On Aug. 23, 1998, Barry Bonds accomplished something no other major league player has yet to achieve: he joined the 400/400 club by launching his 26th homer of the season off Kirt Ojala of the Marlins in a 10-5 Giants victory.

Bonds finished his career with 776 home runs and 514 stolen bases. Right now he is the only member of the 400-400 and 500-500 clubs.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-By Chris R. Vaccaro

Most people don’t remember Rickey Henderson as the 5,000th hitter Nolan Ryan struck out, but he was just that on Aug. 22, 1989.

On his patented 96 mph fastball, Ryan caught Henderson swinging. He struck out 13 hitters in the 2-0 loss to the Athletics.

Ryan, the principal owner, president and CEO of the Rangers, finished his career with 5,714 strikeouts, a major league record.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-By Chris R. Vaccaro

Rollie Fingers finished his hall of fame career with 341 saves, but No. 300 turned out to be extra special since he was the first major league player to reach the plateau at the time on August 21, 1982.

Pitching for the Brewers, he closed out a game in which Milwaukee beat Seattle, 3-2. It didn’t come easy as Fingers allowed two earned runs in a two-inning appearance.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-By Chris R. Vaccaro

On August 20, 1998, Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs in three consecutive seasons. He hit a solo homer in the seventh inning against the Mets in the first game of a double header.

McGwire, of course, went on to hit 70 home runs that season, breaking Roger Maris’ home run record and capturing baseball fans worldwide with his season-long battle with Sammy Sosa, who finished with 66 dingers.

Today, McGwire serves as hitting coach for the Cardinals.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-By Chris R. Vaccaro

It was Aug. 17, 1973. Willie Mays was 42 at the time and in his final season of Major League Baseball.

That day in 1973, the same year the Mets won the National League pennant, Mays hit his 660th and final home run of his career off Cincinnati pitcher Don Gullett. The Mets took a 1-0 lead over the Reds in the bottom of the fourth with the Mays blast, but eventually lost the contest, 2-1.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-By Chris R. Vaccaro

As we’ve done for all perfect games and no-hitters this season - and there have been a lot - we’re taking the historical bullet points from the moment and presenting as many interesting and unique facts about the performance as we can. Considering Felix Hernandez threw the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners’ history, there’s plenty of historic undertones to talk about. 

According to MLB.com:

• It is the first time in Major League Baseball history that there have been three perfect games in a single season. It happened twice in two previous years. The first time was 1880, just five days apart: Lee Richmond for Worcester over Cleveland on June 12 and then by Hall of Famer Monte Ward on June 17 for Providence over Buffalo. The second was just two years ago, when Oakland’s Dallas Braden did it to the Rays on May 9, followed 20 days later by Roy Halladay’s masterpiece for the Phillies in Miami.
• In the 57 games played at Safeco this season, the Mariners have been on the opposite side of a perfect game (the White Sox Philip Humber), had six of their own pitchers combine to no-hit the Dodgers and watched Hernandez throw the first perfect game in franchise history with Wednesday’s 1-0 win over the Rays.
• Two of the the four no-hitters in franchise history were thrown this season, with Hernandez’s perfection joining the six-man no-no by Kevin Millwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmsen on June 8.
• Seattle became the first team in MLB history to throw a perfect game and have a perfect game thrown against it in the same season.
• Hernandez is now 6-3 with a 2.05 ERA in 12 home starts this season, with opponents batting .199 and striking out 106 times in 96 2/3 innings.
• King Felix had thrown one previous one-hitter and four two-hitters in his career — all on the road.
• There have been 23 perfect games overall, and going back to Mark Buehrle’s for the White Sox against Tampa Bay in 2009, there have now been six such events over the past four seasons. Three have been pitched against the Rays.

(Graphic courtesy MLB.com)

Click here to relive all 27 outs of Hernandez’s perfect game via MLB.com.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Compiled by Chris R. Vaccaro

If you haven’t been paying attention to the @ToppsPennant Twitter account the last few weeks, you’re missing out. We’ve been giving away autographed items by the dozens. 

The good news is you still have a chance to win some prizes. 

Here’s what’s left:

• Pittsburgh Pirates, John Candelaria signed ball, ending 8/16
• Colorado RockieS, Troy Tulowitzki signed ball, ending 8/17
• Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton authentic jersey, ending 8/18
• Los Angeles, Don Drysdale signed ball, ending 8/19
• Baltimore Orioles, Jim Palmer signed ball, ending 8/20
• St. Louis Cardinals, Lou Brock signed ball, ending 8/20
• Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander signed ball, ending 8/21

How do you enter, you ask? Well, that’s easy:

Using your iPhone or iPad, download our Topps Pennant app. Then scroll through your favorite team’s history to find that special moment you’ll always remember. Once you’ve found it, share an image of it with us any one of three ways:

• Tweet the picture of the image using the appropriate team-based hashtag
• Email the picture of the image to timecapsule@topps.com, using the appropriate team-based hashtag in the subject line
• Post the picture of the image to the Topps Pennant Facebook Timeline at facebook.com/toppspennant

It’s as simple as that. We’ll collect all the entries and select a random winner on the @ToppsPennant Twitter account, so stay tuned.

Got any questions? Here’s a link to the official contest rules.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

The walk-off home run. The called third strike. The leaping catch at the wall. The first time you laid eyes on that beautiful, green field. The best part about being a fan is the memories that stick with you for a lifetime. Now, we’re asking you to share them with us. And you’ll get some cool gear along the way.

Enter the Topps Pennant Time Capsule contest for your chance to win an autographed item from some of your favorite players past and present. How do you enter, you ask? Well, that’s easy:

Using your iPhone or iPad, download our Topps Pennant app. Then scroll through your favorite team’s history to find that special moment you’ll always remember. Once you’ve found it, share an image of it with us any one of three ways:

·         Tweet the picture of the image using the appropriate team-based hashtag

·         Email the picture of the image to timecapsule@topps.com, using the appropriate team-based hashtag in the subject line

·         Post the picture of the image to the Topps Pennant Facebook Timeline at facebook.com/toppspennant

It’s as simple as that. We’ll collect all the entries and select a random winner on the @ToppsPennant Twitter account, so stay tuned.

Got any questions? Here’s a link to the official contest rules.

For the MLB Cave Dwellers, it’s been one long, wild and exciting marathon of baseball excitement since they were chosen from 22,000 applicants to live a year of fantasy in New York City.

Narrowed to 50, and then finally nine official Dwellers, that total is down to five after four have been eliminated at this point in the season. Left dwelling are Ricardo Marquez (pictured above), Kyle Thompson, Ricky Mast, Ashley Chavez and Gordon Mack.

Among a packed schedule of concerts, games and baseball events that even the most privileged sports fans would be jealous of, last month they had the opportunity to have their own baseball cards made by The Topps Company.

They all have some affection for baseball cards, which is no surprise since they’re all masterful fans in their own right for their favorite teams. Marquez, in it to support his beloved Angels, lit up when he was in one of the conference rooms draped in baseball card images from some of the games greats at 1 Whitehall in New York City.

“It’s unexplainable,” he said. “One day it’s crazy enough you’re going to Topps to make baseball cards, and if you’re still here you’re going to the all-star game [and other events]. We’ve all been granted this great opportunity to do all this great stuff that no other fan will be able to do.”

Mast, the son of former NASCAR racer Rick Mast and a big fan of the Atlanta Braves, says he has thousands of baseball cards, so this is yet more icing on a big baseball cake for him.

“I’m freaking out this is so cool,” he said. “Just coming here walking around is awesome. Every day it’s something else. We’ve gotten to do so many crazy things. We danced with Kate Upton. [Ricardo and I] took off most of our clothes. She wasn’t too stoked about it, but we were.”

Aside from dancing with Upton, the Dwellers have partied with Charlie Sheen at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Kansas City, had a lengthy conversation with Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball icon Jackie Robinson, and are subjected to various concerts and outings throughout the year.

Cuts from the Fan Cave are random, but the Dwellers said they have a small idea when someone is on the chopping block. The Fan Cave is located in the old Tower Records building in New York on Broadway and East 4^th, but the Dwellers are provided housing at an off-site location.

Ricky Mast admiring cards on the wall at the Topps offices in New York City.

Kyle Thompson sits with a Topps designer as he has his own baseball card made.

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Chris R. Vaccaro

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Barry Larkin, straight laced and proper on the field, opened his Hall of Fame speech by saying, “this is Unsticking believable.” For the next half hour, Larkin, a career-long member of the Cincinnati Reds, thanked everyone from Pete Rose to Lou Pinella and made a constant point to say he always had the interest of Cincinnati – his hometown – in mind when he played baseball. 

“Am I doing enough? Is there more? Could I do something a little bit different? Something better? Can I try harder? Is this the right thing to do?” he said he used to ask himself in the mirror. “I asked myself that question because I took a lot of pride in representing not only myself, but my family, the Reds organization, the city of Cincinnati.

“No longer do I have to ask those questions anymore. The answer is forever written on my plaque in Cooperstown. Every player wants to win, every play wants to feel appreciated and feel validation. Well, my inclusion in the Hall of Fame is the ultimate validation.”

Cubs legend Ron Santo was also inducted Saturday at Clark Sports Center. Santo, who died in 2010 after complications from a battle with diabetes, was honored by his widow Vicky Santo, who read the induction speech.

“It’s an incredible day for an incredible man, a man who lived an extraordinary life to its fullest,” she said. “It was a spectacular journey fought with trials and tribulations, and incredible lows and highs. Ron’s life was never about the lows, he always found a way to make it about the highs. Ron Santo was born to play baseball. He said that playing baseball was a God given gift. It made the game easy. It was only the diabetes that made the game hard.”

Vicky said looking back Santo believed he was given the gift of talent as well as the challenge of diabetes so that through his hardship, he could shed light on a cause, that he could help others through his story.

“I think he would say that’s why he’s now been given the greatest honor any athlete could ever hope for from a sport to be included among the greatest players who ever set foot on earth,” she said.

PHOTOS: See more from Sunday’s induction ceremony

To have an inside look at baseball history, check out the new Topps Pennant app today and follow us on Twitter @ToppsPennant.

-Chris R. Vaccaro