Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

  ...you share it with  Ben Rortvedt , who came close to joining the select circle that have played for both New York teams.  Having already seen action for the 2023 Yankees, the well traveled catcher suited up 48 times this season for the Mets AAA club in Syracuse -- where, despite injuries to Francisco Alvarez, he never got the call to Queens.  Instead, he returned to the Dodgers in a deadline deal for pitching prospect Chayce McDermott.  Vance Worley looked like he was about to become the Phillies next stellar starting pitcher, going 11-3 on the 2011 NL East champs.  But "The Vanimal" could never duplicate those numbers; never again reaching double digit victories and only once posting a winning record over the next half dozen years, as he bounced from Philadelphia to Minnesota, Baltimore and Miami.  In case you're curious, of the nearly 70 major leaguers born on September 25th, the best player (in terms of WAR) and only Hall of Famer, is the Yanke...

At Saturday night's Syracuse/Lehigh Valley game, I paid special attention to several players that could be on the bubble for the Phillies post-season roster.  One was the former American League All Star Nestor Cortes .  Signed in August -- just in time to be playoff-eligible -- he had a couple of rough outings initially, but looked solid on Saturday, tossing three shutout innings against the AAA Mets (whose lineup featured top prospect Jefferson Rojas and former big leaguers MJ Melendez and Vidal Brujan).  Between injuries and ineffective by the current 'pen crew, there could be an opening for Cortes if the Phillies make it through the final week and claim a Wild Card. Remember Otto Kemp ? After opening the 2026 season with the Phillies (and big expectations), t he failed to provide that right handed bench strength that Derek Hill and Bryan De La Cruz produced.  And he didn't do make to boost his cause at Lehigh Valley, hitting just .226 (albeit with 17 home runs a...

...you share it with the late Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg .  In a deal that nearly parallels Fergie Jenkins, the promising Phillies infielder was traded after the 1981 season to the Cubs (along with Larry Bowa) for veteran shortstop Ivan deJesus.  The move worked short-term: with deJesus in the lineup, the "Wheeze Kids" won the '83 pennant before fading quickly.  After a slow start in Chicago, Sandberg's career took off against the Cardinals in the now-iconic NBC Game of the Week , where he twice homered to tie the game, which the Cubs won in 11 innings.  From there, it was a decade of stardom, with  10 consecutive All-Star appearances, nine consecutive Gold Gloves and a pair of division titles. His baseball IQ and sustained success seemed to mark him as a future standout manager.  After leading the Phillies Lehigh Valley farm club to the playoffs in 2011, he was promoted to Charlie Manuel's coaching staff -- and succeeded him in August 2013. ...

One of my goals every year is to visit a ballpark that's "new to me."  Last week, I sorta added Asheville, North Carolina's HomeTrust Park to my list.  Sorta, because the High-A season ended on Sunday September 6th and I didn't arrive until the following day.  And while there were no remaining games -- and no permission to get past the gates -- that didn't stop me or my camera from capturing as much as I could. Previously known as McCormick Field, minor league ball has been played on this site -- a hillside not far from downtown Asheville -- for 102 years.  The current version of the South Atlantic League's Asheville Tourists has been here since 2021.  Riffing on the club's name, here's a look inside the team store, a/k/a "The Tourist Trap." I'm not sure every ballpark should have a brick facade, but this one looks perfect. Six future Hall of Famers played for Asheville on their way to the majors: Sparky Anderson, Craig Biggio, Todd H...

...you share it with Jacoby Ellsbury .  The speedy Oregonian spent seven often dynamic years  with the Red Sox  -- including two World Championships --  before jumping the Yankees, where his speed, production and health  declined over the next four seasons (2014-'17). Mike Moustakas mashed 215 homers over 13 seasons, the first eight with the Royals - where he was a fixture on their 2014 pennant winners and 2015 World Series champs. Weston Wilson waited six-and-a-half years in the minors before finally reaching MLB.  And what a debut it was -- on August 9th, 2023 -- homering for the Phillies in his first at bat!  He has since moved on to the Mariners and Orioles.  

The Nationals have done a great job this year of promoting players through their minor league system.  Dylan Crews, Andres Chaparro, Yohandy ("Yoyo") Morales and Abimelec Ortiz were in the Rochester lineup when I saw them hosting Buffalo back in April -- all have since played major league games for Washington.  But a former Nats 3rd round draft pick hasn't yet been promoted. Despite slugging 31 homers -- the most for any player that's spent the entire season in AAA -- and batting over .290, Trey Lipscomb has remained with Rochester.  I saw him again last week facing Syracuse where he showcased this impressive swing. A Frederick, Maryland native who played college ball at Tennessee, Lipscomb has struggled his first three minor league seasons and in a pair of short stints in DC (2024 and '25). But his production this year (albeit with 128 strikeouts) should have had him in line for a September call up.  Now 26, one wonders if the organization no longer considers hi...

...you share it with Mike Piazza , the greatest hitting catcher in baseball history.  427 career homers and .308 lifetime average -- topping those of Bench, Berra and Campanella -- punched his ticket to Cooperstown. Drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of baseball's amateur draft as a favor by Tommy Lasorda to Mike's dad, a longtime family friend, the Phoenixville, PA native became the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year, but wasn't able to hammer out a long-term contract to stay in LA.  Instead, he was flipped in 1998 to the Marlins and then the Mets -- leading them to the 2000 pennant and a place alongside the Yankees in the most recent all-New York World Series.  The emotional peak of his career came the following year with a dramatic walk-off homer for the Mets in their first game after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Mike finished his career with the Padres -- whom he led to a 2005 NL West title and A's before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, the same year ...

Congratulations to Max Scherzer , who moved into 9th place on the alltime strikeout list when he whiffed Cal Raleigh in Sunday's seventh inning at Rogers Centre.  #3535 not only passed Gaylord Perry -- but gave him his 10th K of the game -- and 115th double-digit strikeout game of his Hall of Fame-bound career. It was a throwback moment for Max: now 42 and working his 19th (and possibly final) big league season, and having missed considerable time with injuries, Scherzer flashed seven innings of one-hit ball, and walked only one in Toronto's 7-0 victory. (My image of Scherzer is from a 2017 game at Nationals Park in Washington.)  

...you share it with two players at the core of the Yankees renaissance of the middle and late 1970s.  Ron Guidry ranks alongside Andy Pettitte and just behind Whitey Ford among the club's greatest lefthanded pitchers.  Louisiana Lightning didn't become a member of the Yanks rotation until 1977, when he broke through with a 16-7 record.  The next season was one for the ages: a 25-3 mark, highlighted by an 18- strikeout effort against the Angels en route to the Cy Young Award and runner-up for the MVP, as the Yankees won their second consecutive World Series.  All told, over 12 full seasons, he won 170 games and, through the lens of today's game, deserved a longer look from Hall of Fame voters. Lou Piniella was a dependable righthanded bat who hit .295 across 11 Yankee seasons. After his playing days, the '86–88 Yankees were the first of five teams he managed . The Reds were his most famous assignment, winning the 1990 World Series in a huge upset of the A's. ...

On this date in 1956, the Yankees release shortstop   Phil Rizzuto to clear a roster spot for veteran outfielder Enos Slaughter.  At age 38, the future Hall of Famer had become a part-time player, no longer the speedy defensive whiz of his peak years.  While it ended his 13 year playing career, the Scooter wouldn't be away from the Yanks for long.  After making a strong impression filling in for Frankie Frisch on the crosstown Giants post-game TV shows during September, Rizzuto would rejoin the Yankees the following spring as a broadcaster, where he would thrive and -- "Holy Cow" -- become even more popular, for the next 40 years! But that's not all... On August 25th, 1976, Mickey Rivers ' walk off single in the bottom of the 19th inning drives in Oscar Gamble as the Yankees outlast the Twins 5-4 in a marathon game that ended at 1:36am!!  The Yanks would go on to win the AL East and snap their 12 year post-season drought. August 25th, 2001: Bernie Williams ...

...you share it with Felix Millan .  The defensive standout won a pair of Gold Gloves in Atlanta and reached the post-season with both the division champion '69 Braves and the pennant winning '73 Mets.  I snapped this photo when he appeared at the 2014 BAT Dinner in New York. JD Martinez also wrapped up his big league career in Queens.  The South Florida native played for six different teams in 14 years, including the 2018 champion Red Sox, where his 130 RBI led the American League and landed him fourth in the MVP voting. Of the 39 position players born on this date, Martinez -- with 331 homers, 1071 RBI and an .863 OPS -- is the statistically most productive (by WAR). Brandon Drury moved around a lot -- seven teams in 10 seasons, including brief runs with both the Mets and Yankees. He started to hit for power late in his career -- smacking 28 homers while splitting 2022 between the Reds and Padres, and 26 as a 2023 Angel. Still not giving up hope of making it back to M...

  Hit the rewind button and browse through a souvenir collection of a lost Yankees season that marked the end of an era. Sure, there were plenty of familiar faces: below Mickey Mantle, Tom Tresh and Roger Maris smile for the cameras in spring training.  Full of optimism and not ready to believe that 15 year dynasty was over.  But it is was. Instead of bouncing back following a shocking sixth place finish in 1965, the Yankees staggered out of the gate in ‘66, losing 10 of their first 11 and 16 of their first 20 games as manager Johnny Keane was fired and a new reality settled in.  There were new faces as well.  Bobby Murcer and Roy White would see brighter days; but not for more than a decade.   Fritz Peterson and Dooley Womack would be bright spots during a dark time; veterans Bob Friend and Lou Clinton were past their peaks.  Ruben Amaro’s Yankee time would be marred by injury.   Check out the back page ad.  The Sinclair brand and symbol wou...

  ...you share it with Josh Bell .  The well-traveled first baseman has been with seven different teams in his 11-year career.  I snapped this when he was a 2024 Marlin; this year, he's with the Twins, where he's on track for what would be his sixth 20 home run season. In an odd coincidence, two players, both lefthanded hitters who once wore #9 with Miami, share a birthday, Juan Pierre' s trademarks were speed and singles.  Four 200-hit seasons and nine years with 40 or more steals made him one of the game's most feared leadoff men of the 2000s. Eric Wagaman was drafted out of high school and bounced through several organizations (including the Marlins, where he played in '25) before landing with the Mets as a utilityman this season.   Johan Rojas flashed great speed and defensive skills when he debuted with the Phillies -- but hasn't been able to hit major league pitching since his 2023 debut.  Worse was this year's PED suspension, followed by a sea...

  In the midst of a lost season -- where the only positives appear to be the development of rookies such as Carson Benge and AJ Ewing — the Mets recently traded for or promoted several other young players that, at first glance, appear to be on track to join those former 2025 Rumble Ponies. Considered the big prize in the deal sending AJ Minter to Minnesota, power-hitting Billy Amick has a catchy nickname and, so far at Binghamton, the productivity to back it up.  "Billy Barrels"' five home runs and 13 RBI in his first seven games caught my attention.  The Twins' 2nd round draft pick in 2024 after crushing 24 home runs at Tennessee and leading them to the College World Series crown, he hit more for average in the low minors.  This year, it's pedal to the metal time again -- 23 homers in 86 games for AA Wichita, while striking out roughly a third of time.  Sunday, the swing was sweet and the power very real as you can see below: this swing produced a game-changin...

...you share it with Mike Trout .  The athletically gifted New Jersey native arrived in the majors just two years after being drafted by the Angels.  Quickly emerging as that rare combination of speed, power and defensive prowess, he's led the American League four times in both OPS and runs scored, while earning four MVP awards as well as the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year.  Unfortunately, he’s been victimized by a badly run franchise that has yet to win a playoff series during his career and was unable to compete even while Trout and fellow superstar Shohei Ohtani were teammates.  Already a lock for Cooperstown, his only obstacle has been injuries.  Trout hasn't played in more than 130 games in any full season this decade. Don Larsen is the classic example of an ordinary ballplayer authoring one extraordinary moment.  His perfect game in game five of the 1956 World Series remains a unicorn -- no one has matched the sheer dominance in any post-season outing....