Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

One of the best catches I've seen in years ended the top of the 6th inning at yesterday afternoon's Mets/Phillies game. With a runner on 2nd base and two out, Jimmy Rollins seem to crush an R.A. Dickey knuckleball. Nick Evans, was in right field after some maneuvers caused by Jason Bay leaving the game early. He tracked the ball as it headed toward's Citi Field's "Mo Zone." He reached out, caught it, and held on as he landed on his back. An A-PLUS effort!

We all loved playing catch as kids... with a friend, a parent, a sibling. Think of the thrill of playing catch with the best pitcher on the planet: the Phillies' Kyle Kendrick stretches out his arm before a game with teammate Roy Halladay.

The best setting for a ballgame is on a sunny weekday afternoon. When my pal Dennis and I noticed a Yankees make-up game with the Twins on Monday afternoon the 19th, we thought this was one we didn't want to miss -- as long as the weather cooperated. Then, the days and the numbers converged to make it one for the books. Seeing Mariano Rivera continue to keep piling up taves, we knew there was a chance that September 19th might give us a special opportunity. The odds got better and better, as Mo tied Trevor Hoffman's alltime record on the 17th. He then got a day off on the 18th as the Yanks lost to the Blue Jays. So we arrived at the Stadium today knowing there was a chance that history could be made. The Yankees jumped off to a quick 5-0 lead on the Twins -- too big a lead to allow for a save opportunity. But A.J. Burnett saw to it that it wouldn't be an easy win, as the Twins pulled to within a run. Once the game tightened, first Cory Wade, then Boone Logan, Rafael Sor...

Two standouts in the Phillies division-clinching victory last night: pitcher Roy Oswalt, who after an injury-plagued season tossed seven shutout innings, and left fielder Raul Ibanez, whose grand slam homer capped their 8th inning rally. The Phillies join the Yankees (1960-'64), A's (1991-'95) and Braves (1991-2005) as the only teams to finish in first place for five consecutive seasons. The job isn't complete; the post-season has yet to be played.

The Tigers' 3-1 win over the A's made them the first club to clinch a division title this year. When I saw them in spring training, Detroit was expected to contend in the AL Central. But few would have guessed this club would run away and hide, with their ace Justin Verlander nailing down the Cy Young award and spurring serious MVP talk. (Above: utilityman Don Kelly, who homered in the clincher; Below: power hitters Victor Martinez and Brennan Boesch) With the perennially contending Twins' season ruined by injuries, Detroit has its first division title since 1987.

Congratulations to Mariano Rivera, who just minutes ago closed out the Yankees 3 - 2 win over Seattle, and became just the second pitcher ever with 600 career saves. His next save will tie him with the longtime Padre, Trevor Hoffman. Two more will make him baseball's alltime saves leader. Rivera's first-ever save came just over 15 years ago, on May 17th, 1996 -- Derek Jeter was the Yankee shortstop and Joe Girardi (now his manager) was the Yankee catcher. And this was the bullpen from which he emerged that night at the previous Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees other highly rated catching prospect Austin Romine made his major league debut Sunday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. (I caught him with the Double-A Trenton Thunder back in June.) Pressed into service due to injuries to starter Russell Martin and backup Francisco Cervelli, the former Trenton Thunder backstop caught the final three innings of the Yankees 5 - 4 victory. Austin collected his first hit in the majors in his second game, September 12th at Seattle, off Mariners reliever Dan Cortes. As if making it to the majors wasn't enough of a thrill, Romine, who grew up in Southern California, saw his first big league action in front of his parents and older brother. His father Kevin Romine spent six years with the Red Sox, mostly as a bench player. And his older brother Andrew is the Angels backup shortstop.

Highly touted Yankee prospect Jesus Montero (seen her in Grapefruit League play last March) enjoyed his first big major league game on Labor Day. The 21 year old belted a pair of home runs to right center field, the first to put the Yanks ahead and the second providing what would become the winning run in an 11 - 10 victory over the Orioles. For an organization that often considers prospects to be bargaining chips to obtain the next high priced veteran in a trade, it's nice to see this home-grown Yankee get his chance to play in the Bronx -- and, if the two curtain calls he received are any indication, to seize the moment. So welcome to the show, Mr. Montero. You've come a long, long way from Trenton!

Josh Hamilton (seen here earlier this season at Yankee Stadium) delivered another big hit yesterday as the Rangers won the rubber game of their series in Boston. The 2010 American League MVP's bases-loaded triple capped a seven-run 6th inning in an 11-4 Texas victory. Unlike the Yanks, Red Sox and Tigers, whose post-season spots seem almost assured, the Rangers lead the Angels by just three in the loss column in the AL West. So every game they play is under pressure.

Matt Rizzotti has enjoyed a pair of very productive minor league seasons in the Phillies organization. Between 2010 and 2011, he's smacked 40 home runs, driven in 151 runs and batted over .300 (.290 this summer). And keep in mind, most of those stats were with Reading of the Eastern League, a notoriously pitcher-friendly loop. But the numbers didn't lead to a 2011 promotion to Triple-A or a September call-up to the majors. It's looking more and more like his time with the Phils in spring training was as close as he'll get to Citizens Bank Park. More details on the saga of this Long Island, New York native are in this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer .