Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

After losing to the Yankees on Tuesday night, the Blue Jays were in a must-win situation for the middle game of the series. Playing before their home fans at Rogers Centre, they may not have been ready to hit the panic button, but some doubts were likely bubbling after the Yanks erased a 4-0 deficit. Having already homered against the New York's suddenly shaky ace Gerrit Cole, Bo Bichette delivered the tiebreaking blast in the bottom of the 8th, when he crushed a Clay Holmes pitch and put Toronto ahead to stay. Now, with four games the go, the Yankees remain in the drivers seat, leading the Red Sox by a game and the Mariners and Blue Jays by two for the top AL Wild Card. But Bichette's big night -- especially as teammate and MVP candidate Vladimir Guerrero Junior is stuck in a 1 for 20 slump -- came at a critical moment. ( My image of Bo Bichette is from the Blue Jays/Phillies game May 15th at Dunedin . )  

While this Mets season winds down under a cloud disappointment, underachievement and far too many crucial injuries, fans of the Amazins got one small ray of hope Tuesday night. Noah Syndergaard , who hadn't appeared in a game in almost two years while recovering from -- and then dealing with several setbacks after -- Tommy John Surgery, worked the 1st inning against Miami and retired the side on 10 pitches. Of course, that could also have been his Mets swan song; a free agent come November, he isn't compelled to return to Flushing in 2022. The story was different on Jacob deGrom. Sidelined since early July by elbow pain (and an iffy elbow ligament), the club finally pulled the plug on his "building up" process. With no chance at the post-season, a winter of rest made more sense than forcing the issue -- especially with Mets ace under contract next year. Though that's hardly reassuring to fans who hoped they'd feel more secure about deGrom being ready for Openi...

Cleveland's baseball team played their last home game on Monday as the Indians. The old branding went out on a high note, in an 8-3 win over the division rival Royals. Before Jacobs/Progressive Field, this was the team's home: Cleveland Municipal Stadium. When I visited in June 1992, its next-to-last season, the statue of the cartoonish Chief Wahoo still stood atop the ballpark. Inside, it was the Yankees (that's Don Mattingly at bat) facing the Tribe.  

Giancarlo Stanton was truly the towering figure in the Yankees weekend sweep over the Red Sox. He homered in all three games and drove in 10 runs for the series, as the Yanks took over the top American League Wild Card slot as the season enters its final week. Since the 1st of August, "G" has cleared the fences 18 times! Was Saturday's game turning grand slam Stanton's "signature Yankee moment?" Will this quiet the boo birds the next time he strikes out in the Bronx with runners on base? Somehow lost in the media focus on the big series at Fenway was the Cardinals' steamroller plowing through Wrigley. Sunday's 4-2 victory extending the franchise's record winning streak to 16. Harrison Bader's 8th inning home run tied things; the red-hot Tyler O'Neill was at the plate when the go-ahead runs were produced an inning later. First, Andrew Knizner (below) scored on a Codi Heuer wild pitch; moments later, O'Neill's groundout drove in the...

September 24th, 2011: The Yankees salute the upcoming 50th anniversary Roger Maris' 61st home run with a pre-game ceremony attended by his widow and children, as well as Sal Durante, who caught the historic blast in the original Stadium's right field seats. Then, the present Bronx Bombers go out and beat the Red Sox 9-1 that features homers from Derek Jeter and Jesus Montero. September 24th, 1992: Dave Winfield's home run and two-run double -- in the Blue Jays 8-2 win over the Orioles -- makes him the first player ever to drive in 100 runs at age 40 or older. September 24th, 1978: Ron Guidry, en route to his unanimous selection as Cy Young Award winner, fires his third two-hit shutout of the month , as the Yankees blank the Indians 4-0. Graig Nettles and Lou Piniella put the Yanks on the board with 4th inning RBI singles; Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson do the same in the 7th. September 24th, 1975: Tom Seaver comes within one out of a no-hitter before Joe WallIs singles w...

...you share it with  Joba Chamberlain , an instant cult hero and perhaps the most captivating Yankee rookie between Derek Jeter and Gary Sanchez. Nearly unhittable when he first came to the majors during the final two months of the 2007 season -- posting a microscopic 0.38 ERA in 19 games, while striking out 34 batters in 24 innings as Mariano Rivera's set up man -- he couldn't sustain the success. A bad omen was an ill-fated playoff appearance that October in Cleveland, when swarms of small flying bugs descended on him, shaking his concentration and leading to a Yankee loss. The organization's indecision on converting him to a starter and then returning to the 'pen, led to injuries as a once-promising career just faded out. Pete Harnish  was born on Long Island and attended Fordham University, but enjoyed his biggest major league seasons away from New York. He won 16 games for the '93 Astros and '99 Reds; in between, he posted just a 10-21 record with the Mets...

The Yankees were having trouble Wednesday night taking advantage of some good fortune. The Blue Jays had lost an afternoon game to the Rays, so Aaron Boone's crew knew they could regain control of the second American League wild card with a win over the Rangers. But instead of having an extra bounce in their step, they initially fell behind 3-0. Their bats remained sluggish even as they tied the game. As this gallery begins, we're two outs into the last of the 8th inning. No one on and suddenly, the Yankees seemed to have found and flipped that mythical "switch." First, Joey Gallo bloops a double into no man's land in left field. It's one on, two out, and a 3-3 score, which Gleyber Torres unties. Hope you enjoyed the real life MST 3000 effect thanks to the fans cheering in section 214 as Torres brings Gallo home, with another opposite field hit. All of a sudden, the Yankees are up 4-3. And the fun's just begun. It's Gio Urshela's turn.   He jolts a...

The wait ended Tuesday night for Yankee fans, when Luis Severino pitched in a major league game for the first time in 707 days! Put the pause button on his career seemed to have been pressed a lot longer. Seen here in April 2018, a season where he'd go on to win 19, Severino's career began going off the rails the following season when a variety of injuries sidelined him until September. Things still weren't right in Spring Training 2020 when he a torn elbow ligament needed Tommy John surgery. There were more delays this season, which pushed his scheduled return back from July till almost the end of the season. Finally healthy and pain free, #40 turned in a pair of quality innings to close out Tuesday night's Yankees win over the Rangers. While he won't have enough time to build up his pitch count to make a start, Sevy immediately upgrades Aaron Boone's bullpen; should the Yanks make the post-season, he'll help make up for the loss of Zack Britton and Darren...

Jumping for joy? Jeff McNeil and Tomas Nido celebrate after the Mets left fielder hit the tie-breaking homer as they won the series finale over the Phillies. (Below), Kyle Gibson gets his cap and glove back after an inspection by umpire CB Bucknor as he leaves the game following the the McNeil homer. Mets catcher Tomas Nido had a key double right before Dominic Smith's game tying hit in the 5th inning. How close did the Phillies come to pulling out that Sunday night game? Bryce Harper was hopeful for a moment when the ball left his bat. Just a  fleeting moment, as fly balls don't travel quite as far once the nights grow cool. Then... reality hit, as the ball fell toward Jeff McNeil's glove. And the Mets held on to won 3-2.  

I got another good look at Luis Gil last Monday. The rookie pitcher had a rough 1st inning, giving up a pair of homers to the Twins, then settling down, allowing just one more run (a solo homer) over the next five innings. Of course, things didn't go as well in his next start on Saturday. If the Yankees top four starters are Gerrit Cole, Jamison Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and Nestor Cortes, do you expect Aaron Boone to carry Gil as a bullpen arm for the post-season?  What is Yadier Molina waving in the on-deck circle? That "bat" appears to have barbed edges. Or is it a light saber from Star Wars ? Either way, I have never seen an object quite like that being used by a batter ready for his turn. Have you? From Sunday night's Phillies/Mets game, pitcher Kyle Gibson takes a moment on the way to the dugout to thank 2nd baseman Jean Segura for helping turn a key double play in the inning just ended. Onto the bottom of the 7th, as Jeff McNeil watches his tie-breaking home r...

September 17th, 2020: For the first time ever, the Yankees hit five home runs in an INNING! Brett Gardner, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit clear the fences on consecutive pitches in the 4th inning off Toronto’s Chase Anderson -- Voit’s home run was his major league-leading 20th. Aaron Hicks then strikes out, before Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres follow with home runs giving the Yankees a 9-2 lead, ending Anderson's night. Their 10-7 win over the Blue Jays capped a three-game sweep in which they crushed 19 home runs -- and became the first team ever with at least six homers in three straight games. September 17th, 1993: Nolan Ryan strikes out Greg Myers for his 5714 th and final strikeout. But the Angels outlast Ryan's Rangers 2-1. September 17th, 1984: Reggie Jackson hits his 500th career home run off KC's Bud Black in the Angels/Royals game at Anaheim -- on the 17th anniversary of his very first roundtripper, which took place in the same stadium, while playi...