September 3 - Pedro Martinez punchesout his 3000th batter - This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind

Vintage Baseball Reflections

September 3, 2009 — Yankee Catcher, Jorge Posada hit his 20th homer of the season and drove in four runs to help New York beat Toronto 7-5. Posada's homer gave New York a major league-leading seven players with at least 20 dingers. The ’09 Yankees are the only team in franchise history to accomplish this feat. Only the ’96 Orioles, the 2000 Blue Jays and the ’05 Rangers have been able to collect 20 home runs from 7 players in a single season. No National league team has yet to reach that milestone.

September 3, 2008 — Baseball's first use of instant replay is used to support an on field call of a home run during the ninth inning of the Yankee-Tampa Bay Devil Rays contest. Third-base umpire Brian Runge signaled a home run after A-Rod's towering two-run shot off Troy Percival caromed off the catwalk behind the foul pole in left field. Rays catcher Dioner Navarro protested the call bringing manager Joe Maddon out of the dugout. The umpires convened before leaving the field to check the replay on a monitor; 2 minutes and 15 seconds later they upheld the homer giving the Yankees an 8-3 lead.

September 3, 2007 — Pedro Martinez pitches his way back from major shoulder surgery and quickly into the record books. Needing just two strike outs to become only the 15th pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters in his career he fanned Aaron Harang with an 87-mph fastball as the Mets posted a 10-4 win over Cincinnati.

September 3, 2006 — Ryan Howard homered in his first three at-bats, leading Philadelphia to an 8-7 victory over Atlanta in the first game of a doubleheader. Howard raised his major league-leading total to 52 and set a record for second-year players.

September 3, 2006 — Albert Pujols homers in his first three at-bats, helping St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 6-3. Pujols, with 42 homers, reached 40 or more for the fourth straight season.