Bombers bits

• Alfonso Soriano entered play on Friday just one hit from becoming the 16th active player to reach the 2,000-hit plateau.

• Brett Gardner has been named the Yankees' winner of the MLB Players Association Heart and Hustle Award, honoring one player from each team who demonstrates a passion for baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and tradition of the game. Gardner received his award in a pregame ceremony on Friday.

• On this day in 1919, Ralph Houk was born in Lawrenceville, Kan. Houk played eight seasons with the Yankees (1947-54) as a backup catcher, then managed the team for 11 seasons (1961-63, '66-73), winning the World Series in '61 and '62.