Rangers fan dies after 20-foot fall  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — A fan who died Thursday after falling from the outfield stands while reaching for a ball thrown by Texas Rangers All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton has been identified.  —  The victim was Shannon Stone, a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood, Texas.

Angels promote Mike Trout from Double-A  —  In the manager's office after Thursday's game, Angels manager Mike Scioscia and GM Tony Reagins discussed their options for nearly 30 minutes after center fielder Peter Bourjos injured his hamstring in the eighth inning.

Can't skip his place in Sox lore  —  Carl Yastrzemski is a recluse of sorts.  Yaz isn't one for making appearances, shaking hands, and swapping stories about the good old days of 1967.  He doesn't do many interviews and doesn't return many phone calls.  Months can go by, and you won't hear back.

Former catcher Chris Hatcher returns to Florida Marlins as a pitcher, first such move in 75 years  —  UPDATE: Just heard back from the Elias Sports Bureau, which reports that Hatcher will be the first catcher-turned-pitcher in the majors since Art Doll of the Boston Braves.

Red Sox hit 6 homers to top Birds, reclaim first  —  BOSTON (AP)—David Ortiz(notes) and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) homered near the deepest part of Fenway Park.  —  Dustin Pedroia(notes) blasted a shot all the way out of the historic ballpark.  —  It was difficult to say which was the most impressive …

Game-ending grand slams and Lindy McDaniel  —  For the second time this year, the Indians end a game with a grand slam.  According to Retrosheet, there were 188 game-ending grand slams between 1950 and 2010.  —  So, we aren't talking about an unusual event.  Dramatic, yes, but not unusual.

Braves need some creative financing  —  The Braves, like most clubs, are near their payroll limit.  But the team was in a similar position last season, and general manager Frank Wren still made two trades.  —  In both deals — the first for Royals reliever Kyle Farnsworth and outfielder Rick Ankiel …

Mauer makes debut at first base  —  CHICAGO—Joe Mauer made his major league debut at first base in the Minnesota Twins game against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.  —  Before he even got to play the field, Mauer hit an RBI single in the top of the first inning.

Hafner's Slam Gives Indians 5-4 Win Over Blue Jays  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Hafner hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap the Cleveland's five-run rally and give the Indians a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night.  —  Hafner hit the first pitch from Luis Perez …

What Does ‘3,000 Hits’ Really Mean?  —  Raleigh, N.C.  —  THE Yankees released me from my contract in 2005.  Several years later, I texted Derek Jeter, who still had the same cellphone number, to ask whether he would inscribe a bat to my newborn son.  (It arrived the next day; this is the Derek Jeter I know.)

Royals' uniform blunder sends wrong message to fans  —  Good seats remain to watch the stupidest thing the Royals have done in years, and we include here Sluggerrr shooting a fan in the eye with a hot dog and even $36 million for José Guillen.  —  This one will happen Saturday …

Jose Reyes to the DL, Nick Evans recalled  —  The Mets have placed Jose Reyes on the 15 day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, retroactive to July 3.  —  To replace Reyes on the roster, the Mets recalled Nick Evans from Triple-A Buffalo.  —  Evans was with the Mets earlier …