Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

...you share it with Dodgers manager  Dave Roberts  -- who has a knack for helping snap lengthy negative streaks.   B est known for his momentum-turning stolen base against in game four of the 2004 ALCS, Roberts’ daring sprint set up the Red Sox comeback as they erased the Yankees' three games to none series lead, something never done before in baseball... as Boston went on to capture its first World Series title since 1918.   Then in 2020, he managed the Dodgers to their first championship in 32 years.  All told, that’s upending 118 years of history!!  

  May 29th, 2010:   Roy Halladay  pitches a perfect game -- with little margin for error --  as the Phillies blank the Marlins 1-0 at Miami.  The righthander strikes out 12, and uses 115 pitches the become the 20th man to throw a perfect game -- and the second of the 2010 season (Oakland's Dallas Braden did it weeks earlier, marking the first season since 1880 with two perfectos in the same year). Halladay joins Jim Bunning as the only Phillies ever to throw a perfect game; ironically both occurred in road games during their first seasons with the club. Below, he was honored later that season in a pre-game ceremony at Citizens Bank Park.  Doc is third from the left in the upper row.  To his right are manager Charlie Manuel, GM Ruben Amaro Jr and team president David Montgomery.

You're not hearing much about Aaron Judge 's slow start any more.  Not after a strong week, where he homered in four of his last five games and overtook teammate Juan Soto as the AL leader in OPS and on-base percentage.  His 18 doubles pace the league; now tack on 17 home runs (one behind Houston's Kyle Tucker) and you can see why the Yanks are living up to their Bronx Bombers nickname again. (Below:)  As hot as Judge has been, that's how cold Victor Robles has been in '24.  Actually, it's been several years of declining production for the Nats' onetime top prospect.  With a batting average of .120 in the first two months of the season, Washington GM Mike Rizzo ran out of patience hoping for a turnaround.  After he clears waivers, another club will likely take a chance on Robles, who hit 17 homers and stole 28 bases in DC's 2019 championship season. The rest of this baseball season will be a little less fun with Ronald Acuna Junior on the shelf.  The...

Let's start on Friday the 24th with Bartolo Colon , a darned good pitcher with a somewhat goofy persona who starred for the Indians, Angels and Mets, winning 247 games over 21 big league seasons.   The Dominican native also holds the distinction of being the oldest player ever to hit his first career home run .   He was 16 days of turning 43 when he did it as Met against the Padres in 2015.  (See it for yourself here :  With two 20-win seasons and the 2005 AL Cy Young Award to his credit, he would be a strong Hall of Fame candidate had he not also had a 2012 PED suspension on his report card. Saturday 's birthday circle is highlighted by Chris Young (below), who is a member of a unique club: a World Series winner as both a player and executive.  The tall, but oft-injured Texan won 79 games in his 13 year career, highlighted by being a rotation member on the 2015 World Champion Royals.  A Princeton grad, who worked in the baseball commissioner's ...

Out antique shopping with friends, I found this slice of history in a Western Maryland store.  Obscured behind some other items , I couldn't get a clear shot -- or a chance to identify all the players.   It stirred up memories of a different baseball era: A time when major league teams would play an annual exhibition against their top farm clubs. This was the final year for the Braves in Boston (they'd head to Milwaukee that winter). These Braves would go on to win just 64 games. It was the rookie year for 3rd baseman Eddie Mathews , who'd go onto the Hall of Fame as well as earn a singular distinction -- as the only player to appear for the Braves in all three of the cities it called home. Fellow Hall of Famer Warren Spahn went 14-19, while posting an ERA under 3 and leading the NL in strikeouts for the fourth year in a row. In the other dugout, Hagerstown's best pitcher Bob Giggie won 18 that season -- but didn't make the majors until 1959, when he appeared in 1...

The bats were blazing and the fans packed the park all weekend in Philadelphia as the Phillies improved on the best record in baseball, sweeping the Washington Nationals.   I was on hand Saturday night to witness it firsthand from section 327. Here are two big moments captured on my Canon:   Kody Clemens (above) crushing a game tying homer in the bottom of the 9th, then Bryce Harper walking it off an inning later with a sacrifice fly. Sunday's standout was Alec Bohm .  The Phillies 3rd baseman -- and NL leader in RBIs -- contributed a pair of sacrifice flies and then capped his day with a three-run homer to the left field seats. These Phillies are built solidly: strong starting pitching — with Ranger Suarez blossoming into a Cy Young candidate — a lineup with power and good contact hitters (and doing it with star shortstop Trea Turner) and a manager in Rob Thomson who not only has the trust of his players but has helped make this perhaps the most likeable Phil...

If your birthday is Friday the 17th , you share it with Carlos Pena .  The power-hitting 1st baseman, who peaked with a 46-homer season with the '07 Rays, is now a top commentator for MLB Network. There's also Ben Gamel .   Once a top Yankees prospect, he's bounced between six big league clubs, most recently the Padres.  Unable to land an MLB roster spot this spring, he's now enjoying a big season for the Mets AAA club in Syracuse, where he's hitting over .300 with an OPS above 1.0. Gamel and Pena share their birthday with the late Negro Leagues legend Cool Papa Bell . Onto Saturday the 18th , with Mister October: Reggie Jackson crushed 563 home runs over 21 seasons with a knack for grabbing the headlines.  The slugging star of the A's early '70s dynasty, he was among the first of the stars to take advantage of free agency, jumping to the Yankees in 1977 just in time to clash with manager Billy Martin.  While that disfunctional relationship -- co-starring ...

Last night's news from Binghamton was mostly encouraging for Mets fans.  Pitcher David Peterson , rehabbing from hip surgery, tossed 5-1/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the Orioles AA club, while top prospect Ryan Clifford (below) made his first appearance with the Rumble Ponies after being promoted from High-A Brooklyn.  While he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, the Mets wanted the Raleigh, North Carolina native to face better competition -- even though he won't turn 21 until late July. While Clifford has played a lot of 1st base, manager Reid Brignac told me before the game, he plans to rotate his the lefty hitter between 1st and the outfield. Back to Peterson, he expects to make two more rehab starts before his time on the 60-day Injured List runs out.  He told reporters he thinks his next one will be Sunday in Syracuse.  

After Sunday night's walk-off homer to beat the Braves, I looked for the right photo of Brandon Nimmo to use -- and this one jumped out at me!  From the March 9th Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, the Mets outfielder hints at that famous image of Babe Ruth from the 1932 World Series.  Pointing to the outfield to say, "This pitch is going there."  It didn't happen back on that warm March day... but it seemed so right on the morning after his game winning blast off Alan Minter. (Below: a more recent image of Nimmo, in action against the Cubs earlier this month.)  

If  you were born on May 10th , you share this day with a likely future Hall of Famer: Royals catcher Salvador Perez .  The 2015 World Series MVP remains a top receiver and clutch hitter.  With 254 career homers, he stands a good chance of reaching 300.  And his eight all star game appearances (in 12 full seasons) are more than such legends as Roy Campanella, Yadier Molina and Elston Howard.   Also born on 5/10 a pair of familiar faces from the 1960s: the longtime White Sox outfielder Ken Berry , and original New York Met Jim Hickman . Saturday May 11th starts with  Miguel Sano .  The Dominican-born power hitter crushed 25 or more home runs in four of his first six seasons.  But knee problems ended his time with the Twins.  After sitting out 2023, he returned to the majors this year with the Angels. Joining him in the May 11th birthday circle:  Walt Terrell , who won 111 games over 11 years, where he pitched for five teams -- includ...

May 7th, 2010 : 47-year-old Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest pitcher ever to throw a complete-game shutout, holding the Braves to two hits (and no walks) in a 7-0 Phillies victory .    Jayson Werth's three-run 3rd inning homer opened the scoring.  Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez each drive in a pair in the Phils four-run 5th. Before a Citizens Bank Park crowd of 45, 349, Moyer ends his masterpiece with a 1-2-3 top of the 9th, getting Omar Infante to ground out weakly to shortstop Valdez for the game's final out.  

In a season without a lot of good news so far for Mets fans, last week offered encouragement from a fresh face and a familiar one : Christian Scott   made a splash in his big league debut.  After impressing over the first month at AAA Syracuse, the South Florida native threw 6-2/3 innings of one-run ball Saturday night  against the perennial AL contenders, Tampa Bay.  He's virtually assured of making another start in a few days and, with ace Kodai Senga sidelined a few more weeks, will get the chance to give Mets fans a sense of hope for the future.   (Below:) Scott on the mount against Columbus on April 28th, in what might turn out to be his final minor league start. Thursday afternoon, Francisco Lindor came off the bench to provide a pair of two-run doubles as the Mets came from behind and beat the Cubs 7-6 in 10 innings.  After starting the day sidelined with flu-like symptoms that also affected his wife and daughter, the Mets shortstop entered the...

They begin on Friday the 3rd with Davey Lopes , the 2nd baseman in the most durable infield in baseball history.  Along with 3rd baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell and 1st baseman Steve Garvey, they played together for a record 810 games over 8-1/2 seasons between 1973 and '81.  A reliable base stealer, he swiped 557 -- while his success rate of 83% ranks third behind only Tim Raines and Willie Wilson. Miguel Cairo celebrates on Saturday .  The well-traveled infielder played for nine teams over 17 seasons.  He only appeared in 29 games for the 2009 Phillies, when I snapped my only photo of him -- and he barely stayed in the image, after dropping the bat and heading to 1st base following a walk.  These days, the Venezuela native is the Nationals bench coach. Also on the May 4th birthday list: Ben Grieve , the 1998 American League Rookie of the Year who gave the A's three productive season, but faded after being traded to the Rays.  He later played for ...

A double-dose of May Day history from baseball's most prolific leadoff hitter: May 1st, 1991 : Rickey Henderson steals 3rd base off Tim Leary of the Yankees to pass Lou Brock as baseball's alltime stolen base king.  The record-breaking 939th stolen base comes in the bottom of the 4th inning that the A's go on to win 7-4. May 1st, 1992 : Exactly a year to the day after breaking Lou Brock's career stolen base record, Henderson becomes the first major leaguer ever to reach the 1000 mark... He does it in the top of the 1st against pitcher Walt Terrell and catcher Mickey Tettleton in the A's 7-6 victory in Detroit. ( My image of Rickey is from the Yankees 2013 Old Timers Day in the Bronx. )