Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

Two nights after pounding Red Sox standout Chris Sale at Fenway, the Yankees had no answer for Taylor Clarke . Let's pause for a moment, had you ever heard of him before Tuesday? In just the 12th start of his major league career, the unheralded rookie neutralized a Yankee lineup that featured Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Edwin Encarnacion and Didi Gregorius. Made 'em look helpless on the big stage in the Bronx. There's a timeless line about there being no such thing as momentum in baseball -- momentum is the name of the next day's pitcher. Well, say hello to "Mo" Clarke.

60 years ago today, our baseball headlines included famous firsts for a pair of future Hall of Famers. At Seals Stadium in San Francisco, Willie McCovey  made his major league debut and broke in with a bang, going 4-for-4, including a pair of triples and two RBIs, as the Giants pounded the Phillies 7-2 . As noted above at the club's current home, McCovey went on to crush 521 home runs (but only 44 more triples) over the next 21-1/2 seasons en route to Cooperstown. The same day at Crosley Field, Cardinal rookie Bob Gibson pitched the first shutout of his career. After struggling in three early-season appearances, the Creighton University grad turned it around, keeping a Reds lineup that featured Frank Robinson Vada Pinson and Gus Bell off the scoreboard. It was the first of 56 shutouts during his remarkable career. Right fielder Joe Cunningham's 2nd single drove in Ken Boyer with the game's only run. Gibson worked the rest of the day with no margin for error en rou...

Sunday night's Yankee win at Fenway Park was the embodiment of Team Effort. Domingo German with the first effective start by a member of the Yankees rotation on the road trip. Didi Gregorius with a two-run home to extend that early Yankee lead and remind Chris Sale that he doesn't dominate the Boys from the Bronx (he's now 0-3 this season against the Yanks). Gio Urshela, followed his four hit game with two more, including a crucial RBI double. But the first step toward perhaps the biggest win of this season was taken by Austin Romine . Again filling in effectively for the injured Gary Sanchez, the backup catcher opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the 3rd inning. That gave the Yankees a lead they would hold the rest of the night. The backup catcher doesn't usually get a lot of credit -- or opportunities. Romine, however, bends that rule. With Sanchez showing himself prone to groin injuries, the son of former big leaguer Kevin Romine is again ready ste...

The mind was willing; the body wasn't. Thursday's news that Troy Tulowitzki was retiring after years of non-stop injuries was not a shock. Poignant, perhaps, as one of baseball's brightest stars of the last dozen years finally gave in to the inevitable. After sitting out 2018 after surgery on both his heels, he came to the Yankees hoping he'd capable of filling in while Didi Gregorius sat out the first two months rehabbing from elbow surgery. But that two month window closed in five games after a calf injury, which never healed enough for Troy to return. While Tulowitzi played well during spring training, he didn't appear in either of the Yankees Grapefruit League games I saw. And I didn't get to the Yanks opening homestand. Instead, let's bid farewell to Tulo in the Colorado Rockies uniform where he became a star. ( My images are from the Rockies/Mets game on April 14th, 2011. )

Xander Bogaerts   bookended the Red Sox attack in Thursday night's demolition of the 1st place Yankees. His three-run homer in the bottom of the 1st inning was first of many Boston gut punches. And his 8th inning home was the final exclamation mark -- it gave the Sox the most runs ever in a game against their forever rivals. All told, he went 4 for 6 with four runs scored in Boston's 19-3 victory. ( My image of Bogaerts is from an August 2017 game against the Yanks in the Bronx .)

One of the many "under-the-radar" pickups that have helped the Yankees build the best record in baseball through 100 games, Tauchman hit over .500 during the just-concluded series against the Twins. With Brett Gardner sidelined with a knee problem and Giancarlo Stanton joining Jacoby Ellsbury in the witness protection program, the former Rockies prospect went 7-for-13 and scored 5 runs in three of the wildest games played all season. ( My image of Tauchman is from the May 9th game against the Mariners in the Bronx .)

During warm-ups before Tuesday night's game with the Padres, Robinson Cano looked relaxed and ready to go. Coming off 16 days away from New York, capped by the Mets' crushing weekend where they lost three extra inning games in San Francisco, it was a moment to re-aim the internal compass. A night to start anew, to find purpose for the final 63 games, and maybe to signal that there was something left in the tank. Cano then spent the night making just that statement. A sweet swing that produced over 300 home runs and a lifetime average over .300 was about to sparkle at Citi Field. Three home runs in Cano's final three at-bats -- the first three homer-game of his career. While the swing below was worth watching, that ball landed foul. Three blasts later in the game went fair and far. Will this turn around the Mets season? Does this wipe away the disappointment of 54 losses in the first 99 games? Is this enough to restore Cano's place as one of the elite secon...

Mitch Garver   has now accomplished a neat little feat in 2019: he has had two-home run games against both New York teams in the same season! I was on hand at Citi Field back on April 9th when the Twins catcher cleared the fences twice. And Monday night, with the Yankees visiting Target Field, Garver did it again -- homering in the bottom of the 4th, and then adding the insurance run for Minnesota two innings later. This year, the Twins are leading all of baseball in home runs. As surprising as that sounds they have out-homered the Yankees all season -- as well as on Monday night when they belted five and the Yanks "only" three, with Minnesota winning the opening game of this big mid-summer showdown series 8 - 6.

As the season reaches the 100 game mark, the Yankees and Dodgers have drawn the most attention. Even with their injuries, there's plenty of respect for the Astros, just two years removed their first championship. The young and exciting Twins' surprise run atop the AL Central put them back in the spotlight. The struggles of the Red Sox, Nationals and Phillies have chewed up a lot of media space. All this time, the Braves have seemingly been flying under the radar. Despite an exciting young core led by Ronald Acuna Junior and Ozzie Albies, they're not always in the discussion. But they should be. Last night, playing on the national platform of Sunday Night Baseball, they pounded the Nationals 7 - 1. That upped their division lead on Washington to 6-1/2 games and became the second NL team (after LA) to notch 60 victories, Kevin Gausman , back after six weeks on the shelf with a foot injury, was impressive last night. Holding Washington to a run and five hits -- all singl...

Or is it ball meets bat? Didi Gregorius hits against the Astros at Yankee Stadium on June 23rd.

Edwin Encarnacion has been more down than up, hitting just .167 since joining the Yankees in a mid-June trade. But this week, there are strong signs this veteran's power bat is heating up. Three home runs earlier this week against Tampa Bay. Then, Friday night, hitting with the bases loaded in the 3rd inning, he crushed his 12th career grand slam to swing the Yanks from two runs down to a two-run lead. My seat in the first row of section 426 gave me a perfect angle on Tuesday's second inning bomb off into the left field seats off Ryne Stanek. It's not the quite the original Stadium's Death Valley, but still an impressive distance. I'd been eager to capture Encarnacion's distinctive home run trot -- right arm outstretched as if he's carrying a parrot. I've seen another player do anything like this. Heading back to the dugout, time for a low five with Didi Gregorius. This homestand has apparently answered plenty of questions. With the lin...

Bryce Harper wrapped up a 6-for-13 series against the Dodgers by singling in the tying run and scoring an insurance run on Rhys Hoskins single. That three-run 8th inning rally pushed the Phils past the L.A. 8 - 6. What a crucial win -- the Phils rise to three games over .500 instead of flirting with .500. Considering that this four-game series began with a humiliating 16 - 2, earning a split with the NL's best team can almost be considered a moral victory.

...when  David Cone pitched his way into history. At Yankee Stadium: after pre-game festivities honoring Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, capped by receiving the ceremonial first pitch from Don Larsen -- who threw a perfect game with Berra his catcher in the 1956 World Series -- David Cone became just the 16th pitcher to fire a perfect game. He retired all 27 Montreal batters in order, as the Yankees defeat the Expos 6-0. The 13-year veteran was both overpowering and efficient: striking out 10, never going to a three-ball-count on any batter and completing his masterpiece in just 88 pitches. Cone's perfect game came just 14 months after David Wells authored one against Minnesota. A perfect day, indeed. It marked Yogi's return to the Stadium, ending a 14 year exile after being fired by George Steinbrenner as Yankee manager. As beloved as any Yankee ever -- and a man who made the New York area his lifelong home once his playing career began -- Yogi's return, only months aft...

The Yankees 8th inning rally that produced Tuesday night's win over the Rays will go down as one of the most memorable moments of 2019. Down 3-2 with Gleyber Torres on 1st base and four outs to go, Aaron Judge faced Tampa Bay reliever Colin Poche. After lining a ball about a foot to the wrong side of the foul pole, Judge got a second chance -- and sent this into the cozy right field seats. Back at the dugout, here's the welcome awaiting him. Judge -- in a magical, dare I saw Mantle-esque way -- turned the game around and ignited the crowd. Not just any game, but the one with the team chasing them from second place. One big swing. Yankees up 4 - 3. Now, using my best TV pitchman's "voice": "Wait! There's MORE!" Rays manager Kevin Cash didn't pull Poche. Not even after a single and double put two more Yankees on base. Then he ordered an intentional walk of Edwin Encarnacion, who'd homered earlier in the game. Bases full. Two outs. And ...

It was all Travis d'Arnaud on Monday night. The Rays catcher, seemingly reborn since that early-season trade to Tampa Bay, single-handedly beat the Yankees 5 - 4. His three home runs -- in the 1st (to lead off the game), 3rd, and most crucially, in the top of the 9th off Aroldis Chapman -- drove in all five Rays runs. Two solo blasts and a just-far-enough three-run job to the cozy right field corner. This was one for the history books: never in the nearly 120-year of the Yankees, had a catcher ever smacked three home runs off them. And it wasn't by Pudge Fisk, Joe Mauer or Pudge Rodriguez. This was Travis d'Arnaud, who never became an offensive force in Flushing, but seems to have finally put it together in Tampa Bay. ( My image of d'Arnaud is from the Yankees/Rays game on June 18th .)

Vladimir Guerrero Junior  has been one of baseball's most talked about rookies since his late April debut. He's shown flashes of brilliance, but also some head-scratching moments -- not surprising for someone just 20 years ago. Last Monday night's prolific power display in the Home Run Derby opened a lot of eyes. Crushing ball after ball as he finished second to Pete Alonso, but leaving quite an impression as well as a sense of greatness to come. Keep in mind, the expectations are huge, and sometimes unfair, for the son of a Hall of Famer -- just ask Dale Berra or Tony Gwynn Junior. I got my first look at the namesake son of the 2018 Cooperstown Inductee during Saturday's Yankees/Blue Jays game in the Bronx.

The Blue Jays center fielder was Toronto's standout in Saturday afternoon's 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium. (Above:) His diving, stretching catch of a Gary Sanchez liner with the bases loaded ended the bottom of the 5th inning and prevented the Yankees from taking a lead. (Below:) Here's the swing that produced Grichuk 's two RBI single for the only runs Toronto scored all afternoon -- just enough for a 2 - 1 victory. On a club with Vladimir Guerrero Junior and Cavan Biggio, two of the best and most recognizable rookies in the majors, plus the rapidly improving second-year player Lourdes Gurriel Junior, the less heralded Grichuk stole the show on Saturday.

(Above) David Dahl of the Rockies heaves, rather than flips or tosses the bat, after walking against Jacob de Grom of the Mets on June 7th.

July 12th, 1927: Babe Ruth was halfway to 60. In his most prolific -- and best known -- season, the Bambino smacks his 30th home run off Indians lefty Joe Shaute. The Yankees went onto win 7 - 0 (Urban Shocker throwing a shutout.) It came in the season's 83rd game, which meant that Ruth actually homered at a faster pace in the second half of that 154 game marathon than in the first. July 12th, 1901: Cy Young earns his 300th victory in the Boston Americans 5 - 3 win over the Philadelphia A's. While today, that number means a guaranteed place in Cooperstown, for baseball's most famous pitcher, it was another day at the office -- he was just a bit more than halfway towards his eventual career total of 511 wins! July 12th, 1949: The All Star Game is integrated. Two years after the major leagues' color barrier was broken, Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Roy Campanella (all future Hall of Famers) and Don Newcombe (who probably should be) are the first African Americ...

I met Jim Bouton at the 2013 BAT Dinner in New York. This was my post not long after: I am so glad that I had the chance to meet Jim Bouton at this winter's BAT Dinner in New York. The North Jersey native starred for the Yankees at the end of the Mantle/Berra/Ford dynasty: winning 21 games in 1963 and 18 more in 1964. There's an image of his cap flying off while pitching from the mound in the Bronx. The nickname Bulldog. The uniform number 56. Of course, there was his game-changing book  Ball Four  -- whose candid, insider's viewpoint broke a lot of old taboos, helped launch him into a career as a local TV sportscaster and changed the sense of what sports books should be.  One more example of his being ahead of the curve (pardon the pun) is Big Leage Chew -- he's one of the developers of the bubblegum product designed to resemble chewing tobacco but without the harmful health risks. Jim's thoughtful rebelliousness, a sense of marching to the beat of his own drumm...

A night after MLB held its annual mid-summer league classic, several other All Star games were held around the country. The Triple A All Stars convened in El Paso. And less than an hour north of New York, two of the most successful independent leagues matched their standouts as the Can Am League and Frontier League all stars met at the Rockland Boulders ballpark in Pomona. This delightful venue would remind you of the nicer spring training parks. Compact, clean and full of fan-friendly amenities. ...even a miniature golf course. First time I'd seen one at a stadium! OK, let's get to the game. Two standouts from the Washington (PA) Wild Things had the big at bats when the Frontier League jumped on top in the 3rd inning: Hector Roa (above) had an RBI single and JJ Fernandez (below) smacked a three-run homer. Above: It was also a showcase for the mascots -- here are the ones from the New Jersey Jackals and the hosts, the Rockland Boulders. Below: The...

We had a tight competitive game last night. And with only two home runs, it didn't resemble some of the cartoonish contests fans have been "treated to" this season. There was effective pitching on both sides -- Jason Verlander, Shane Bieber and Aroldis Chapman looked especially sharp for the American League; Luis Castillo and Sandy Alcantara for the National. But what's your takeaway: your most enduring memory of the 90th All Star Game? Mine was the "Stand Up to Cancer" moment in which Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco, battling leukemia, returned to Progressive Field, loving surrounded by the AL team. Do you believe the All Star Game is still the midsummer classic? Has having interleague play every day diminished it? Or perhaps the urgency of not overworking pitchers and pulling the stars early in the game? Baseball should own early and mid-July. Or is the massive attention given last week's NBA free agent signing period be another warning sign to...

Though baseball's All Star Week doesn't include a Rising Stars competition, the Home Run Derby has turned into a comparable showcase for great young talent. Monday night, a collection of mostly young sluggers swung for the fences, capped by a dramatic conclusion: the final round served up a showdown of two first year standouts: Vladimir Guerrero Junior and Pete Alonso . Nicknamed "Polar Bear," the Mets rookie first baseman outslugged Vlad Jr. 23 to 22. Below: an image of bat meeting ball came from Sunday's Mets/Phillies game, where Alonso broke up Aaron Nola's no hit bid and hit the break with 30 home runs!

Sunday at Citi Field, Aaron Nola spent five innings dropping hints for those of us of a certain age about a long-ago Phillies ace working his magic against the Mets. The righthander took a no-hitter into the 6th inning before Pete Alonso launched a pitch well past the right field wall. OK, Nola really was little more than half way into letting us speak Jim Bunning's name -- and due to walks and errors, it wasn't on track to be a perfect game.  It underscored the faith the club had in rewarding Nola with a four-year, eight-figure extension, as the 8-3 victory. To be fair, let's give props to the rising star who spoiled the no-no bid. Along with Nola atop this page, here' Pete Alonso doing an elbow bump with fellow Mets all star Jeff McNeil, the player he drove in with that home run.