• Report: player posed as nearly two years younger

• Scheme allegedly included fake grave and records

• $2.8m agreement with Guardians was canceled

A once-prized prospect from the Dominican Republic has been suspended by Major League Baseball after a league investigation revealed the player was part of an elaborate plot to portray him ⁠as nearly two years younger than he actually was, ESPN reported Friday.

The age-fraud plot included extreme efforts by the player’s handler such as falsifying school and medical records, faking birth and death certificates ⁠and even staging a gravesite, per ⁠the report.

Baseball showman Bill Veeck’s most audacious stunt sent Eddie Gaedel to bat for the lowly St Louis Browns in 1951 – and created an unforgettable diamond spectacle

Bill Veeck had a track record for designing some of the most elaborate marketing promotions during his four stints as a Major League Baseball owner, including an exploding scoreboard in 1960. But his most outlandish publicity stunt was sending 3ft 7in inch pinch-hitter Eddie Gaedel to the plate at a game 75 years ago Wednesday.

Sporting uniform number 1/8, Gaedel was greeted with a standing ovation at Sportsman’s Park in St Louis as he came to bat in the second game of a doubleheader on 19 August 1951 for the St Louis Browns. A famous Associated Press photo shows Detroit Tigers catcher Bob Swift sitting on his knees with a ball in his glove, towering over Gaedel and his tiny strike zone. Not surprisingly, he walked on four pitches, and was immediately lifted for a pinch-runner.

• Milwaukee match major-league record dating to 1887

• Yelich, Hamilton and Lara hit three-run home runs

• Catcher Sánchez completes five-hitter with slowballs

The Milwaukee Brewers matched baseball’s modern-era record for the biggest shutout, beating the Seattle Mariners 22-0 on Tuesday night behind three-run homers from Christian Yelich, David Hamilton and Luis Lara and a two-run shot by Jake Bauers.

The major league-best Brewers (78-48) matched a franchise record for runs in a game.

• Family says Venezuelan has pending asylum claim

• DHS says 34-year-old faces removal proceedings

San Diego Padres minor-league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela remained in federal immigration custody on Tuesday after being detained at an airport in El Paso, Texas, while returning from a work trip.

Pirela’s family said the 34-year-old Venezuelan has a pending asylum claim and has continually renewed his work authorization. The Department of Homeland Security said he does not have legal status and will face removal proceedings.

• John was first player to undergo pioneering operation

• New York Yankees pay tribute to four-time All-Star

Tommy John, the namesake of a ligament-replacement surgery that paved a path to recovery for injured baseball players, has died. He was 83.

TMZ.com reported that the pitcher died at his home in Florida, surrounded by his family, including his wife, Cheryl. John ⁠had recently been in hospice ⁠care.

• 23-year-old hits home run on first pitch in majors

• Báez drives in five during 8-4 victory over Cubs

• Rookie was called up from Triple-A earlier in day

Joshua Báez became the first player to hit three home runs in his first three at-bats in the major leagues, leading the St Louis Cardinals to an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

The 23-year-old left fielder, called up from Triple-A Memphis earlier in the day, hit the first pitch he saw into the Wrigley Field bleachers, then homered in his next two at-bats. He also drove in five runs.

The Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies played before 8,000 fans on Thursday at a ballpark carved into the cornfields of tiny Dyersville, Iowa (population: 4,477), where the 1989 Kevin Costner film was shot

• Braves and Reds break MLB attendance record at Tennessee racetrack – in pictures