Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 569th career homer, moving into a tie for ninth place with Rafael Palmeiro. The 37-year-old outfielder has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, getting four of his six homers since moving back to the No. 3 spot in the order.
Catcher Jose Molina stole home Thursday, part of a delayed double steal. Reggie Willits took second and Molina came home in a close play at the plate. “Hey, get out of the way,” Molina joked to an Angels teammate after the game. “You’ve got the fast guy here now.”
Rangers pinch-hitter Victor Diaz hit his first career grand slam in Thursday’s 14-2 rout of the Yankees. Diaz, the former Mets prospect from Clemente High School, had the fifth pinch-hit slam in Texas history and first since Hank Blalock’s on July 4, 2004, at Houston.
THREE DOWN
Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan will miss the season after ligament-replacement surgery on his left elbow. “To lose him for the year is not something that we wanted, but the reality is he gets it done now and he’s ready to go for next year,” general manager J.P. Ricciardi said.
Giants center fielder Dave Roberts had his inflamed left elbow examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles and decided to have arthroscopic surgery to remove floating bone chips and bone spurs. The procedure could be done as soon as Friday.
Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya will miss three months after having surgery in New York to repair a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger. Zumaya, placed on the disabled list May 3, is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 13 appearances.
