Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

...you share it with Mike Napoli.   The catcher-turned-1st baseman brought power and leadership to winning teams in Anaheim, Texas, Cleveland and Boston -- where he helped win the World Series in his first Fenway season (2013).  Over his 12 years in the majors, the Hollywood, Flroida native hammered 267 home runs. These photos are from the Sox September 7th, 2013 game against the Yankees.  The first shows Napoli's swing on his 2nd inning home run; then moments later, he celebrates it back at home plate.  Tony Kemp  also gets birthday cake alongside his Halloween candy.  Drafted by the Astros out of  Vanderbilt, the utilityman also played for the Cubs and A's before wrapping up his nine year career with a five game cameo on the 2024 Orioles.

Hosting games three, four and five of the World Series... here are some of my favorite Dodger Stadium photos.  The first four are from opening day 2008 -- with one of the main entrances featuring giant posters of past LA baseball heroes. That signature view from the upper deck.  The Hollywood hills and its greenery.   Winding it back to my first visit in 1991, first a pre-game moment.  A couple of players stretch; the grounds crew waters down the grass. Below, the Phillies take batting practice.  Out by the cage, backup catcher Steve Lake wears #25.  But #14 is a puzzle; baseball-reference.com says no Phillies player or coach wore it in '91. Another sun splashed view of one of baseball's classic parks -- now the second oldest in the NL.

...you share it with Rafael Devers .  The Dominican native joined the Red Sox midway through the 2017 season and was a star on Boston's most recent World Series champs.  With well over 200 homers and a signed to a long term extension, he looked like he was on his way to being a Fenway fixture, until the Sox signed free agent Alex Bregman and handed him Devers' 3rd base position.  Rafi's unhappiness led to an ice cold start to the season -- 0 for 21 with 15 strikeouts -- and hard feelings that led to his mid-June trade to the Giants.  Oddly, Boston played better once he was moved and claimed an American League Wild Card, while the Giants slumped and missed the playoffs.   These photos were taken during a Red Sox-Mets game in New York in April 2021.   Tanner Banks has been a dependable lefty reliever for the White Sox and, the past year and a half, the Phillies.  While it's doubtful that he'll need to grab a bat with the universal DH rule, he is one...

  George Springer : Monday night's difference-maker.  He met his moment in the 7th inning with his Blue Jays down 3-1, two men on and one man out — and  crushed the first pitch he saw from Seattle reliever Eduardo Bazardo. That 381-foot blast to the left center field seats didn't just turn the game around.   It was the biggest Toronto home run since Joe Carter's that ended the 1993 World Series.  One big swing propels the Blue Jays back to baseball's Fall Classic, with a chance to make more history as they face the Dodgers beginning Friday night at Rogers Center. Not that the past accurately predicts the future, but the New Britain, Connecticut native has a track record of productive post-seasons.  In 78 games, he's slugged 23 homer runs and driven in 47 with an OPS of .880. So, it's onto the World Series with maybe a hint of 2017 -- when  Springer, then with the Astros, earned Series MVP honors with a record-tying five home runs, as Houston outl...

...you share it with  Ha-seong Kim .  The Korean middle infielder spent his first four MLB seasons with the Padres -- highlighted by winning a Gold Glove and hitting 17 home runs in 2023 -- before moving on to the Rays last winter as a free agent.  But shoulder surgery and a back injury wrecked last season, which ended in a 24 game run as the Braves shortstop.  His future is up in the air, as he can trigger an opt-out in his contract.  We'll know more a few days after the World Series ends. Rafael Montero never became the quality starting pitcher the Mets hoped for, but has enjoyed success as a reliever with the Astros, and most recently, the Tigers.  With his three-year $34.5 million contract ending, he'll be a free agent this winter.

Once the Mariners outlasted the Tigers in the ALDS early Saturday morning, my job was to find some photos of Seattle's walkoff hero. The same red hot hitter kept making headlines with the go-ahead single in game one of the Championship Seies and a three-run homer in Monday’s game two!   While I haven't caught  Jorge Polanco   in action since he was traded in the winter of '24, I thought you'd enjoy these photos from his time with the Twins (facing the Yankees in New York).  

...you share it with Andrew McCutchen .  The longtime Pirates star -- back in Pittsburgh as his club's elder statesman after stops with the Yankees, Phillies, Giants and Brewers -- was the team's best player during the 2010s, when he made five All Star teams and won the 2013 NL MVP.   "Cutch" is joined in today's birthday circle by one of the Royals' rising young stars.  Vinny Pasquantino blasted 32 homers and drove in 113 in 2025 -- as Kansas City battled for, but ultimately fell short of an American League Wild Card. Troy Tulowitzki  -- who wore #2 as a tribute to his boyhood hero, Derek Jeter -- starred for a decade at shortstop with the Rockies.  Always a bit injury prone, his numbers and durability fell sharply after a mid-season 2015 trade to the Blue Jays.  He sat out 2018 and a 2019 comeback attempt with the Yankees ended after just five games.

Going through some recent photos, I found this of Binghamton Rumble Ponies 1st base coach Mariano Duncan  -- who just completed his fourth season with the Mets AAA club.  40 years ago as a 1985 Dodgers rookie, he became the first major leaguer ever with that first name.  A decade later,  Mariano   Rivera  was promoted to the Yankees.  And the following season on the '96 Yankees, baseball's only two Marianos were teammates -- Duncan, the 2nd baseman and Rivera, the dynamic set-up reliever -- key cogs on the team that went onto win the World Series! During his playing days, Duncan was a familiar October face: seeing post-season action with four different teams: his '85 Dodgers made it to the NLCS (where they lost to the Cardinals).  He also played on pennant winners with the 1990 Reds and '93 Phillies before switching leagues and winning a title with the '96 Yanks.  

  ...you share it with one baseball's best young shortstops, CJ Abrams .   A key part of the haul the Nationals received for Juan Soto in 2022, he's excelled on both sides of the ball, averaging 19 homers and 36 steals in each of his three full big league seasons. ( My images of Abrams are from the Nationals/Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park on May 18th, 2024.) We've also got a pair of Hall of Famers in our October 3rd birthday circle: pitcher Dennis Eckersley and outfielder Dave Winfield .