Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Chances are that Mike Trout wasn't smiling when he learned he'd need surgery on his injured thumb. Baseball's best player -- enjoying a stellar first two months of 2017 with the Angels -- will undergo surgery for a torn thumb ligament. That will sideline him up to eight weeks, a crushing blow to an Angels team far behind the Astros in the AL West. But it's a huge blow to all of baseball, to have Trout, going neck and neck with Aaron Judge of the Yankees in the early-season MVP speculation, on the shelf.

Monday's "hot" baseball story was the brawl that broke out in the Nationals-Giants game after San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland hit Bruce Harper with a pitch. The Nats star then charged the mound, with punches being thrown and teammates charging the field before the sides were separated. With Monday being a national holiday, the MLB offices were closed. But Tuesday, we can expect a ruling to come down regarding suspensions. The bitterness between Harper and Strickland apparently reaches back to 2014, when Bryce belted a pair of homers off the Giants reliever. They had not faced each other since. Wait a second: does lighting up a pitcher automatically lead to hitting a batter in retaliation -- nearly three years later? I don't think so. A brush back? Perhaps. But so much time elapsed that the incident is probably going to draw an angry reaction from the Commissioner.

While it would have been easy to give the honors to Aaron Judge for the first grand slam of his career -- which brought the Yankees from behind in a game they won 9-5 -- I'd rather focus on someone from another contender. In this case, the Twins catcher-turned-1st baseman Joe Mauer, who got on base seven times (with four hits and three walks) in the Twins 8-6, 15-inning loss to Tampa Bay. Now 34, Mauer isn't nearly the offensive threat he was between 2005 and '13. And he's not playing a "premium" position anymore. But with Minnesota one of this year's unexpected surprises as they lead the AL Central, take a good look. This Twin Cities native is again surrounded with the kind of promising young talent that could mean a Minnesota return playoffs this year for the first time since 2010.

Baseball lost a Hall of Famer and a lot more with the passing of Jim Bunning on Friday. A star with the the Tigers and then the Phillies, and only the second pitcher to win 100 games and strike out 1000 batters in each league, he won 224 games and struck out 2855 over his 17 seasons. And while he came to the majors as a Tiger, he made his greatest mark for Philadelphia -- on Father's Day 1964, he threw a perfect game against the Mets at Shea Stadium. And I was lucky enough to be there. Having the Phillies ace dominate the Stengel-era Mets was not a shock. So as Bunning's team pulled away and extended their lead, the outcome seemed inevitable. Sitting in the Upper Deck at Shea, slightly to the right of home plate, I still recall my father turning to me and saying, "Do you realize what's happening, this is very special?" I knew it was still a no hitter but hadn't heard the term perfect game used before. By the eighth inning, the crowd at Shea had begun root...

...you share it with the longest tenured manager in Mets history, Terry Collins. Never considered a great tactician or shrewd handler of pitchers, his greatest strength is building team spirit and clubhouse cohesion. His brand of leadership -- bolstered by talent such as Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob de Grom -- has paid off in the 2015 National League pennant and a 2016 Wild Card. Ever wondered why he wears number 10? It's a tribute to his friend, the former Pirates, Marlins and Tigers skipper Jim Leyland. Also in today's cake and candles file: Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Frank Thomas.

Before we head into the holiday weekend, I had to devote a post to the dramatic improvement Luis Severino has shown so far in 2017. After a rapid rise through the minors in 2015 -- and some fine starts for the Yanks during August and September, the young Dominican seemed snakebit and then lost when he began 2016 in the rotation. After spending part of the summer trying to recapture his form, he returned mid-season as a reliever. He quickly took to that role, leading some observers (and, yes I am one of them) to wonder if his future home would be the bullpen. Give Joe Girardi and pitching coach Larry Rothschild credit. They kept believing in Severino's potential as a front-end starter. And their confidence has been repaid by several outstanding efforts this season -- none better than Wednesday night's eight dominant innings of shutout ball against the Royals. While every team is eager to develop its young pitching, based on recent results, the Yankees are doing an above-av...

Here's another gem from my pal Dennis' collection. The official program from the 2000 World Series, the only time that the Mets and Yankees have clashed in baseball's Fall Classic. Notice that while the Series logo was modern, the sketch of the generic player is retro, hinting at the 1940s and '50s when the World Series often matched a pair of New York clubs.

Jorge Bonifacio and Danny Duffy were two of the Kansas City players who stepped up big in Tuesday night's 6-2 win over the Yankees. With nights like this Jorge (above) isn't going to be "the other" Bonifacio for long. Emilio's kid brother smacked a two-run homer in the top of the 7th inning off reliever Adam Warren put KC ahead to stay. While Duffy worked seven strong innings, dented only by home runs from New York's Aaron Hicks and Chris Carter. But he was effective in keeping the other Yankee baserunners from scoring -- notably in the 5th inning when they loaded the bases -- before Duffy got Starlin Castro out to end the threat. This was the second time in five days that Duffy had beaten the Yankees. And while he appeared a bit stunned while on the bench between innings, he had more than enough power and guile when it counted.  Let's get back to Bonifacio -- seen below, the 23 year old rookie rounds third base following his game-changing home...

During our time in Dublin this month, we visited the Irish Emigrant Museum . Its displays showcase many aspects of life in the arts, politics and sports -- where I was delighted by its exhibit on baseball. Among the Hall of Fame names are legendary manager Connie Mack and 19th century icon Mike "King" Kelly.  And baseball's enduring theme song also has Irish-American roots: the lyrics for "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" were written by Jack Norworth.

After six weeks of impressive play at AA Trenton, the Yankees have moved Gleyber Torres to their top farm club in Scranton. The 20-year old displayed the skills that mark him as the organization's number-one prospect: he batted .273 with 5 homers and 18 RBI. When I saw him play back on April 15th, the lasting impression was how balls jump off his bat -- the special sound you hear from just a select few players. While most players his age are college sophomores or low-minor leaguers, Torres now stands just one level shy of the majors. He's just a phone call -- or a two-hour car ride from the Bronx. While Did Gregorius and Starlin Castro have formed a strong middle of the infield, would you be surprised if you see Torres get a chance at replacing the inconsistent Chase Headley at 3rd base sometime this season? These images of Torres came from Trenton's April 15th game against Portland.

Wilmer Flores of the Mets gives that chunk of Bazooka a good workout.

From April 16th, Cardinals left fielder Randall Grichuk pulls in a hard hit ball off the bat of the Yankees' Starlin Castro. Now in his second season in the Bronx, Castro has become one of the AL's best hitting 2nd baseman. Coming into Thursday night's game, he was bating .351 and with a league best 54 hits. And while you won't confuse his defense for Robbie Alomar, he's more than held his own. It's hard to remember but the Cubs sent him to New York for pitching Adam Warren -- who came back to the Yanks at the end of July in the Aroldis Chapman trade. Smart trades, with a sprinkling of unexpected luck, can help turn an ordinary trade into something more.

Tuesday night, Joe Maddon became the 63rd manager to join baseball's 1000 victory club, thanks to the Cubs 9-5 win over the Reds. The outspoken and free thinking Maddon has established himself as a change-maker. He piloted the Rays during their most successful period. And since arriving in Chicago, he's merely shepherded the Cubbies to their first title in 108 years. And he's done it his way, whether it's popularizing infield over-shifts after lefthanded pull hitters or plugging his own players into multiple defensive positions. Put it simply, Joe Madden is a winner. For a little perspective, here are the 20 winningest managers of all time. Maddon is just halfway to the 2000 mark, which would land him in the Top 10. (The names framed in yellow are Hall of Fame inductees.) 1 Connie Mack 3,731 3,948 .486 2 John McGraw 2,763 1,948 .586 3 Tony La Russa 2,728 2,365 .536 4 Bobby Cox 2,504 2,001 .556 5 Joe Torre 2,326 1,997 .538 6 Sparky Anderson 2,194 1,834 .545 7...

A big night for Albert Pujols , whose walk-off single in the 11th inning pushed the Angels past the White Sox 7-6. But that's not the whole story: earlier, the 37-year old slugger delivered an RBI single in the 3rd inning moved him past Carl Yastrzemski into 13th place in baseball history. Next on the list is Mel Ott, just 13 ahead of Pujols' 1847. With continued good health and production, it's possible that Albert could pass #11 Willie Mays (whom he now trails by 56) this year, or even Eddie Murray (70 RBI ahead) to move into the alltime Top 10. These images are from the Angels/Yankees game last June 7th.

At Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, 19 year old Orioles rookie Jim Palmer earned the first victory of his career in a 7-5 win over the Yankees. Palmer, who'd go onto win 268 games en route to the Hall of Fame, also smacked a two-run home run off New York's Jim Bouton. Seen here at the 2012 BAT Dinner (he's in the second row, second from the left, standing between Mike Schmidt and Joe Morgan), Palmer went onto win 268 games in his Hall of Fame career, earned three Cy Young Awards and finished twice on two other occasions.

Just back from a terrific eight days in Ireland, soaking in centuries of history, spoiled by perfect weather and delighted by the food. Friday morning in Galway, I found a surprising touch of home. While many pubs display badges from U.S. and Canadian police and firefighters, I had to capture this display of baseball caps. Perhaps the name of the pub was a good omen.

The Captain returns to Yankee Stadium tonight for the official retirement of his uniform number-two. And while reports hint strongly that his future is in Miami, as part of a group hoping to purchase the Marlins, here's a look at him in his Yankee pinstripes, where he officially joins the other single digit icons whose numbers -- spanning Billy Martin's #1 to Roger Maris' #9 -- will never be worn by another player or manager.

During the 2017 season, the Orioles are honoring the 25th birthday of Camden Yards. I have praised the first of the neo-retro parks numerous times here, as it brilliantly channels the coziness and spirit of classic venues as Ebbets Field, with cleanliness, convenience and the modern amenities fans expect.

 ...when we think of Yogi Berra, who was born on this date in 1925. From the 2011 Yankees Old Timers Day, warm moments reuniting with former teammates Al Downing and Don Larsen.

Rookie catcher Andrew Knapp -- seen here in spring training against the Braves -- smacked his first major league home run on April 29th at Dodger Stadium. After four minor league seasons, Knapp made the Phillies opening day roster as the backup to Cameron Rupp.

The left sleeve patch on the A's uniforms dates back to the franchise's early days in Philadelphia. Back when the American League clubs were the upstarts, New York Giants manager John McGraw was said to dismiss Connie Mack's crew as "white elephants." Mister Mack caught lightning in a bottle when he decided to make the elephant his club's equivalent of a mascot. The elephant appeared on team sweaters in 1909 and the uniform by 1918 -- has been now been associated with the club for more than 110 years. I caught this image in April 2016. For the full story, click here .