David Ortiz and six others were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. Pete Rose will be on Phillies field for the first time since MLB ban. An ex-Braves star is dead at 58, plus more top headlines in baseball news.
David Ortiz and 6 others inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Former Boston Red Sox great David Ortiz and six others were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. The players who joined him in the honor were Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso, Buck O’Neil, and Bud Fowler.
-Ortiz was a 10-time All-Star for the Red Sox from 2003 to 2016.
-Tony Oliva was a three-time batting champion and eight-time All-Star with the Twins from 1962 to 1976. In his first full season, 1964, he won the American League Rookie of the Year.
-Jim Kaat, a left-handed pitcher, was a three-time All-Star and 16-time Gold Glove winner.
-Gil Hodges was a star for the Brooklyn Dodgers and managed the New York Mets to their first World Series title in 1969.
-Minnie Miñoso was the first Black player in Chicago White Sox history and the first Afro-Latino in the majors. He was one of the first batters over 50 years old to get a hit.
-Buck O’Neil was a star in the Negro Leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs.
-Bud Fowler was one of the first known African-Americans who played professional baseball.
Pete Rose will be on Phillies field for first time since MLB ban
Pete Rose, baseball's all-time hits leader, will take the field on August 7 as part of the Phillies’ alumni weekend, where the 81-year-old will be introduced along with his teammates from the 1980 World Series championship team.
It will be the first time he will step onto a major-league baseball diamond since he was banned from the sport in 1989 after an investigation found he had bet on the Reds between 1985-1987 while he managed the team, The New York Post reported. Rose reapplied for reinstatement in 2015 but was rejected by the MLB Commissioner.
Dwight Smith, ex-Braves, star dead at 58
Dwight Smith, who played outfield with the Atlanta Braves, died at the age of 58 from congestive heart and lung failure. Smith played in the MLB for eight years, was a 1989 NL rookie of the year runner-up with the Cubs, played in the postseason with the Cubs, and was part of the 1995 World Series-winning Braves team. He also played for the California Angels and Baltimore Orioles. In eight years, he batted .275 with a .755 OPS and 46 home runs, Fox reported.
Texas athlete drafted by hometown Astros
The Houston Astros have drafted hometown high school athlete Jackson Loftin, a lifetime Houstonian who grew up rooting for the team. He currently plays shortstop at Oral Roberts University and was a multi-sport standout at Klein Collins High School. Loftin was drafted in the 13th round in Tuesday's MLB draft, ABC reported.
St. Louis Cardinals All-Star-infielders forced to sit out series with Blue Jays
All-Star infielders Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt with the St. Louis Cardinals will be forced to sit out a two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays this week due to Canada's strict vaccination rules and will be barred from entering the country. Canada requires individuals to have either one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of others at least 14 days before entering the country, ESPN reported.