'Big Hurt' bids baseball farewell

Miguel Cabrera is the two-time reigning American League MVP and arguably the best hitter in baseball. If we look at his career statistics he is starting to look an awful lot like Hank Aaron, a player many consider one of the best in baseball history. Both players began their careers at age 20. Cabrera has had 7.306 plate appearances in his career and is hitting .320 with 371 home runs and a .567 slugging percentage. Through the same number of plate appearances, Aaron was hitting .320 with 372 home runs and a .567 slugging percentage according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Manny Ramirez has begun the next phase of his colourful and controversial career after he was officially introduced as the newest member of the Chicago White Sox.The 12-time all-star was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the final month of the Major League Baseball playoff chase.Ramirez said he his still driven to win championships despite the fact the Dodgers were willing to give him up without getting anything in return.

Alex Rodriguez lost $22.1 million in salary as a result of his year-long suspension. But that hasn't stopped him from being the highest-paid player in Major League history. Thanks to a pair of contracts worth more than $250 million, Rodriguez has made more than $350 million in his career. But A-Rod is not alone.

The Texas Rangers drafted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the minor league version of baseball's Rule 5 draft, a move that was quickly dismissed by many as a silly publicity stunt. However, it is possible that both the Rangers and Wilson could benefit from Wilson returning to the diamond in two years.

After several months of rumors and speculation, Major League Baseball has officially announced that Alex Rodriguez has been suspended for 211 games due to his use and possession of performance enhancing substances and his attempts to “obstruct and frustrate” the Biogenesis investigation. The suspension will begin on Thursday unless Rodriguez files a grievance. In a show of great respect for the Major League Baseball Players Association, Commissioner Selig decided not to pursue a punishment for Rodriguez under Article XI A(1)(b) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka will need surgery to fix a torn right elbow ligament and at least a year of recovery to have any hope of resuming his Major League Baseball career.The Red Sox placed the Japanese ace on the disabled list and the operation is expected to take place in California later this week. The surgery requires another tendon to be transplanted in place of the one in his throwing arm."It's my first time to get an operation and all I can say is I'm very shocked when it comes to this result," Matsuzaka said through a translator.

The bat used by disgraced Major League Baseball player Pete Rose to get his final career hit has been auctioned for 158,000 dollars.Rose used the bat for hit No. 4,256 on August 14, 1986. His final hit, which was a single, stands as the major league record.The 34-inch, 32-ounce bat was auctioned online and drew just seven bids.Rose broke Ty Cobb's record with his 4,192nd hit on September 11, 1985, when he was with the Cincinnati Reds but he was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on games involving the Reds.