Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Soaking in late afternoon sun... it's the first game of a holiday twinbill as the Syracuse Chiefs host the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on July 4th, 2013. That's Chris Marrero at bat for Syracuse -- he's spending 2016 with the Red Sox AAA club in Pawticket. Disappointing to see the tiny crowd in the ballpark. More fans showed up during the nightcap -- likely lured as much by the post-game fireworks than the action.

While looking for a photo fitting my Sunday Sunshine theme, I came across these images of Cesar Hernandez . Now the Phillies regular second baseman, I saw him for the first time three summers ago, while playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Thanks to that sweet swing, he went onto hit .309 in 2013 and earn a late season call-up to the parent club. This summer, he's been around .290 and staking a place in the Phillies "phuture," as Pete Mackanin's crew continues auditioning young talent. Here's a more recent look at Hernandez, from the July 6th game against the Braves.

Monty Hall week continues around baseball. With the trade deadline now three days away, we woke up to word that the Twins had traded hot-hitting infielder Eduardo Nunez to the Giants. In your prototypical late July deal, the Twins sold an asset they'd bought low for a big return. (Pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia, 7 - 4 between AA and AAA is heading to the Twins.) The onetime Yankee prospect found his groove -- as well as steady playing time -- in Minnesota, where this year he's become a .300 hitter and an all star. With the Twins looking at another rebuild, and Nunez a year and a half before free agency, he was at his peak value. He'll fit right in with the Giants, who are leading the NL West but missing a pair of starting infielders because of injury. Joe Panik is recovering from a concussion and Matt Duffy is coming back slowly by an achilles injury. While a bit erratic on defense, Nunez brings the kind of live bat that can slip in nicely alongside Buster Posey, B...

Twenty years ago today, July 28th, 1996, Darryl Strawberry enjoyed one of his best moments as a Yankee. With his team trailing 3-2 in the last of the 9th inning, his two-run homer lifted the Yankees to come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Royals. One thing more, it was the 300th home run of Darryl's career. (If you'd like to relive the moment, here's the mlb video courtesy of YouTube.) I don't recall the term walk-off being used as much (or at all) back then, but it certainly led to an on-field celebration, as this ex-Met again found the lefty-friendly dimensions of Yankee Stadium to his liking. ( The image is from Darryl's appearance at the 2011 Old Timers Day.)

The Mets have relocated their retired numbers and other plaques of honor to a far more visible spot -- the roof atop Citi Field's left field corner. There's 41 for Tom Seaver, 14 for Gil Hodges, 37 for Casey Stengel and around the corner, a microphone for broadcaster Ralph Kiner, Shea -- representing the powerhouse attorney who helped New York land the franchise for 1962 (and for whom the ballclub's previous home was named), and 42 for Jackie Robinson. Farthest to the left, you see the club's NY logo over a blue background... This weekend, that will be removed to reveal a 31 for newly inducted Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza. Seeing this new display made me wonder about that space between the Stengel and Kiner plaques. Might the Mets be planning a permanent honor for Kiner's close friend and radio counterpart, Bob Murphy? He spent 42 years calling Mets games, more than half as the team's primary radio voice. And while the club named its radio booth in Mur...

On my way out of Yankee Stadium Saturday, I took a quick look at what was on sale at a souvenir stand -- and one item caught my attention. You know where I'm heading. With all the trade rumors swirling, I thought it might be a good idea to capture that shirt to the right. So I took a quick snap with my phone. The Yankees had settled on No Runs DMC -- riffing on the name of the famous rap trio --as the promotional phrase  for their big three relievers D (as in Dellin Betances), M (Andrew Miller) and C (Aroldis Chapman). With Monday's news that Chapman was heading to the Cubs in exchange for several prospects plus former Yankee Adam Warren., odds are you won't be seeing those shirts on sale during next week's homestand.

His warmup session in the bullpen completed and gametime moments away, Johnny Cueto heads toward the dugout along with Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti. These next two images convey Cueto's intensity on the mound. Using the lens extender and a few tweaks with Photoshop, I zoomed in and captured the color of this late afternoon game on July 23rd, which the Giants won 2-1 in 12 innings.

 A couple of panoranic views of Nationals Park in Washington from July 2012.

Justin Turner deserves to be smiling. Thursday, he homered twice off Stephen Strasberg as the Dodgers handed the Washington ace his first defeat after opening the season with 13 consecutive victories. The Dodgers 3rd baseman got off to a fast start with a two-run shot in the top of the 1st inning. He then broke the game open with a three-run blast in the 3rd. And keep in mind, that came against Strasberg, who seemed unshakable until now. It's been quite a July for Turner, who is batting .323 with four doubles, six home runs and 16 RBIs this month. Turner's hot streak actually began in early June -- according to the L.A. Daily News , the ex-Met is hitting over .320 with 10 doubles and 14 home runs in the last 39 games. It's interesting to look at the numbers -- and see how Turner, now 31, has become a different and far more productive players since joining the Dodgers and becoming a regular. (The Mets let him leave by not tendering a contract after the 2013 season.) H...

From my collection, the covers of 1993 and '94 Phillies media guides. The '93 cover salutes Darren Daulton, who led the National League in RBI the previous season -- and the other 11 Phillies players who'd previously done it. Can you name them? Below, GM Lee Thomas, manager Jim Fregosi and owner Bill Giles lift the Warren Giles Trophy (named for Bill's father) after the defeating the Braves for the National League pennant the previous October. OK, the previous Phils to lead the NL in RBI: (left column) Ed Delahanty, Nap Lajoie, Gavvy Cravath, Del Ennis (center) Elmer Flick, Chuck Klein, Greg Luzinski,  (right) Sam Thompson, Sherry Mageee, Don Hurst and Mike Schmidt.

The ceremonial first pitch at Tuesday night's Yankees game was thrown by someone best known for wearing green and white, as well as a bigger helmet and shoulder pads. Muhammad Wilkerson, the New Jersey native who just re-upped with the Jets, crossed the river wearing his familiar number-96 -- but this time, in pinstripes. How good a time was he having as he took the mound? That menacing presence along the defensive line replaced by the enthusiasm of a kid from Jersey sitting in the upper deck for the first time. OK, on to the game, here's the biggest hit of the night: Starlin Castro crushing a Vance Worley pitch in the bottom of the 2nd inning. His two-run homer gave the Yankees a lead they'd hold and build all night. Watch that ball land in the second deck in left field. While it's not quite the Death Valley of the original Stadium, it takes a powerful poke to plant a ball there. Baltimore's 1st baseman and the nearby umpire couldn't help but look. ...

Indians catcher Yan Gomes  got off to a slow start this season. When I saw him in Cleveland a couple weeks ago, his average was still below .200 -- and dropping. Sunday, while trying to snap out of an 0-for-29 slump, Gomes tried to beat out an infield hit against the Twins. He stumbled over the bag, tripped and landed hard on his shoulder. The result was a separated right shoulder, which will sideline him for up to eight weeks. Turning 29 today, Gomes will spend his birthday tightly bandaged and in a sling. Not a lot of fun when your team is in first place and fighting to stay ahead of powerful Detroit and World Champion Kansas City. These images of Yan Gomes came from the Indians/Yankees game on July 8th.

What better word to describe Jacob de Grom's gem on Sunday? The Mets righthander dominated the Phillies with a one-hit shutout, the first complete game performance of his major league career. Ironically, the lone blemish was a 3rd inning single by the opposing pitcher, Zach Eflin. So there was none of that "possible no hitter" buzz around the media -- just the recognition of a masterful effort by one of the Mets outstanding starting pitchers. This image of de Grom is from May 27th against the Dodgers at Citi Field.

Much like AT&T Park, the Pirates PNC Park takes full advantage of being located alongside a river. In this case, the Allegheny River. Many fans reach by crossing the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Instead of being surrounded by a sea of parking or other downtown buildings, the design of PNC Park opens it up to incoming fans. It virtually invites you to keep walking and come in. And believe me, you WILL have a great time. No one wants to leave this place. But once the game ends, take a look at the boats along the Allegheny, just soaking in the pleasure of a perfect summer afternoon.

Stephen Strasberg picked up right where he left off before the All Star Game, posting another win -- in another impressive outing -- for the Nationals. Washington's "other" ace held the Pirates to a run and three hits over eight innings Friday night, and ran his record to 13 - 0. He's now in very select company. Thanks to baseball-reference.com , you can see that Strasburg is just the eight pitcher ever to begin a season with 13 consecutive victories. Here are the other names on that list: Pitcher Year Record before first loss Roy Face 1959 17-0 Dave McNally 1969 15-0 Johnny Allen 1937 15-0 Roger Clemens 1986 14-0 Max Scherzer 2013 13-0 Ron Guidry 1978 13-0 Brooks Lawrence 1956 13-0 This image of Strasberg is from a Nationals/Mets game in April 2015.

As baseball returns from the All Star break, here's a mid-season tip of the cap to the Giants. The best team during the first half of 2016, they look on track for another NL West title and very possibly a 4th World Series championship this decade. And here's the man who catches that strong pitching staff, while pacing the team on offense: Buster Posey . San Francisco's rotation has been terrific, espcially free agent prize Johnny Cueto, who has won 13 of 14 decisions; Madison Bumgarner at 10 & 4 and Jeff Samardzija, with 9 wins. Tack on an offense that knows how to score in jumbo-sized AT&T Park and a savvy manager in Bruce Bochy, and you've got a club that's 24 games over .500 and 6-1/2 up on the arch-rival Dodgers as action resumes tonight. It's going to be fun watching these guys when they visit Yankee Stadium a week from now.

...you share it with Jack Leathersich . Jack WHO?? This lefty reliever appeared in 17 games for the 2015 Mets, before a mid-season injury led to Tommy John Surgery. After the Mets released him last winter, he signed with the Cubs. He's been rehabbing his arm, and recently appeared in seven Arizona rookie league games as he tries to regain his form. He turns 26 today. Jack shares July 14th with a revered name in New York baseball history. Born in 1908,  Johnny Murphy was the Yankees "Fireman," the ace relief pitcher on their great teams of the 1930s and early '40s. Moving behind the scenes after World War II, he ran the Red Sox minor league system before George Weiss brought him back to New York as part of the Mets front office. Murphy succeeded Bing Devine as the club's general manager in 1968. A year later, with their young players developing and a key mid-season trade for Donn Clendennon, the Mets who stunned the baseball world. Sadly, Johnny died of a heart...

The 2016 All Star Game was dominated by members of the reigning World Champions, the Kansas City Royals. 1st baseman Eric Hosmer homered in the 2nd inning and singled in another run an inning later in the American League's 4-2 victory. Those offensive heroics earned him MVP honors. Teammate Salvador Perez also homered -- in a game managed by Royals skipper Ned Yost. It was the first All Star Game for the sweet-swinging Miami native, whom I photographed earlier this year when the Royals visited the Yankees. Look at Hosmer's expression -- call it intensity, focus or concentration. They're the mark of a winning player.

PNC Park "does it right": from the architecture to the seating layout, the food, the location -- and the statues. Pittsburgh's rich baseball history includes the game's first Latino superstar, the beloved Roberto Clemente. His statue, fittingly is the first you see after crossing the bridge named in his memory, it stands near the center field gate. (Below), steps away, just in front of the left field gate, is the honoring Pops, Willie Stargell, the emotional leader of the 1979 "We Are Family" champs. (Below) Keep walking clockwise around the park and next, you'll find Honus Wagner , the beloved shortstop of the early Pirates. Playing before radio or TV, and when newspapers or word of mouth was how most fans kept up with the team, he was baseball's first great offensive shortstop. Click on the link and look over his stats. This man could HIT. No video to help, but then again, no coast-to-coast travel or specialized relief pitchers. Is that a was...

We kicked off last week's road trip in Philadelphia, where the Phanatic always energizes the crowd at Citizens Bank Park. I had a perfect angle for the above image -- it reminded me a bit of the famous painting where Norman Rockwell draws himself drawing himself... except the giant video board added the extra dimension. Below, the Phanatic works his magic with a young fan.

Can a ballpark be better than this? Here's that stunning view toward downtown from club seats (boxes at the lower end of the upper deck) at PNC Park. After some late afternoon thunderstorms, the sun catches just the right angle and helps everything just sparkle! As for the game itself, the Pirates outslugged the Cubs 12-6. Below, here's Pittsburgh rookie Josh Bell, who enjoying his first curtain moments after belting a pinch hit grand slam to blow the game open.

You don't think it's possible that the above fan actually cast a spell that caused the Yankees to lose. Friday night, less than 24 hours after a come from behind victory over the Indians, the Tribe quickly pounded the Yanks into submission. This game was over quickly. Carlos Santana led off the game with a home run off Chad Greene.  Decisively stepping on home plate, as the Indians got off to a fast start. And Cleveland wasn't done -- far from it. The next batter, Jason Kipness homered as well. And the Indians still weren't done -- (below) take a look at Lonnie Chisenhall's swing as he crushes one -- this one put the Tribe up 4-0. Terry Francona's crew never looked back, smacking five home runs en route to a 10-2 victory. On fireworks night at Progressive Field, the Indians flipped the switch well before darkness set in.