The Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion was a solo home run shy of the home run cycle in today's 15-1 win over the Tigers. He's the second Blue Jay ever with a 9-RBI game (Roy Howell in 1977).

Edwin Encarnación is the 2nd @BlueJays player with multiple 3-HR games, joining Carlos Delgado

Though multiple home run cycles have been recorded in collegiate baseball,[11][12] the only home run cycle in a professional baseball game belongs to Tyrone Horne, who stroked four long balls for the minor league, Double-A Arkansas Travelers in a game against the San Antonio Missions on July 27, 1998.[13]

A major league player has come close to hitting for the home run cycle several times. Recent examples include:
 
April 2, 1997, Tino Martinez of the New York Yankees, was a grand slam away from accomplishing this feat against his former team, the Seattle Mariners. He hit a 3-run home run in the first inning, a 2-run home run in the third inning and a solo shot in the fifth inning; all off starting pitcher Scott Sanders.[14]
 
April 26, 2005 Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees hit 3 home runs off Los Angeles Angels pitcher Bartolo Colón. Rodriguez hit a 3-run home run, 2-run home run, and a grand slam in the first, third, and fourth innings, respectively.[15]
 
May 16, 2008 Jayson Werth of the Philadelphia Phillies hit 3 home runs off Toronto Blue Jays pitchers David Purcey and Jesse Litsch. Werth hit a 3-run home run, a grand slam, and a solo home run in the second, third, and fifth innings, respectively.[16]
 
June 26, 2009, Andre Ethier of Los Angeles Dodgers hit a three-run home run off Jason Vargas in the second, a two-run home run off Roy Corcoran in the sixth, and a solo home run off Miguel Batista in the eighth inning in a game against Seattle Mariners.[17]
 
July 7, 2009, Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox hit a solo home run in the second inning off Cleveland Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers, a grand slam in the sixth inning off reliever Chris Perez, and a two-run home run in the seventh inning off reliever Winston Abreu.[18]
 
August 1, 2009, Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a solo home run in the first inning, a two run home run in the fourth inning, and a three run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals.[19]
 
September 17, 2010, Shin-Soo Choo of the Cleveland Indians, hit three home runs against the Kansas City Royals. Choo hit a 2-run homer in the fourth inning, a Grand Slam in the sixth inning and a solo home run in the eighth inning.[20]
 
June 21, 2015, J.D. Martinez of the Detroit Tigers, hit three home runs against the New York Yankees. Martinez hit a 2-run homer in the first inning, a solo home run in the fifth inning and a 3-run homer in the sixth inning[21]
 
August 21, 2015, Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets, hit three home runs against the Colorado Rockies: a grand slam in the second inning, a solo home run in the fourth inning, and a two-run home run in the sixth inning. [22]
 
August 29, 2015, Edwin Encarnación of the Toronto Blue Jays hit three home runs against the Detroit Tigers: a 3-run home run in the first inning, a 2-run home run in the sixth inning, and a grand glam in the seventh inning.[23]

Jake Arrieta made history on Sunday night in Los Angeles, pitching the first no-hitter of his big league career, striking out a season-high 12 over nine masterful innings against the Dodgers.
Arrieta needed 116 pitches to complete his masterpiece, striking out the side in the ninth inning to put an exclamation point on it. The Dodgers had just two base runners all night, one when Kike Hernandez reached on an error in the third, and the other when Jimmy Rollins walked in the sixth. It was the first no-hitter by a Cubs hurler since Carlos Zambrano accomplished the feat in 2008. Arrieta's gem was the sixth no-hitter in Major League Baseball this season, most recently done by Mike Fiers just nine days ago against these very same Dodgers. Arrieta has been unbelievable since mid-June, compiling a 1.07 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 101/23 K/BB ratio over 101 innings in his last 14 starts

With the Cubs wrapping up a six-game West Coast trip, it was time for manager Joe Maddon to break out the pyjamas.
 
PJs for the Cubbies? Yep.
 
Known for coming up with inventive themed apparel for his team at the end of a trip, Maddon's latest stab at sartorial splendor involved one-piece pyjamas. Some have feet in them, just like the ones little kids wear.
 
Maddon said he and the coaching staff would wear them when the team boards an overnight flight to Chicago after Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 
Maddon said the PJs were optional for the players, but he was hoping everyone would dress accordingly as a way to have fun together during their bid for a wild card playoff spot.
 
Earlier in the season, Maddon had his players dress in Blackhawks gear for the city's hockey team, and sport coats with shorts or chinos another time.
 
In 2010, when he managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Maddon came up with what he called a "BRayser," a combination of Rays and blazer. Mohawks and hair dye have figured into Maddon's version of building team unity, too.

Alderson hired a smart baseball man who bombed in all three of his tries at managing a team through a pennant race. Here are the only meaningful Septembers for Collins in his two previous gigs:
 
The 1996 Astros collapsed. They entered September in first place with a 2 1/2-game lead, only to go 8–17 and finish six games out.
 
The 1997 Angels collapsed. They entered September in second place with a one-game deficit, only to go 10–15 and finish six games out.
 
The 1998 Angels collapsed. They entered September in first place with a three-game lead, only to go 9–15 and finish three games out.
 
The sum of three Septembers that meant anything for Collins: 27–47 (.365) with 19 1/2 games lost in the standings.

Clayton Kershaw induced 35 swings-and-misses, the most by any pitcher in a game in the past 10 seasons. Eleven of his 15 strikeouts were swinging, and his career-high 251 strikeouts on the season are the most by a Dodgers pitcher since Sandy Koufax in 1966.