Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

...you share it with a pair of pitchers that combined for 343 wins and four World Series appearances.  Lefty Cliff Lee (above) made it to the big stage with the '09 Phillies and 2011 Rangers.  But his best season came in Cleveland, when he won the Cy Young Award, going 22-3 on a team that failed to reach the post-season. Adam Wainwright was a Cardinal for his entire career -- notching 200 victories, including in 19 two different seasons, when he was the runner-up for the Cy.   Who else stands in our August 30th birthday circle? Roberto Hernandez , the well traveled pitcher once known as Fausto Carmona, who was Lee's teammate for several seasons with the Indians. Marlon Byrd , the well traveled outfielder who was Lee's teammate on the 2014 Phillies. And we remember : Tug McGraw , the effervescent reliever who divided his career between the Mets and Phillies, and pitched on each franchise's first-ever World Series champions: 1969 in Flushing and 1980 in Philadelphia. Te...

Having recently been promoted to AA, I was eager to get my first look at Justin Crawford when Reading visited Binghamton.  The Phillies 1st round draft pick in 2022 has done well moving up the ladder -- and absolutely dazzled Saturday night.  The most impressive of his three hits was this perfectly executed bunt that he beat out for a hit.   The 20-year old then turned that into Reading run, stealing 2nd, moving to 3rd on an error and scoring on a sacrifice fly.  The son of Carl Crawford plays the same speed-and-contact hitting game that made his dad one of the game's most feared hitters.  Don't be surprised if Justin does the same when he arrives in the majors in the next year or two. I was also eager to catch  Eddie Rosario  in action; after being cut by the Nationals and Braves, he'd recently joined the Mets top farm club in Syracuse.  I thought things were going well.  Hoping to catch on as an extra bat in September, the 2021 NLCS M...

If you celebrate on Friday the 23rd , you share the day with  Mike Yastrzemski.     The grandson of the Red Sox legend had a far more tenuous climb to the majors.  Not making the show until age 28, he rode a terrific spring training in 2019 to a spot on the Orioles roster.  Even after a 21 homer rookie season where he hit .272,  Baltimore didn't consider him a part of their future.  The Giants didn't make that mistake; acquiring him for pitcher Tyler Herb (who never made the majors), he's been a key member of the San Francisco outfield for the past five seasons. ( On a side note, Grandpa Carl Yastrzemski turned 85 yesterday. ) Sharing the day is Ron Blomberg .  On April 6th, 1973, the popular Yankee made history as baseball's first DH -- being the first to come to bat at the newly created position, just moments before Orlando Cepeda, then with the Red Sox.  In the top of the 1st inning, facing Luis Tiant, he walked with the bases loaded, forc...

Let's lead things off with a FIRST: Thursday night, Weston Wilson became the first Phillies rookie ever to hit for the cycle (and just the 10th player in franchise history to do so).  Less than a month from turning 30, the veteran of eight minor league seasons has become a useful spare part for the Phils -- hitting well over .300 -- especially after Whit Merrifield failed to produce in that spot earlier this year .  (In case you were curious who the previous Phillies player was that hit for the cycle… stick around). (Below:) Here's another "different" look for Aaron Judge , who became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 300 career home runs last Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.  The Yankee captain reached the milestone after just 955 games, overtaking the previous record-holder Ralph Kiner , who needed 1,087 games to get to 300.  I snapped this on August 4th, 2016, while Judge was with Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre -- just nine days when ...

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish  is the most prolific current player with an August 16th birth day.  The Japanese righthander is the third native of his country to reach a combined 200 victories between JPB and MLB (he's got 107 in the USA over his 12 seasons with the Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres.  Despite battling injuries, he's a five-time All Star, Darvish is also second alltime in WAR among players born 8/16.  The leader: Gene Woodling , the sweet-swinging outfield who played on five straight Yankees World Champs (1949-'53) and then ended his career again playing for Casey Stengel on the infamous 1962 Mets -- making him among the first to play for both present-day New York clubs. Saturday the 17th, we're also focusing on the day's WAR leaders.  Your runner-up is Jorge Posada .  The switch hitter,, who  belted 20 or more home runs seven times,  was the primary catcher on three straight Yankee championship teams (1998-2000) as well as their most...

Wilmer Flores ' season officially ended last week when the Giants announced he'd undergo knee surgery.  The popular utilityman began his minor league career at age 16, when he played for three Mets minor league teams, including their then-short season club in Brooklyn (below). Enjoy these 2014 shots of one of the nicest ballparks in MiLB.  Now known as  Maimonides Park  (named for a prominent local hospital), the waterfront location and proximity to the Coney Island amusement area sets it apart. Since I wound the Time Machine back 10 years, here's a 2014 spring training shot of Jose Reyes , then with the Blue Jays, hitting against the Phillies. One last nostalgic image: collectible trays for the Mets long-ago beer sponsors recently up for sale in a Hagerstown, Maryland antiques store.  

  I got an in-season look at Spencer Jones last Thursday and was again impressed.  You could see how the Yankees super-prospect intimidates other clubs -- facing the Orioles' AA affiliate Bowie, he was pitched around all night.  Along with his three walks, the 23 year old from Vanderbilt crushed a double to the base of the wall in left center and scored three runs.  He seemed to resist swinging at bad pitches, a good sign that he's evolving his approach. Climbing into the Time Machine... 10 years ago at the BAT Dinner in New York, I caught this reunion of three 1969 Mets teammates: Ed Kranepool, Ron Swoboda and Ron Taylor.  Those Amazin' Mets are marking the 55th anniversary of their stunning championship. (Below:)  Cleveland's still-terrific ballpark is celebrating its 30th anniversary.  Of course, some things have changed... such as the venue's name as well as that of  its tenant. How about a one-time-only photo op?  From May 29th, 2013, ...