  • Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit went 4-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in the second game of a double-header against the Cubs. Doumit is only the second Pittsburgh catcher in the last 40 years to have at least four hits and four RBIs in the same game. Jason Kendall collected four hits and five RBIs in a 13–1 Pirates victory over the Cardinals on May 19, 2000.
  • Justin Maxwell of the Washington Nationals became the second player (and the second rookie) to hit a walk-off grand slam against New York Mets closer Francisco Rodríguez this season. Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres did that on August 7. The only other pitchers in major-league history to surrender two game-ending grand slams in one season were Satchel Paige (1952), Lindy McDaniel (1963) and Lee Smith (1995).
  • Justin Masterson went the distance for the Cleveland Indians and struck out 12 but the Chicago White Sox scratched out a run in the top of the sixth inning to win 1–0. Masterson is the first major-leaguer to lose a complete game by a 1–0 score while pitching at least nine innings and striking out a dozen or more batters since May 6, 2000, when Pedro Martínez of the Red Sox struck out 17 but was beaten by Tampa Bay at Fenway Park.