Runs This Season

Indians: Manny Ramirez's 159 RBIs left him three short of the club record set by Hal Trosky in 1936.... Cleveland has scored a major-league-leading 974 runs this season.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Seven-fourteen came with a home-plate hug for his son, blown kisses for his wife and daughter, and a curtain call ovation in a rival ballpark, from adversarial fans. Barry Bonds, a controversial figure whose alleged steroid use has raised debate over the legitimacy of the latter part of his career, homered into the right-field seats and tied Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home run list yesterday in the San Francisco Giants' 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics in 10 innings at McAfee Coliseum.

Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken has a chance to reach career milestones of 3,000 hits and 400 home runs this season.Career hits 2,879Career home runs 384Yesterday: 0-for-3, no home runsSeason: 1 hit, 0 home runs

WHO'S UP Tino Martinez of the Yankees has four home runs in his past 15 at-bats. WHO'S DOWN The Devil Rays have allowed an American League-high 48 home runs this season while hitting just 22. BATTING LINE OF THE DAY R. Langerhans, Braves RF AB R H RBI HR 5 3 3 6 2 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Mike Hampton, Braves IP H R BB SO 9 2 0 1 3 "I couldn't believe I was getting up again. That's Coors Fieldish." Larry Walker, former Rockies outfielder who singled and was hit by a pitch in the Cardinals' 11-run first inning

MILWAUKEE - It was baseball at its finest, all in one single play. The National League's Barry Bonds hitting a ball long enough to clear the outfield fence. Torii Hunter running fast enough and leaping high enough to make the catch. It was the first inning at Miller Park, and the All-Star Game was finally about baseball again. Not labor strife. Not steroids. Just two players doing the thing they do better than anyone else on the planet - all in one single play. "Unbelievable," said the NL's Sammy Sosa.

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." -- Mae West WASHINGTON -- Not necessarily, as Major League Baseball is learning from its current glut of home runs. Baseball lightning is becoming as common, and about as exciting, as lightning bugs. And this time the glut cannot be explained by the Happy Haitians Theory. In 1987, when home runs were unusually frequent, Tony Kubek, a former player turned broadcaster, probably was kidding (with baseball people, you never know) when he said: The baseballs are made in Haiti, and Haitians, exuberant about the downfall of the Duvalier regime, are winding the yarn inside the balls extra tight, and pulling the laces on the balls' covers so tight the laces are almost flush with the surface, making it difficult for pitchers to get a good grip, and causing balls to have less wind resistance and pitches less movement.

A home run explosion is changing baseball in Howard County, leaving some coaches wishing for the good old days and creating a debate over the causes for the boom. Evidence of an explosion is widespread: Hammond's Brian Brewer homered in his first six games, a streak that ranks fifth nationwide. Howard's Adam Snyder homered three straight times against Atholton. Glenelg homered four times in one inning against Wilde Lake. Chris Bowen homered twice in that inning. Nine Mount Hebron players and nine Hammond players homered in the first 11 games.

Indians: Manny Ramirez's 159 RBIs left him three short of the club record set by Hal Trosky in 1936.... Cleveland has scored a major-league-leading 974 runs this season.

Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken has a chance to reach career milestones of 3,000 hits and 400 home runs this season.Career hits: 2,968Career home runs: 399Yesterday: Did not playSeason: 90- hits (needs 32), 15 home runs (needs one)