PITTSBURGH — A fan casually walked to home plate and approached Philadelphia hitter Brad Miller for a handshake before being apprehended, and the Phillies later beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1, on Sunday on Rhys Hoskins’ home run in the 11th inning.
Moments after Bryce Harper argued a called third strike and Hoskins spiked his bat after being hit by a pitch, things turned bizarre in the sixth inning at PNC Park.
That’s when a man carrying a cellphone came out of the crowd and strolled toward Miller in the batter’s box. Miller backed away and the man kept walking, leisurely getting near the Phillies’ dugout on the first base side, where he was handcuffed by security personnel and led away.
Miller then grounded into an inning-ending double play.
LOS ANGELES — Walker Buehler struck out 11 over seven innings and the Los Angeles hit a trio of home runs to complete a three-game sweep of Miami.
Max Muncy, Joc Pederson and A.J. Pollock went deep as the first-place Dodgers won for the sixth time in nine games since the All-Star break. Buehler recorded his third double-digit strikeout game this season.
SEATTLE — Resurgent slugger Albert Pujols and Mike Trout homered, Brian Goodwin connected twice and Los Angeles beat Seattle.
Pujols sliced a second-inning solo drive into the right field seats for his 648th career homer.
NEW YORK — James Paxton allowed a leadoff home run for the second straight outing when Charlie Blackmon shook out of a slump and started Colorado to a win over New York that halted a six-game losing streak.
On the second consecutive day with a 94-degree temperature at game time, DJ LaMahieu homered on the first pitch from German Márquez (9-5) in the bottom half. But Márquez rebounded from his worst big league start and cooled the Yankees’ bats after that. Colorado took a 5-1 lead in the third, knocked out Paxton (5-5) in the fourth and ended New York’s five-game winning streak.
CINCINNATI — Yairo Munoz celebrated a rare start with a home run and a triple to help St. Louis beat Cincinnati.
Munoz, making his 16th start among 55 games, also singled to finish with three of the six hits for the Cardinals, who improved to 7-3 since the All-Star break.
CLEVELAND — Francisco Lindor homered after originally being scheduled to get the day off, José Ramírez hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth and Cleveland beat Kansas City.
Lindor talked his way into the lineup at designated hitter after manager Terry Francona planned on resting the All-Star shortstop. His two-run homer in the third tied the game at 2-all.
DETROIT — Nicholas Castellanos led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a home run, and Detroit snapped its six-game losing streak.
The Tigers won for only the eighth time in their last 41 games — and this victory didn’t come easily. Closer Shane Greene allowed a tying, two-run homer by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the ninth, but Castellanos connected on the first pitch thrown by Tim Mayza (0-1) for his 11th homer of the season.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Blake Snell struck out 10 in six scoreless innings, Travis d’Arnaud hit his first grand slam and Tampa Bay stopped its longest losing streak of the year at five games by beating Chicago.
Snell (6-7) allowed three hits and two walks while throwing a season-high 109 pitches.
HOUSTON — Michael Brantley homered twice, Jose Altuve also went deep and Houston beat struggling Texas for its fifth straight victory.
Rogelio Armenteros (1-0) pitched five solid innings in his first major league start, sending Texas to its seventh loss in a row.
MINNEAPOLIS — Max Kepler drove in four runs, including the game-winner to cap a two-run rally in the ninth inning, and Minnesota beat Oakland.
Ehire Adrianza’s third hit of the game was a triple off Liam Hendriks (2-1) that scored Luis Arraez from first base with one out in the ninth. After Hendriks struck out Jason Castro, Kepler lined the first pitch into left-center for his third hit.
CHICAGO — Francisco Mejía homered, Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in three runs and San Diego avoided the sweep in Chicago.
SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Yastrzemski homered with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning to give San Francisco a victory over New York.
PHOENIX — Tyler Saladino had his first career grand slam, Mike Moustakas hit a go-ahead run-scoring single in the eighth inning and Milwaukee beat Arizona.