Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

...you share it with Cardinals 1st baseman Matt Adams . The power-hitter showed plenty of promise in 2014, but has been slowed by injuries since. He didn't play when I caught the Cardinals/Mets game at Citi Field on July 26th. Who else gets their cake and candles on the last day of August? Tim Raines, Jr... who got the chance to play with his borderline Hall of Fame father on the 2002 Orioles. How cool was that? Hideo Nomo... The first Japanese pitcher to succeed in the major leagues, he threw two no-hitters, Sept. 17th, 1996 for the Dodgers at Colorado and April 4th, 2001 for the Red Sox at Baltimore. Claudell Washington... a well-traveled outfielder who playted for seven different teams during the '70s and '80s. But he never quite lived up to the hype of becoming the A's "next great star" after Reggie Jackson and Joe Rudi. Von Hayes... who came to Philadelphia in a highly publicized "five-for-one" trade with the Indians. Unfortunately, f...

Rooting for underdogs comes naturally to most of us. And getting the chance to see TJ Rivera finally make it to the majors makes me feel good. I first got a look at the Bronx-born infielder back in spring training -- where he got some playing time for the Mets, but didn't seem to be in the conversation about top prospects. Wind the calendar ahead to August: onetime "2nd baseman of the future" Dilson Herrera is gone, traded to Cincinnati for Jay Bruce. Injuries to Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker leave the Mets an infielder shy. And Rivera, hitting .347 at Triple A Las Vegas, finally gets the call. Sure, at nearly 28, he's "old" for a rookie. But that dogged determination to make it -- unwanted by bigtime NCAA programs, undrafted out of college, and six years in the minors -- paid off in the big moment. And he's done well in his first dozen or so games, hitting nearly .300 for a team badly in need of offensive help. Seeing him Saturda...

This was the swing that changed the course of Saturday night's Mets/Phillies game: Yoenis Cespedes' 4th inning home run. A three-run laser that broke a close game open as the Mets stretched a 2-1 lead to 5-1 (the game ended 12-1 New York). It seemed as if every ball Cespedes made contact with that night was fired from a cannon. A few pitches earlier, he nearly took Noah Syndergaard's head off with another -- but that ball went foul. This shot stayed fair and put three runs on the board, and led to the various fives being exchanged with teammate Jose Reyes, who scored on Cespedes' blast.

While the Orioles and their farm clubs are hardly "my team," I really liked the look of this mug in the Shorebirds team store. It pretty much screamed "take me home," and at $9, I couldn't resist.

We've got several notable names around baseball celebrating their birthdays today. Leading off, it's Phillies 3rd baseman Maikel Franco . The club's top young power hitter, he's also mastered the art of the bat flip, as seen here July 6th against the Braves. He shares his birthday with another talented young infielder. The Rangers Elvis Andrus , seen in the visitors dugout June 28th at Yankee Stadium. And we can't overlook one of baseball's most feared pitchers. David Price of the Red Sox, working against the Yankees back on May 7th. I wonder if he's ever crossed paths with the NBC weatherman of the same name?

March 31st, 2008, as the Dodgers open their 51st season in Los Angeles, hosting the Giants. (That's Barry Zito on the mound for San Francisco.) Since this was during the ownership of the now-discredited Frank McCourt, how much has changed at the ballpark since Stan Kasten and the Googenheim Group took over? Are the photos of classic Dodgers still on the outside wall of the ballpark? Even though it's less than a decade, history has been kinder to the Giants -- who've won three World Series titles this decade. I never realized I had this overhead view of the Dodger bullpen. Do they still use those handles on chains for warm-ups before the relievers begin to throw?

Like so many seasons through the past 75 years, the Dodgers and Giants are fighting it out for first place. The ancient rivalry resumed Tuesday night in L.A. with the teams separated by just a game. Not surprisingly, it was a close contest, with Dodger leads coming and going, before the they pulled out the victory. Kenta Maeda (above) pitched the first five innings;  Justin Turner (below) delivered three hits, including a run-scoring single in the first.  ...and Adrian Gonzalez (below) gave L.A. the lead to stay with a 2-RBI single in the 5th.  The Dodgers won the game 9-5 and stretched their division lead to two games. Here's what makes baseball rivalries different and far more passionate -- the teams will be right back on the field at Chavez Ravine to contunue the series tonight... and again on Thursday night. If that's not enough, the Dodgers and Giants will meet six more times during the final three weeks of the season, including three over the closing weeke...

So far, so good for the Yankees youth movement. Monday, catcher Gary Sanchez, after hitting .524 with four home runs, was named the American League's Player of the Week . (Then, he kicked off the Yankees series in Seattle with a pair of booming homers at Safeco!) Let's not cast a Cooperstown plaque alongside Yogi, Campy and Bench quite yet -- but the rookie has gotten off to as impressive a start as any first-year Yankee since Derek Jeter. Of course, he'll cool off and endure slumps, but his success has long been predicted by some experts. And it's nice to see that he's looked comfortable playing the game at the highest level. Oh, for trivia mavens, Gary is only the second Yankee catcher ever to be named AL Player of the Week . The other was Thurman Munson. Again, good company for young Sanchez to be in. (These images of Gary Sanchez are from his days at AA Trenton: the top one from April 2015; the lower from July 2014.)

One of my favorite reasons to see minor league games is to photograph some promising young players who might well be on the road to the majors. But there's a reason they're call prospects: for every Matt Weiters, there's a Jesus Montero. (Above) Orioles catching prospect Alex Murphy connecting on a home run Friday night -- giving him 15 on the season. (Below) Another promising talent who could be a couple or three years away from Camden Yards -- outfielder Randolph Gassaway, batting way over .320 this summer. Onto some Phillies youngsters... (Below) Outfielder Cornelius Randolph, a 2015 first round draft pick. (Below) Alberto Tirado, with a 5 & 1 record for Lakewood with 75 strikeouts in just 50 innings. He worked five shutout innings against Delmarva. Finally, the player who most intrigued me on the Lakewood roster had the night off. Outfielder Jose Pujols has been hitting homers like (the apparently unrelated) Albert this season -- 23 so far in '16....

It's another Sunshine Sunday, showcasing baseball when it ought to be played -- during the day! Today, a trio of up-and-coming Yankees from August 13th: (above) Gary Sanchez, out by a hair on an infield grounder. (Above) Tyler Austin and (Below) Aaron Judge on a perfect summer afternoon

Friday night during our annual vacation on the Delmarva, my wife and I took in the minor league team nearest to Chincoteague. An hour north up Route 113, we're at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, home of the Orioles low-Single-A club the Delmarva Shorebirds. Three levels from the major leagues, the Shorebirds are hosting the Phillies Lakewood NJ club, the Blueclaws. This sweet little stadium bears a nice resemblance to Trenton's Arm and Hammer Park. Now, take note for whom the Press Box is named -- chicken entrepreneur and TV spokesman Frank Perdue. The Perdue company is headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland, adjacent to the ballpark. And, of course, there's a mascot. His name is Sherman. Click on this link from  milb.com  for the the game story.

The Tigers host the Red Sox tonight at Comerica, with standout rookie Michael Fullmer -- 10 & 3 with a 2.25 ERA -- facing Boston veteran (and ex-Tiger) Rick Porcello with a 16 & 3 mark. Not only are they among the best pitchers in the league -- but both also have New York connections. Fullmer was the prospect the Mets traded to Detroit a year ago for Yoenis Cespedes, while Porcello grew up in suburban New Jersey, just across the river from New York. Entering play, the Red Sox are tied with the Orioles for the American League wild cards and stand a game and a half back of Eastern-leading Toronto; the Tigers are six behind the Indians in the Central and 3-1/2 back of Boston and Baltimore for a wild card. Strong right arms and teams in the post-season hunt meeting tonight in Detroit. That's what late summer baseball ought to be. The image of Fullmer is from a Tigers-Yankees game back in June; I last saw Porcello pitch in 2013, when the Tigers visited the Mets a...

Chase Utley enjoyed quite the homecoming on Tuesday night. Returning to Philadelphia for the first time in a Dodger uniform, the six time All Star belted a pair of home runs -- including a grand slam -- in L.A.'s 15-5 victory. His 11 years with the Phils, highlighted by the 2008 World Series championship, had already earned him a beloved place in team history. But what might be hard to believe, is that grand slam drew a curtain call -- yes, for a visiting player! That's the impression Utley left with Phillies fans, a year after being traded to the Dodgers for several prospects. These images of Utley are from the Phillies/Cardinals game on August 24th, 2014.

...over his charges, here's Cardinals batting coach John Mabry . After playing 14 seasons in the majors, generally as a bench or platoon player, he's been a member of Mike Matheny's staff since he took over as the St. Louis manager in 2012. I got a good look at Mabry when the Cardinals visited the Mets in July.

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish hits the big 3-0 today. Like millions of kids who grew up in baseball-loving countries, Darvish may have dreamed of becoming a slugger, but he's made his mark on the mound. The Japanese righthander has averaged well over a strikeout per inning since arriving in Texas in 2012. Back in action this summer, he's part of that impressive Rangers rotation anchored by Cole Hamels. (T hese images are from the Rangers visit to Citi Field in July 2014.) Some other baseball birthdays of note from August 16th: Delino DeShields, Jr , Darvish's Texas teammate, who finished 7th last year in the voting for American League Rookie of the Year. Roger Cedeno , the speedy outfielder on the pennant-winning 2000 Mets, who these days equally recognized as the uncle (and mentor) of Padres 3rd baseman Yangervis Solarte. Bob "Buck" Rodgers , the Angels regular catcher during most of the 1960s and later, the manager of the Brewers, Expos and Angels. ...

Saturday, the Yankees marked the 20th anniversary of their 1996 World Series championship with an on-field ceremony at the Stadium. Ending an 18-year drought between titles, this was the team that kicked off a run of four championships in five years. An as in previous eras, known by their stars, such as Ruth and Gehrig or Mantle and Maris, yet another group of Yankees began writing their own special chapter of Yankee history. Before being named the Captain, Derek Jeter was the 1996 American League Rookie of the Year. And below, it's David Cone, who despite missing much of the regular season recovering from an aneurism, came up with highlights including a Labor Day no-hit bid and a strong performance in Game Three of that year's World Series. Like Cone, Dwight Gooden starred for both the Mets and Yankees -- and in 1996, after a struggling start, surprised the baseball world when he threw a no-hitter. Onto the bullpen... closer John Wetteland (below) was the World S...