Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Clayton Kershaw (seen here in July) turned in "one for the ages" as the Dodgers clinched the NL West last night . A one-hit strikeout with 13 strikeouts -- on the home field of the team's forever-rival the Giants. Filling in the story of this remarkable effort, the lefty struck out the side in order three times and retired the final 19 batters he faced. No Giant reached base after the 3rd inning. Just zeroes. One thing more: it was the Dodgers first win at AT&T Park after losing their previous seven games there. Sure, Kershaw still has some obstacles to overcome -- his post-season failures have been well documented. But is there any better way to get ready for October, than to end your quest for a division title in such dominating fashion?

Darling of all the self-crowned experts (including me) before the season began, the Washington Nationals instead became baseball's biggest disappointment. Failing to pull away from the feeble hitting Mets between April and July, they saw the re-fueled New Yorkers leave them in the dust the final two months, once they traded for Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Tyler Clippard. The Mets clinched the NL East on Saturday. Sunday, the Nats' collective frustrations -- and bad team chemistry -- boiled over. Superstar outfielder Bryce Harper (seen above) and high-priced closer -- and key mid-season aquisition -- Jonathan Papelbon (below, earlier this season) got into a shoving match in the Washington dugout during their game with the Phillies. The animosity had been building for a while -- but when TV cameras caught Papelbon slamming Harper into the dugout wall, it symbolized so much of what went wrong for Washington. The short-tempered Papelbon is no angel -- fans in Philadelphia...

After all the talk of innings limits, missing starts or possibly sitting out the post-season, Matt Harvey (seen here in June) stood tall for the Mets on Saturday. He started and went 6-2/3 dominating innings against the Reds as the Mets clinched the NL East title and their first post-season appearance in nine years. Terry Collins' crew can now prepare for the Division Series against the Dodgers. They won't completely let up on the gas: they have a one-game lead in the loss column over L.A. for home field advantage as the regular season enters its final week.

Yogi Berra was many things to many people: a friendly celebrity known for coining witty expressions (such as "when you come to the fork in the road, take it"); a popular pitchman for products ranging from insurance to soda; and one of the very best catchers in baseball history. Before anyone referred to core players, Berra was the glue connected the greatest of the Yankee dynasties -- 1947 to '64, when he played on an unprecedented 10 world series champions and managed the '64 club to within a game of another title. And let's not forget that Berra caught the most famous game in World Series history, Don Larsen's perfect game -- from which Larsen claims he never shook off any of Yogi's pitch calls! But did you know he also hit the first pinch hit homer in World Series history? (Against the Dodgers on October 3rd, 1947) Or that he was part of the D-Day invasion of France that turned the tide of World War II? Or was a strong advocate for education and ...

One normally doesn't pay a lot of attention to the 3rd base coach. In this case, Pete Mackanin of the Phillies is almost out of view as I focused on Carlos Ruiz batting earlier this year at Citi Field. Yet now, I want to shine the spotlight on Pete, who Tuesday had the word "interim" removed from his manager's title and had his contract extended through next season. After taking over in mid-season from Ryne Sandberg, the veteran coach -- who had put in two stints with other organizations as an interim skipper -- helped change the atmosphere and improve the record of his struggling team. It was incremental, but clear progress, The players -- more of whom were rookies -- appeared to play harder and execute better. The Phils played good ball in July, until their best young player 3rd baseman Mikael Franco went down with a broken arm. This past week, Mackanin made another move that gained notice, when he pulled rookie center fielder Odrubel Herrera from a game for ...

...you share it with the former Mets 2nd baseman Wally Backman . A top of the order tablesetter during the mid- and late-1980s, he's built a successful career as a minor league manager, including several in independent leagues. (His clubs made eight playoff appearances and won three titles.) Backman seemed to be close to landing a major league position on a couple of occasions -- but the White Sox chose not to promote him when they concluded he was rooting against the big team's then-skipper Jerry Manuel. And was actually hired by the Diamondbacks in 2005, but let go soon afterward when word surfaced of past instances of DUI and alleged spousal abuse . The Mets gave him another chance in 2010 and he's done well in their system -- but this year's beefed up roster likely saved Terry Collins job, while Wally's AAA Las Vegas 51st lost their final two regular season games to just miss the post-season. Also celebrating on this September 22nd: American Leag...

When the Yankees picked up Dustin Ackley from the Mariners in late July, I didn't think much of the trade. The second overall draft choice in 2009 seemed to profile at best as a backup player. He then dropped out of sight, going on the disabled list almost as soon as he arrived in New York. Since returning, he's been a useful Yankee -- and, in the past week, began playing almost every day. Sunday the 13th, a big two-run homer to help beat division-leading Toronto. Then, last night, a three-run shot to cap the 6th inning rally against the Mets bullpen once Matt Harvey's innings limit forced him from the game. I don't expect that at age 27, Ackley will turn in Robinson Cano -- or even Daniel Murphy -- but he's already helped win two games. So here's your first look at him in a Yankee uniform.

Adrian Beltre (above) had a pair of hits Thursday night, while Shin-Soo Choo (below) went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs, and Mitch Moreland (bottom) belted a key three-run homer as the red-hot Rangers completed a three-game sweep over their cross-state rivals the Astros and moved 2-1/2 games on top in the AL West. The Rangers are rolling, while Houston, which controlled the division almost all year, is in a tailspin, going 2 & 8 in their last 10 games. Despite a wave of injuries -- starting with the season-long loss of their ace Yu Darvish -- the Rangers hung on the fringes of the wild card race for most of the season. Now, with a pitching staff bolstered by former Phillie Cole Hamels, plus bounceback seasons from Prince Fielder and Choo, the Rangers have caught fire at the right time. They've won five in a row and look like they're on their way to the playoffs.

Busch Stadium 2.0 seen from atop the Gateway Arch.

New York native Debra Messing made Tuesday night's ceremonial first pitch before the Mets/Marlins game at Citi Field. She brought lots of enthusiam to the occasion. Unfortunately, she didn't help the home team. Would I dare call her a jinx when the Mets lost to Miami 9-3, snapping their eight-game winning streak?

My friends Dennis and Sue, visiting Florida this week, got tickets for Monday night's Rays/Yankees game at Tropicana Field (and sent a couple of nice pictures back). Talk about sudden twists and turns -- Tampa Bay's Erasmo Ramirez and the Yanks' CC Sabathia were locked into a pitchers duel. Ramirez took a no-hitter into the 8th inning before Carlos Beltran broke it up. The Rays pushed across a run in the bottom of the 8th. Yanks attempt to rally in the 9th as Dustin Ackley lead off with a single -- only to be erased as Jacoby Ellsbury grounds into a double play. The tide turns again when Brett Gardner walks and Alex Rodriguez doubles him home. Brian McCann is walked setting the stage for Slade Heathcott to claim his first big Yankee moment, a three-run homer off Brad Boxberger that propels the Yankees to a 4 - 1 lead... and victory.

A couple of weeks back I took note of the "countdown" atop Fenway Park's Green Monster for David Ortiz. Saturday, he "Big Papi" reached that milestone -- he's the 27th major leaguer to do do -- in the Red Sox 10 - 4 victory over the Rays at the Trop. Of course, befitting a big man, he did it in a big way, belting two homers, numbers-499 and 500. For the statistically minded, he's the fourth player from the Dominican to reach 500. 2015 is also his ninth season with 30 or more homers, passing Ted Williams old mark of eight.  The connecting thread of the three Red Sox championship teams of the past years, Ortiz staked his claim -- even with long-ago PED accusations -- to becoming the first DH elected to Cooperstown. Two months from turning 40, he remains one of the most intimidating hitters in all of baseball.

On September 11th, 2009, Derek Jeter ( seen here in 2014 ) passed Lou Gehrig as the Yankees leader in career hits. His 3rd inning single down the right field line (off Baltimore's Chris Tillman) is the 2722nd of his career, a total that would reach 3465 by the time Derek retired at the end of the 2014 season. Here's the box score of the game. These pictures of Jeter are from April 9th, 2014.

Yoenis Cespedes continued to be the locomotive pulling the Mets train on Wednesday night. His two-run home run (off Drew Storen) snapped a tie and gave the Mets the lead for the keeps as they capped a stunning three-game sweep in Washington. In each of the games, the Mets fell behind and then rallied to win. The three victories extended New York's division lead over the Nats to seven games, with just 23 to go. Let's zoom in on Cespedes -- and the way he has energized the Mets offense since arriving in a deadline trade from Detroit.  He went 2-for-4 Wednesday night and 6-for-14 in the series  -- with two key home runs and seven RBIs. In the six weeks since he became a Met, the Cuban expat has hit 14 home runs, added 12 other extra base hits and driven in 36 runs... in 36 games! The last couple of days, a hot topic on sports-talk radio is whether Cespedes deserves support for National League Most Valuable Player -- even though he joined the Mets on the 1st of August. Produc...

Kirk Nieuwenhuis (seen here July 25th, his first four-hit night) delivered the cherry on the sundae -- or was it the icing on the cake?? -- as the Mets rallied from 7 - 1 down (as Matt Harvey scuffled his first game the innings limit controvery) to knock off the Nationals last night 8 - 7. This wasn't Cespedes or Wright or Granderson or one of the other big Met bats. It's a guy who was hitting was under .200 when he was released in May, was cut again after just 10 games with the Angels and was then re-signed. Back on the Mets bench for most of July, he was sent to the minors when the team beefed up with Yoenis Cespedes and other trade dealine acquisitions. Back once the rosters expanded, "Captain Kirk" found himself on the bench. Last night, Terry Collins tapped him to pinch hit in the top of the 8th with the game tied at 7. Nieuwenhuis untied it with a home run to right field for what became the game winner. The victory, which put the Mets six games up on Washing...

Jackie Bradley Junior was as hot as the weather gripping the east coast on Labor Day. The onetime Red Sox 1st round draft pick -- finally living up to his promise this summer -- went 4 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs as Boston cooled off the division-leading Blue Jays 11 - 4. I first saw Bradley in 2013, when he was part of "the travel squad" playing the Marlins in an early spring training game. While made his major league debut later that season, his numbers weren't impressive. They weren't much better when Bradley got a chance in 2014. But things have been different this year, as his combination of speed, power and batting skills are marking him as a player to watch as the Red Sox reload and rebuild with 2016 in mind under new team President Dave Dombrowski. These images of Bradley are from the August 5th game against the Yankees.

New York's biggest baseball story of the weekend didn't revolve around a big home run, a clutch strikeout or a fancy fielding play. It came off the field as first agent Scott Boras and then his prize client Matt Harvey gave the Mets a clear indication that he had no interest in exceeding 180 innings of work for the year. Instead of working out a season-limit early in the year, as the Nationals imposed for Stephen Strasburg a few years ago -- which derailed them in post-season when their ace was sitting it out -- Harvey and Boras let the Mets know with just four weeks left in the year that he wanted to stop... apparently overlooking its impact on the club's chances to win its division or go far in October. Almost as if "team Harvey" had sucker-punchetried to pull the rug out from under the Mets, when they were finally sniffing the playoffs for the first time since 2006. And think of what this media frenzy has done to Harvey's reputation? Is he really a tough ...

September 6th, 1995 :  This was the date Cal Ripken shattered the record that so many thought was untouchable -- when he plays in his 2131st consecutive game to surpass Lou Gehrig's Ironman mark. But Cal didn't just appear, he starred that night! The Orioles shortstop had two hits, including a 4th inning home run off the Angels' Shawn Boskie. In field, he started a double play to help Mike Mussina toward his 16th win of the season. The game at Camden Yards was interrupted for a 22-minute celebration midway through the 5th inning, when the game (and the new ironman record) became official.  

 A perfect weather day only adds to the beauty and power of these images.

Having moved back east 20 years ago this month, I can't believe I waited until yesterday to finally get to Fenway Park. The place was enchanting: a classic early 20th century design that has comfortably embraced modern enhancements in video and concessions without losing any of its charm. "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" has plenty of its own heroes to celebrate. Below are the Red Sox retired numbers. Fenway really sparkes on a sun-drenched late summer afternoon. I like how, as we saw at Wrigley, the color-scheme on the walls and video board matches the grass instead of clashing with it. (Below) As he approaches 500, David Ortiz' career home run total is tabulated atop the Green Monster. The grandstand brings you back decades. How many old movies have you see with this kind of panorama? You can almost hear the cheers for The Babe, Ted and Yaz. Finally... here's some game action, Alex Rodrguez facing Boston starting pitcher Henry Owens. ...

Darin Ruf may never be a fulltime player for the Phillies, but this season he's certainly carved out a niche for himself as Ryan Howard's platoon partner at 1st base. This man CRUSHES lefthanded pitching. Coming into Tuesday night's game, he was hitting .360 against them and merely improved those numbers against Mets southpaw Jon Niese. Ruf delivered three hits -- including a bullet home run to the left field seats at Citi Field -- and drove in a career-best six runs in the Phillies 14 - 8 victory. Those 14 runs were both the most the Phils have scored in a game since Opening Day 2014 -- and the most the New York allowed all season. And a big chunk of the credit goes to Ruf, the Creighton University product, who despite the doubts of GM Ruben Amaro, Junior, might just be part of this rebuilding club's future plans.

Edwin Encarnacion has been on fire during August. Joining with longtime teammate Jose Bautista and trade deadline aquisitions Troy Tulowitzki, Ben Revere and David Price, they turned the Blue Jays into what appeared at times to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Saturday, Encarnacion really peaked with three home runs and nine RBIs -- and extended his hitting streak to 24 games -- as Toronto demolished the Tigers 15 - 1. ( He's seen here back in April against the Yankees in New York .)