For Mariano Rivera, it was the culmination of a storied career, dreams of being the next Pele long since forgotten. For Brandy Halladay, the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a tearful moment to reflect on the accomplishments of her late husband, and she handled a difficult task admirably.

Rivera and fellow closer Lee Smith, starters Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay, and designated hitters Edgar Martinez and Harold Baines were feted on a sun-splashed afternoon in Cooperstown. A crowd estimated at 55,000, the second-largest for an induction ceremony, quickly made Rivera feel at peace.

Jayson Stark accepted the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing on Saturday afternoon at Cooperstown's Doubleday Field, and he was moved by the moment.

"I am literally living the dream. It feels like it is happening to somebody else," said Stark, a Phillies beat writer and national columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1979-2000. "This would be the honor of a lifetime even if it wasn't voted on by the baseball writers, but that makes it more special because all I ever wanted, from the time I was a kid, was to be one of you (baseball writers)."

Pete Alonso came off the bench and hit his 33rd home run, setting the Mets rookie record for RBIs as New York beat San Francisco 11-4 Saturday to end the Giants' seven-game winning streak.

For Cody Decker, his 204th minor league home run was a walk-off blast in every sense of the word.

Yes, the two-run shot gave the Triple-A Reno Aces a 10-9 walk-off win Friday night, but the 32-year-old first baseman also chose that moment to walk off into the sunset, stealing a page from the script for the movie "Bull Durham."

Decker, a real-life Crash Davis, retired as the active home run leader in the minor leagues.

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, ready to play in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Cleveland, has set the National League rookie record with 68 RBIs before the break.

He hit his 30th home run of the season Sunday in an 8-3 loss to the Phillies, driving in two runs with the shot, to set the mark.

For the final time in his illustrious career, CC Sabathia will be going to the All-Star Game.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that Sabathia, the New York Yankees' left-handed pitcher who will retire at the end of this season, will be participating in events associated with next week's game at Cleveland's Progressive Field.