If Your Birthday is September 3rd...


You share it with Corey Oswalt. The Mets rookie righthander posted double digits in victories in his last two minor league seasons -- 2017 was especially impressive when he went 12-5 for Double A Binghamton, with a 2.28 ERA. He's both relieved and started since being promoted to the majors (this image was from his July 9th start against the Phillies.

Who else gets their cake and candles today?


  • Luis Gonzalez, the sweet-swinging outfielder whose greatest fame came with the Diamondbacks -- where his bases loaded 9th inning hit against Mariano Rivera brought a World Series championship to Arizona in 2001.
  • Domonic Brown, whom the Phillies thought could be Jayson Werth's replacement as a slugging outfielder. He looked like the real deal for about two months during 2013, when he made the National League All Star team. But he didn't sustain his numbers, and did no better in short stops with the Blue Jays and Rockies organizations. In 2018, he's been trying to turn his career around in the Mexican League.
  • Eric Plunk pitched for 14 seasons in the majors. Drafted by the Yankees, he was part of the package sent to Oakland for Rickey Henderson after the 1984 season -- and 4/1-2 years later was part of the package sent back to the Bronx when Henderson was shipped back to the A's.
  • And we remember Eddie Stanky, scrappy lead off batter best remembered as a Brooklyn Dodger and New York Giant. Known for his keen knowledge of the strike zone, this .268 lifetime hitter had a career on base percentage of .410. After his playing days, he managed for the Cardinals and White Sox and put the University of South Alabama on the map, where his teams won more than 70% of their games and made five NCAA tournament appearances.




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