Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Babe Ruth played his final major league on May 30th, 1935. It wasn't in New York; it wasn't even for the Yankees. At Shibe Park in Philadelphia 80 years ago today, the Bambino grounds out (off Phils righthander Jim Bivin) to 1st baseman Dolph Camilli in the top of the 1st inning for what turned out to be his last ever time at bat. In the bottom of that inning, the Babe committs an error trying to make a catch in left field. Once the side was retired, he ran off for the center field club house his playing career over. FYI: The Phillies won the game the opener of a holiday doubleheader 11-6. To make the game come alive in your mind, click on over to baseball-reference.com for the box score and other details of this historic game.

Roy Halladay tossed a perfect game. The big righthander retired all 27 batters as the Phillies blanked the Marlins 1-0 at Miami. The big righthander struck out 12 and used 115 pitches to become the 20th man to throw a perfect game -- and the second of the 2010 season (Oakland's Dallas Braden did it earlier in the year -- the first season since 1880 with 2 perfectos in the same year). Halladay had more heroics left up his sleeve: he threw a no-hitter in the opening game of the NLDS against the Reds. That made him just the second man to throw a post-season no-hitter -- and the pitcher to throw no-nos in the regular and post-season the same year! Needless to say, he won the 2010 National League Cy Young Award.

In his fourth major league season, Adam Warren is developing into a dependable member of the Yankees starting rotation, With Chase Whitley lost to an elbow injury, Masahiro Tanaka struggling to regain his health and Ivan Nova working his way back from 2014 Tommy John surgery, the North Carolina native has turned in some strong performances -- Tuesday's against the defending AL champion Royals being his best. Allowing just a run and two hits and striking out five (without any walks) in 6-1/3 innings gets high marks -- but to stop the Royals lineup cold is a little more noteworthy. (Below) Joe Giradi takes the ball from Warren in the 7th with the Yanks well on their way to a 5 - 1 victory.

I like to challenge myself when shooting at games. Monday afternoon, when the Mets hosted the Phillies, I caught Freddie Galvis laying down a bunt. Take note of the 90-degree angle of the bat to the ground... the ball heading toward the infield grass... even the lack of spin from the ball -- you can actually see the stitching on the ball, if you look closely -- this is good execution of one of the game's most useful and unique plays. Truth be told, I like the bunt in certain situations. It can maximize a scoring chance in a tight game; and it can be disruptive to the opposing team, especially when they're not expecting one, You think of how Rickey Henderson, Maury Wills, Phil Rizzuto and Jackie Robinson used the bunt to rattle their rivals. It's still smart baseball.

Images from Sunday night, when Bernie Williams' number-51 was officially retired by the Yankees. The stadium really sparkles in the late afternoon sun. (Below) 51 is chalked onto the grass just outside the base lines. (Above) Unveiling his number on display in Monument Park, televised on the stadium's video board. (Below) The bronze plaque detailing Bernie's Yankee career, with Derek Jeter facing Williams. Broadcasters Michael Kay and John Sterling in the background as Bernie addresses the crowd. Former GM Gene Michael, coaches Roy White and Willie Randolph, former teammates David Cone, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, manager Joe Torre, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter were on hand for the ceremony.  The members of the Yankee family with members of the Williams family. Outside Yankee Stadium, the club showed its affection... zoom in on the signs that usually note the day or night's game and start time.

My first Mets game at Shea Stadium was on Memorial Day 1964. That was before the holiday was moved to Monday... It was Saturday May the 30th. Shea was sparkly and new: to the eyes of this 10 year old, space age -- almost hinting of the world we saw on The Jetsons. Tall and metallic looking, lots of escalators and a very modern, wide-open design. It seemed a perfect compliment to the World's Fair going on just on the other side of the number 7 subway. It was also a dramatic contrast to the dark, dank, crumbling Polo Grounds, their home for the club's first couple of seasons. And my first visit to Shea was a success -- a "big" win over the Giants, one of the teams that abandoned New York a half dozen years earlier. Even with future Hall of Famers Willie Mays (hitting over .380) and Orlando Cepeda in the lineup... Duke Snider, as well, having been sold to the Giants by the Mets just before the season...the Mets pulled off a win. Charley Smith -- who later in career w...

Like a late, beloved patriarch, Harry Caray's image still graces Wrigley Field's pressbox as well as one of his favorite pubs across the street from the bleachers.

Stellar is a term used by my WFAN colleague Joe Benigno to desribe something exceptonal. And there's no other way to describe the performance Jacob de Grom turned in yesterday. The Mets second year righthander froze out the NL Central-leading Cardinals. After surrending a first inning single, he retired the next 23 straight batters -- Matt Carpenter was the only man who stood behind him and the second no-hitter in Mets history -- for a badly needed 5-0 victory. It's not surprising that a player turns in better stats at home, but de Grom is exceptionally good at Citi Field. The 2014 NL Rookie of the Year is 10-1 with a 1.19 ERA in his last dozen starts at Citi Field; in 16 career home games, the ERA is a still impressive 1.50. And while he was held hitless yesterday, de Grom is also one of the best hitting pitchers in the game. The Mets are not a great team, they seem to be a bat or two short in the lineup. But one thing you have to admit: they have a bumper crop of t...

The Mets used to do a good job of stocking yearbooks for the visiting teams. I picked this one up in 1965 -- in what turned out to be a memorable year for the Dodgers.

From his perch near the top of the dugout stairs, Jose Oquendo directs the Cardinals fielders, gesturing, sometimes whistling to get the attention of his charges. This is the onetime Met's 17th season as a St. Louis coach. Take note of the "OT" patch on the left sleeve -- it pays tribute to Oscar Tavares, the promising Cardinals outfielder killed in an off-season crash that authorities blamed on his driving drunk.

Spell it with a "W," please... From Monday night's game at Citi Field, Cardinals pitcher John Lackey wraps his arm with towel to keep it warm between innings. The veteran righty gave up just a run and three hits over seven innings, while Matt Harvey turned in eight shutout innings for the Mets, while striking out nine. (below) Is New York's "Dark Knight" any more intimidating in the Mets' "camo" alternate uniform top? After the Redbirds tied it off Jeurys Familia in the top of the 9th, the game went to 14 innings, finally settled on a John Mayberry Jr. RBI infield single. That's the second straight start when Harvey pitched shutout ball and left with a lead -- but didn't get credit for the victory. Your final score, 2-1 Mets.

Every great era in Mets history has been highlighted by an abundance of great young starting pitchers: from Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, McGraw and Matlack during the late '60s and early '70s; then Gooden, Darling, Fernandez, Orosco and McDowell in the '80s. Now, joining a staff led by Matt Harvey, with 2014 Rookie of the Year Jacob de Grom and closer Jeurys Familia, you can add Noah Syndergaard. (You might recall my pal Charles sending pictures from his final minor league start a couple weeks back.) The other half of the haul they received from Toronto for R.A. Dickey, the young Texan made an impressive first start last Tuesday at Wrigley Field, before hitting some bumps in the 6th inning. Sunday, there weren't any bumps, just positive impressions as he kept the Brewers in check, and earned his first major league victory. Expect there to be more "W's." Sunday's line: one run, three hits and walk over six innings, as Syndergaard and the Mets dominate...

From Wednesday night's game at Wrigley Field: Anthony Rizzo does the dance after being hit by a Matt Harvey pitch. The Cubs power-hitting first baseman is not only batting over .340, but also leads the league in getting hit by pitches (with 11). Clearly, he's got a high pain threshold -- he was hit twice the next day by Mets lefty Jon Niese (below). No one in Chicago is complaining -- the young and talented Cubs have built a winning streak and moved above the .500 mark. In Thursday afternoon's victory, Rizzo "took two for the team" in a 6-5 Chicago victory.

In a word... ENCHANTING. I'll be sharing plenty of photos from this week's visit over the course of the summer. To start, here's a trio that capture the unique vibe of this classic park. From the upper deck...

From 1983, Billy Martin 's third stint as Yankees manager. By this time, his combative personality had become a marketing tool -- especially at time when most of the star players of the "Bronx Zoo" era (save Ron Guidry and Willie Randolph) had moved on. Martin's year in the dugout brought a 12-win improvement. But a 91- 71 record was only good for third place, seven games behind the eventual champion Orioles.

Hall of Famer Tony Perez - seen in the front row next to Willie Mays at the 2012 BAT Dinner -- made baseball history. A day shy of his 43rd birthday Perez became the oldest player ever to hit a grand slam home run. It was the highlight of the Reds 7 - 3 victory over the Phillies . Talk about a gathering of legends -- Mays was the evening's guest of honor. This very special photo also includes fellow Cooperstown inductees (2nd row) Mike Schmidt, Jim Palmer, Joe Morgan, Juan Marichal plus...(3rd row) Tom Seaver, Sandy Koufax, Gaylord Perry, Phil Niekro, Goose Gossage, Orlando Cepeda and Luis Aparicio.

Here's Yogi Berra's plaque as displayed in Monument Park of the Original Yankee Stadium. Notice another fan taking a photo -- folks are just drawn to the man and his pinstriped legacy. We know that the schedule-maker can't satisfy every club's requests or priorities, it's a little disappointing that the Yankees aren't home tonight to celebrate Yogi's birthday before fans in the Bronx. With so many honors and so much respect -- Bill James' cybermetric analysis ranks Berra as the best catcher ever -- Yogi also owns a singular accomplishment. He's the only manager to win pennants with both the Yankees and the Mets.

Big things have long been expected from Michael Pineda . A dominating first half of his rookie season with the Mariners landed him on the 2011 American League All Star team -- before a second-half slump raised some questions. Traded that winter to the Yankees for another "can't miss" prospect, Jesus Montero, Pineda reported to his first Yankee camp out of shape and began experiencing shoulder problems. Surgery was needed, which basically cost him the next two seasons. Ready to join the Yankee rotation in 2014, he showed glimpses of top level ability, before being caught using pine tar -- leading to a suspension and another arm injury. Pineda finished the season with just 13 starts and 5 - 5 record. So far in 2015, he's been close to a revelation: dominant at times, he's raced to a 5 - 0 record, especially impressive considering the health issues of teammates Masahiro Tanaka and Chris Capuano and the decline of CC Sabathia. Sunday was his best outing yet: 7 ...

For delivering the key hit, a two-RBI double in the 8th inning of Sunday's 7 - 4 Mets win in Philadelphia, I wanted to spotlight Johnny Monell. But I had to find a picture of this just-recalled utilityman -- which wasn't easy. I didn't see the Mets in Spring Training this year. Monell was in the minors until a few days ago. And he never officially appeared Thursday night when the Mets hosted the Nationals. Remember the word "officially" -- since I remembered seeing him in the on-deck circle in the bottom of the 6th (Monell is wearing number-19). At the time, New York was up 3-1. He was preparing to pinch hit for Jacob deGrom, who had the lead but was far from dominating. Honestly, I wasn't focusing on Monell -- Dilson Herrera was hitting with a man and one out. A couple of pitches after I snapped this, Herrera changed the course of the game -- belting a two-run homer (that swing was in Friday's post here). Now that the Mets had a four-run lead, there ...

Bryce Harper   continued his home run outburst on Saturday in the most dramatic way possible. Batting in the bottom of the 9th with his Nationals tied with the Braves at 6 - 6, with a runner on and one man out, Harper crushed a Cory Martin pitch, sending it to the bleachers for an 8 - 6 victory. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he's the first player since Hee-Seop Choi in 2005 to hit six over a three-game span.  (This photo in the Nats patriotic uniform, was taken at Citi Field last September 11th.)

After being the darlings of the pre-season prognosticators -- including yours truly -- the Washington Nationals staggered out of the gate, dropping 13 of their first 20 games. But they've turned it around in the last week and half -- and this morning they're back at .500 for the first time since their record was 1 - 1 . Slugging star Bryce Harper has been a big contributor, blasting five home runs and driving in 10 over their last two games. That outburst has made him (at age 22) the youngest player ever to total five homers over just two games, nudging past such notable names as Mark McGwire and Ralph Kiner. And their hot streak makes it clear that Washington -- who've moved past the Braves into second place -- is still the force to be reckoned with in the National League East. He's seen here last week when the Nats took three out of four against the Mets at Citi Field.

Got a message from my good pal and college classmate Charles Richelson yesterday. Charles, who's lived in New Mexico the last few years, was Albuquerque to catch the local Triple-A team the Isotopes play the Mets affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s.  Looks like he picked an ideal day -- Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard turned in a special performance. Not only did he throw eight innings of two-run, five-hit ball, but he was also the batting star -- with a single, double and home run! Here he is crossing home plate. Thanks to Charles for capturing and sharing these highlights. Weatherwise, it was a home run of a day at Isotopes Park -- yes, the stadium and its team are named in honor of that classic Simpsons episode, written by Ken Levine. Hats off to the Isotopes management for not selling off naming rights to their home. Following the trend seen in many AA and AAA parks, the video board has been upgraded to major league standards. With Syndergaard grabbing most...

Curtis Granderson (above) and Dilson Herrera (below) each homered as the Mets beat the Orioles 5 - 1 last night at Citi Field. Here are the swings that made the difference in this game. You can't blame rookie Herrera for enthusiastically watching his first home run of the season.