Alex Verdugo became the first player in Boston Red Sox history to hit a leadoff homer in the first inning in three straight games, connecting Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park.

Verdugo drove the second pitch from Julio Urías into the Dodgers' bullpen, tying the game at 1.

Adam Jones will retire as a member of the Baltimore Orioles prior to a game against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 15, the team announced Friday.

Jones, 38, spent 11 of his 14 major league seasons with the Orioles and totaled 1,781 hits, 263 homers, 866 RBIs and 875 runs in 1,613 games with the franchise.

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has decided to retire, ending a career that began as a No. 1 draft pick, included 2019 World Series MVP honors and was derailed by injuries, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

Strasburg's decision to retire was first reported by The Washington Post, with an official announcement expected to be made Sept. 9.

Dwight Gooden's No. 16 and Darryl Strawberry's No. 18 will be retired by the New York Mets in separate pregame ceremonies next year honoring players who were keys to the team's most recent World Series title in 1986.

New York will have retired nine numbers of players and managers following the decision announced Friday, up from four before Steve Cohen bought the team in November 2020.

Max Scherzer moved into 11th place on baseball's career strikeout list, getting his 3,343rd on Sunday to pass Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil Niekro.

Scherzer, making his fourth start for the AL West-leading Texas Rangers since getting traded from the New York Mets, struck out Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang in the third inning. It was Scherzer's third strikeout of the game.

"It's an honor to come back to the house that I built, the Jake," Manny Ramírez said during a news conference at Progressive Field, known as Jacobs Field when the slugger played in Cleveland. "I know they changed the name, but I'm happy to be back. I'm happy to be back in the city and the place that I grew up."

One of best hitters in baseball history, and one of the game's biggest characters, Ramírez, who broke in with those powerhouse Indians teams in the 1990s, returned on Saturday to be inducted into the Guardians Hall of Fame.

Julio Rodríguez set a major league record with his 17th hit in four games, helping to lead the Seattle Mariners past the Houston Astros 10-3 for their fifth straight win Saturday night.

Rodriguez, with a single to left field in the seventh inning, broke a major league record set in 1925 by Milt Stock of the Brooklyn Robins. He finished 4-for-6, giving him his fourth consecutive four-plus-hit game.

Daniel Murphy's surprising comeback bid ended with him going on the voluntarily retired list after playing 38 games with the Los Angeles Angels' Triple-A team.

Murphy a three-time All-Star infielder, was no longer on the active roster for the Salt Lake Bees on Tuesday, two days after he went 1-for-5 in his final game. His last major league game was with the Colorado Rockies during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, after which he said he was retiring.

Félix Hernández walked from the bullpen as Aloe Blacc's song "The Man," bellowed through the speakers. He stood on the rubber at the top of the mound, put his arms out to his side and mouthed "this is my house."

"This is not easy for me," Hernández said, pausing during his speech as part of his induction into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame on Saturday night. "Pitching and being there on that mound is way easier than this."

"Fernandomania" broke out again 42 years after first taking hold at Dodger Stadium and spreading nationwide.

The Dodgers retired Fernando Valenzuela's No. 34 jersey on Friday night before hosting the Colorado Rockies. His number was cut into the center-field grass and stenciled in white on the back of the mound.

"It's very emotional," Valenzuela told a crowded room of English and Spanish-language media before the ceremony. "I never expected it."