Tuesday's first pitch

Leading Off
The Yankees are looking pretty strong right now. Mark Teixeira led the charge Monday with two big bombs. After muddling through April, Teixeira has gotten his stroke down. This can only mean bad news for the American League East.
Regional Roundup
Chris Coste is hearing footsteps.

• The Phillies signed veteran catcher Paul Bako.


• Aubrey Huff has won back the Baltimore fans.


• What will the Nationals do after they draft Stephen Strasburg. As for another Nat prospect, Ross Detwiler pitched well. The rest of the team put in a Nationals-like performance.


• Nyjer Morgan has been playing hurt.

Best of the Rest
There might not have been many games, but the ones that were played were full of news.

• The Mets committed two costly errors in the eleventh inning.


• A former Phillie ties the greatest Phillie on the career home run list.


• It's rhythmic. The Rays routed the A's. Jason Bartlett had five runs batted in.


• Rickie Weeks is out for the year.


• Adrian Beltre got a rare day off

Batter's Eye

• Bill Conlin opines that all the money has made baseball so out of touch scandals have become inevitable.

Today in history
1910 -- Cy Young won the 500th game of his career as the Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 5-4, in 11 innings.

1942 -- Paul Waner of the Boston Braves got his 3,000th career hit off Pittsburgh's Rip Sewell in a 7-6, 11-inning loss to the Pirates.

1956 -- Pittsburgh's Dale Long hit a ninth-inning homer against the Chicago Cubs. It was Long's first of eight straight games with a homer.

1962 -- Stan Musial of St. Louis became the NL career hits leader. The 41-year-old got a ninth inning single for his 3,431st hit and moved past Honus Wagner. The Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-1.

The Closer
Carlos Delgado is going to have surgery on his hip. That can't be good news for the Mets. Or for Phillies fans. If the World Champs are going to beat the Mets for a third time this decade, they want to do so against a team that is at full strength.
The Mets need Delgado's left-handed bat. And no one wants to see him go down.
Here's hoping he has a successful return.