Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

  ...but it's not Tyler Austin. Football Giants rookie Saquan Barkley threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday night's Yankees/Astros game.

Tuesday night's game brought a full range of emotions for Yankee rookie Gleyber Torres. Just five weeks into his big league career, the 21 year second baseman had a run scoring single early, a pair of errors (out of the Yanks total of five) in the middle of the evening, and finally, after fellow rookie standout Miguel Andujar doubled with two out in the bottom of the 10th, Torres brought him home with a sharp single to right field. But those extra inning heroics wouldn't have been possible without Brett Gardner. The longest tenured Yankee smacked his second home run of the night in the bottom of the 9th. (That's the follow-through of his swing in the photo to the right.) It tied the game and give Torres his chance for the walk off hit (and subsequent Gatorade bath). The photo below captures Torres just after making contact on the final pitch of the night. My first instint was to delete the image -- since my view was partly obscured by a fan standing up. BUT, look ca...

Andrew Benintendi 's three-run homer over the Green Monster capped the Red Sox five-run 4th inning explosion on Memorial Day. They rolled to an 8-3 victory over the Blue Jays and extended their lead on the Yankees to two games. Hitting leadoff with Mookie Betts out injured, the second year outfielder cleared Fenway Park's signature wall for the first time in his career. He was joined in the Red Sox power chart by JD Martinez (below), who smacked his 17th homer. So far, in his first Boston season, the former Astro, Tiger and Diamondback is far outperforming Giancarlo Stanton the archrival Yankees' winter key acquisition. And with a .320 batting average, Martinez is proving to a lot more than a one-dimensional player. ( The image of Benintendi is from a Yankees/Red Sox game last August; I captured Martinez during the March 7th Red Sox/Twins exhibition at Fenway South in Fort Myers .)

Off to one of the best starts of his career,  J.A. Happ  returned to Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, working an effective 6-2/3 to help the Blue Jays beat the Phillies 5-3. That raised his record to 7 - 3 -- leaving him one shy of 100 wins over his career. The now 35 year old lefty (seen here with Toronto in 2014), pitched briefly for the '07 and '08 Phils, and emerged as a dependable starter on their 2009 pennant winners. But in mid-season 2010, in one of the many deals where then-GM Ruben Amaro swapped youth for another "proven pro," Happ was the key man in the package sent to Houston for Roy Oswalt. After moving to Toronto, Seattle and Pittsburgh, he returned to the Blue Jays as a 2016 free agent. With the Blue Jays treading water just below the .500 mark and now 11 back of the AL East leading Red Sox, it wouldn't be a shock to see him back on the trading block come July. How many teams -- think Phillies, Yankees or Dodgers -- could use a lefthanded start...

Daniel Castro models the special patch the Rockies are wearing to mark the team's 25th anniversary.

The two most talked-about rookies in the American League were on the same field Friday night as the Yankees hosted the Angels: Shohei Ohtani , the dynamic two-way player, and Gleyber Torres . Ohtani -- who disappointed New York fans when this next start was pushed back so he wouldn't pitch in Yankee Stadium -- walked in the 4th inning and advanced to 2nd base on Andrelton Simmons' single, putting him in the same image with Torres, the Yankees' second baseman. But the night belonged to Torres, who drove in the Yankees first run on a second inning single, and then snapped a 1-1 tie with a seventh inning homer to the Stadium's right field power alley. This is not a misprint! Another big home run from Torres who again grabbed a piece of history: becoming  the youngest player in American League history to homer in four consecutive games. He's got nine round trippers in his first 28 major league games. While the Yankees had high hopes for the key piece in the 2016...

Brandon Nimmo is one of the very few Mets who've exceeded expectations in 2018. The former first round draft pick, not considered ready for a fulltime spot before the season began, has taken over as Mickey Callaway's leadoff batter. With injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Lagares, Michael Conforto's slow recovery from shoulder surgery and a slow start from Jay Bruce, Nimmo has stepped it up. Hitting close to .300 and getting on base 45% of the time, Nimmo is rewarding the faith shown him by Sandy Alderson who made him his top choice in 2011. It's been a long path to the majors for the Wyoming native. Most first rounders don't need seven years to become a regular. But in this case, the Mets are tapping the rewards of their patience. Thursday night, in the opener of their four game series at Milwaukee, Nimmo was the Mets catalyst. He went 4-for-4, to extend his on-base streak. Over the last two games, he's reached base safety eight straight times! His off...

We're on the field an hour or so before the Phillies/Mets game at Citi Field on May 27th. 2011. (Above:) Phillies slugger Ryan Howard takes batting practice; (Below:) Manager Charlie Manuels signs a few autographs. Seven years can zip by in what feels like a minute, but look how much has changed: not one member of that Phillies squad -- on its way to winning its fifth consecutive NL East title -- is still playing for the team. Manuel is now a Phillies "senior advisor," filling the same role held for so many years by the only other man to manage a Phils World Series champion, the late Dallas Green. Howard, whose career was derailed by a torn achilles in his final at bat of that year's October's NLDS loss to the Cardinals, is out of baseball, after playing 27 minor league games in a failed comeback try last summer. On this late spring night, the future still looked bright, the team was on track for the post-season. No one would have predicted that within a ye...

Braves 2nd baseman Ozzie Albies was a one-man gang Tuesday night, scoring all three runs as Atlanta beat second place Philadelphia 3-1. One came on his 14th home run --  Mookie Betts  (16),  Manny Machado  (15) and  J.D. Martinez  (15) are the only players in baseball with more home runs than the Braves rising star! That 3rd inning solo shot got Atlanta on the board; he walked in the 5th and scored on Carlos Santana's throwing error; in the 9th, he followed a leadoff single with some nifty baserunning. Albies moved up to second on a passed ball and came into score on Ronald Acuna's bloop singles. As one of 2018's breakthrough stars, and one of the leaders of the resillient Braves, there's one thing we know for certain: he won't be the National League Rookie of the Year. His 244 plate appearances after his mid-summer debut last year exceed the limit to retain rookie status. ( This image came from the Mets/Braves game at Citi Field on May 1st. )

Just a month into his major league career, Gleyber Torres (above) was a part of a Famous Yankees First on Monday night. The rookie 2nd baseman crushed a pair of home runs (no, he's not the youngest Yankee to do that -- that honor still belongs to Mickey Mantle, who did it at age 20) in a 10-5 victory over the Texas Rangers. So what proved historic? It was the first time in franchise history they'd hit four or more homers in three consecutive games. How much fun must it be to play in this lineup? Everyone is a threat -- there are no easy outs! And the youngest Yankee is proving to be one of the most exciting ones.

That's Diamondbacks 3rd baseman Jake Lamb working the Dubble Bubble last Friday night against the Mets. Arizona's uniforms sport a special patch marking the club's 20th anniversary in 2018 (the close up is below).

Finally, after struggling for more than a month, the Mets' leaky ship may have stabilized. Unable to win back-to-back games for five weeks, they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks three games at Citi Field. And while the Mets batters seem to have perked up, let's also give a big assist to Devin Mesoraco. Since coming to New York in the Matt Harvey trade a week and half ago, he's begun to stabiliize the catching position, which had turned into an absolute minefield. The end of the Mets hot start to 2018 coincided with the loss of both Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. Losing one would have been painful -- but seeing both land on the disabled list had a ripple effect. Not only did they lose at least a league-average offensive output from the pair -- but, of greater concern, all the chemistry and rapport d'Arnaud and Plawecki developed with the Mets pitchers was lost. That familiarity factor was vital. Would the Yankees be as strong if, instead of Gary Sanchez an...

The Yankees lived up to their Bronx Bombers nickname Saturday night, crushing five home runs in an 8-3 win over the Royals. Gary Sanchez cleared the fence at Kauffman Stadium twice (and added a single and double for a four-hit game), while Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres also showed off their home run swings. But the first and shortest one of the evening proved to be the most interesting. In the top of the 3rd inning, Aaron Hicks banged one off the fence in the right field corner. The ball caromed away from KC's Jorge Soler, as the Yankee centerfielder turned on the burners, racing around the bases. It was his second inside-the-park homer of the season. Oh, the last Yankee with two inside-the-parkers in the same season? That was 60 years ago by another center fielder, the immortal who wore number 7. Mickey Mantle did that in 1958, the year the Yanks won their last World Series under Casey Stengel. ( This image of Hicks is from the April 22nd game against the Blue Jays...

OK, Mets fans, you can now officially breathe a sigh of relief. Jacob de Grom was back in his groove last night. Two and a half weeks after an awkward swing landed him on the disabled list, and five days following lasting just an inning (albeit scoreless) where he threw a surreal 45 pitches, the Mets ace shut down the Diamondbacks on Friday night. Setting aside fears of a lingering injury, he was nearly unhittable, finally surrendering a sixth inning run, ending a scoreless streak that had reached 24 innings. Striking out 13 without walking out anyone, de Grom authored a stat line last written by David Cone in 1991 -- 27 seasons ago! It was a night tailor-made for pitching -- cool and a bit damp with temperatures sliding back into the 50s. And I was delighted I drove out to see it in person.

2018 has been a nightmare so far for the Dodgers. Their first 42 games seem to have been managed by Stephen King, not Dave Roberts.  Injuries, underachievement and bizarre plays have derailed a club most crystal ball owners pegged as a lock for the playoffs.  Entering Thursday at 17 & 25,  the guys from Hollywood carried a six-game losing streak. But Justin Turner and Kenta Maeda made sure the ended there. In his third game back from a broken wrist, Turner delivered 5 RBIs on a pair of doubles; the first with the bases loaded gave LA a 3-0 lead; the Marlins never challenged them the rest of the way. Maeda, who came in having lost three of his five decisions, was simply superb, throwing eight innings of two-hit ball, striking out eight, walking no one. That was the kind of performance we so-called "experts" thought we'd see most of the time from the Dodgers. With the season only passing the quarter mark, there's still time for Roberts to steady the s...

Ozzie Albies (above) and Ronald Acuna Jr were again the difference makers Wednesday as the Braves scored three 8th inning runs to beat the Cubs 4-1. This is getting to be almost routine with the two youngest position players in the National League delivering like seasoned veterans. Albies tripled to lead off the bottom of the 8th; Acuna drove him home to give Atlanta the lead for keeps. At 26 & 16, the blossoming Braves have the best record in the league -- and there's even room for improvement. The club is barely over .500 at their home park so far this season. Raise that to winning 3 out of 5, the sky -- and the post-season -- is the limit! (This image of Albies diving back into 3rd base is from the May 1st Braves/Mets game at Citi Field.)

There's no reason to sugarcoat this: Robinson Cano made a career-changing mistake.  Revealed on Tuesday, his 80-game suspension for using a banned substance will forever taint the player who, up till now, was on track to rank with the greatest 2nd basemen ever. But that reputation is now in tatters and his chances for Hall of Fame induction are now very much in doubt. After the annoucement, someone close to Cano claimed he used Furosemide to treat high blood pressure. But that alibi doesn't hold water. Where did Cano get the prescription? It couldn't have been from the Mariners medical staff -- any doctor working for a major league club would check a med against the list of banned products. If Cano needed something to control his blood pressure -- somewhat surprising for a healthy, fit 35 year-old -- an "approved" pharmaceutical would certainly have been found. There's also buzz that the product is used as a masking agent, to cover any traces of some...

...you share it with Josh Beckett . The Texas native was the ace on a pair of World Series champions, the 2003 Marlins -- where he shut out the Yankees in the clinching sixth game -- and 2007 Red Sox, his only 20-win season. This image came from 2014, when he was winding his career down with the Dodgers, a season that included his only no-hitter, on May 25th at Philadelphia. And a little slice of trivia, during a 2006 interleague game against the Phillies, Beckett became the first Red Sox pitcher in the DH era to hit a home run. Also on today's cake and candles list: Michael Brantley , the Indians ultra-talented, but oft-injured outfielder. Brian Dozier , the Twins power-hitting second baseman. Bill North , known for his fleet feet, he stole 50 or more bases during his career mainly with the A's and Giants. Jim Adduci , the namesake son of a 1980s big league outfielder, has played in parts of three seasons, most recently (seen right), the 2017 Tigers. A.J. Hi...

Mookie Betts has supplanted Dustin Pedroia as the Red Sox' igniter. Besides leading off their potent batting order, hitting over .350 and leading the American League with 13 home runs, he excels with the glove. Sunday's running, diving, sliding catch in the 4th inning robbed the Blue Jays Richard Urena of extra bases and an RBI. Boston held off Toronto 5-3 to remain tied with the Yankees atop the AL East. The forever rivals, following up their intense series in the Bronx, won two out of three on the weekend -- and are likely counting the days till their next encounter in late June.

Neil Walker -- seen here on a wintry night in April -- got off to a very slow start with the Yankees. A late spring training signee, his bat was on par with the weather through the first month of the regular season. The injury to Greg Bird and the sluggish start by Tyler Wade gave the 10-year veteran plenty of playing time -- but his production simply wasn't where he or Aaron Boone expected it. Flipping the calendar to May appears to have helped. In the last 10 days, he's hit around .340 and has made a habit of contrubuting to game-changing rallies. Saturday was the capper: in a game where the Yanks erased a 6-2 deficit, they were tied at 6 with the A's in the last of the 11th. After getting two effective innings of relief from the long-ignored AJ Cole. Walker came up to face Chris Hatcher with runners on 1st and 2nd and delivered an RBI single for the walk-off win. A Walker-off win. Authored by the veteran whose bat warmed up with the weather.

After an 11-1 start, the Mets had lost 8 of the last 10 games and 16 out of 22, a decline that was on the verge of getting Worse. Bottom of the 9th Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, the Mets were down 1 - 0; Wilmer Flores set the table with a one-out single. Then Conforto stepped up against closer Hector Neris. After just missing a home run when a laser went foul, Conforto didn't miss on his next chance. A booming home run off the AT&T sign on the right field grandstand put the Mets ahead. Recent acquisition Devin Mescoraco added a solo job and the Mets had a badly needed win. And perhaps, a turnaround moment for Conforto, the 2017 All Star, who has struggled since his return from shoulder surgery. ( This image of Conforto is from the Mets/Braves game on May 1st at Citi Field .)

It's no secret that Carlos Santana got off to a slow start this season. With winter holding an icy grip over the northeast throughout April, the Phillies 1st baseman's bat remained in the deep freeze. But things have been looking up since the calendar flipped to May. Thursday, the free agent acquisition crushed a three-run homer. It was the game-changing blow in a 6-3 victory over the Giants that capped the Phils first four game sweep of the Giants since 1962. It was a team effort. Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez struck out 12 batters, while centerfielder Odubel Herrera had three hits and drove in a pair -- while reaching base safely for the 39th consecutive game. The spotlight shines on the former Indian who was hitting a puny .153 at the end of April. But you know his bat would eventually thaw. Now, Santana is flat out scorching, with 15 RBIs in nine games durng May -- with homers in four of his last seven games. At 22-15, the Phils trail the Braves by just a half-ga...

There was all the drama you'd want Wednesday night in the latest chapter of baseball's greatest rivalry. On a mild night when the hitters dominated, Hanley Ramirez (who hadn't homered in 19 games) put Boston ahead 6-5 when he torched Chad Green in the top of the 7th. That set the scene for the bottom of the 8th inning. After Neil Walker doubled and moved to 3rd on Miguel Andujar's grounder, the rookie Gleyber Torres walked. That led to Sox skipper Alex Cora summoning his closer Craig Kimbrel -- who had never posted a five-out save. Two one, one out, and Brett Gardner, already with two doubles to his credit, crushed Kimbrel's seventh pitch, tripling to deep left center and giving the Yankees the lead. 7-6 Yankees, the Stadium is rocking and the fun for Yankee fans isn't over. Time for 99. Aaron Judge sent Kimbrel's 1-2 pitch into Monument Park, perhaps to the spot where his plaque might be mounted one day. The icing on the cake. "All Rise"...

I've been waiting to find the right occasion to spotlight an Orioles minor leaguer with a last name baseball fans will recognize:  Mike Yastrzemski . Despite the famous family ties, he's never made it past Triple A ball, and after appearing for the O's during spring training, he's spending 2018 with Bowie in the Eastern League. OK, so what's the occcasion? It connects back to his legendary grandfather. On May 9th, 1961, in the 17th game of his Hall of Fame-bound career, Carl Yastrzemski belted the first of his 452 home runs. It came off Jerry Casale of the Angels at the West Coast's Wrigley Field. So enjoy these images of the young Yaz. At age 27, the odds are against him joining his granddad as a major leaguer. But at least this spring, Mike got the chance to suit up with the big club. And I got the chance to catch him in action. Let's get back to that game when Yaz cracked his first homer. It was tied heading to the last of the 9th, when Steve Bil...

Monday night, the most famous .250 hitter in minor league baseball rolled into Connecticut. The Mets double A affiliate, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies opened a series in Hartford, beginning with Tim Tebow's late afternoon press conference. Unfailingly humble, upbeat and self-effacing the onetime Heisman Trophy winner spoke warmly of his minor league experience in the Mets organization, though his production has yet to match his popularity. When it came to the action on the field, he still appeared far from major-league caliber, despite pre-season praise from Mets GM Sandy Alderson. Tebow is still a strikeout machine, fanning 40% of the time. He's good for business -- helping boost attendance wherever Binghamton plays. Dunkin Donuts Park was a near-sellout last night. But in the stats and standings, the Mets really get more upside from slugging 1st baseman Peter Alonso. The Miami native (below) hits the ball hard every time. You hear the same solid contact I noticed a y...

The block of course, is 161st Street between River and Jerome Avenues in the Bronx. And Gleyber Torres , the new kid is making sweet music with his bat and glove. Sunday, his three-run homer off Dan Otero with two on in the bottom of the 9th gave the Yankees a 7-4 win over the Indians -- and a series sweep. In the 15th game of his still budding career, Torres became the youngest Yankee ever with a walk-off home run. His blast slipped him past the beloved Mickey Mantle -- at 21 years and 144 days old, or 41 days younger than the Mick when he set the mark in 1953. This 15 & 1 streak has been fueled by youth -- Torres' heroics ended a game that featured six no-hit innings as Domingo German joined the starting rotation. And... There's... More...!!! Channeling your favorite late night TV commercials, Torres and German delivered as have Miguel Andujar, Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino. Farm fresh from the Yankees minor leagues to the big ballpark in...

The Braves' youth movement features the two youngest position players in the majors: 2nd baseman Ozzie Albies (above) and left fielder Ronald Acuna Junior . After an impressive 57-game audition last year, the switch-hitting Albies began 2018 with a bang -- with nine home runs by the end of April. And he covers plenty of ground in the middle of the infield. The most impressive young player in this year's Grapefruit League where he hit over .400, Acuna's first week in the majors was more of the same. Recalled in late April to buy the Braves an extra year of control. the Venezuela native hit .417 with five doubles and a homer. There's so much attention, and justifiably so, paid to the Yankees young core of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, along with pitching ace Luis Severino. The Braves are following a similar strategy as they look to return to the glory days of the Chipper Jones-Smoltz-Maddux-Glavine dynasty. ( The images of Albies and Acuna are from Tuesday night...

Albert Pujols ... Friday night's pair of hits against the Mariners at Safeco Field made him the 32nd player -- and just the second native of the Dominican -- to join that exclusive circle. #3000 was a single off Seattle's Mike Leake in the 5th inning; #3001 come in the 9th inning and drove in a pair as the Angels rolled to a 5-0 victory. Now in his 18th season, the 10-time all star and three-time NL MVP isn't the same player who might have had the greatest under-30 career ever. But he remains a productive run producer, with more than 100 RBI the last two seasons. Pretty good for a 13th round draft pick from a junior college. All the cheers around Anaheim will still never completely mask the fact that Pujols left behind a stellar St. Louis legacy for the bigger bucks of Southern California. Number-5 was compiling stats and titles that ranked him just below Stan Musial among everyday players on the Cardinals Mount Rushmore. In Orange County, he's just another talented...

Time catches up with every athlete. It just takes longer with some folks. Thursday, without using the "R" word, Ichiro Suziki said he's "transitioning" to a new role with the Mariners somewhere between coaching, scouting and mentoring. Baseball's alltime global leader in hits -- and a member of the 3000 hit club here in North America -- Ichiro steps down at age 44 with a .311 lifetime average and 3089 hits. As a Mariners rookie in 2001, he took the majors leagues by storm, setting an unmatched four-pack: leading the American League in hits and batting average, while earning both Rookie of the Year and MVP honors. In fact, his first decade in Seattle was unprecedented -- hitting over .300 and tallying over 200 hits every year! Cooperstown will welcome him in 2024 -- unless he decides to play for Seattle in their 2019 season-opening series in Japan, which would delay his eligibilty a year. Regardless of the specific entry date, Ichiro has strengthene...