Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

...you share it with Bernie Williams .  The Yankees centerfielder during their most-recent dynasty was a five-time All Star and four-time World Champ.  This dependable run producer hit .297 over 16 seasons with 287 home runs -- and has plenty of memorable post-season moments: remember game three of 1996 ALDS, when he homered and then robbed a homer from the Rangers?  His walk-off homer in game one of the 1999 ALCS and catching the final out of the 2000 World Series against the Mets...  A gifted guitarist, he's concentrated on music since his playing days ended in 2006.  Bernie's number 51 -- chosen in honor of his native Puerto Rico's aspirations to become our 51st state -- was retired in 2015. Taylor Trammell , once a 1st round draft pick of the Reds, spent parts of 2021-'23 with the Mariners, then bounced from the Dodgers to the Yankees in 2024, spending most of the year at Scranton-Wilkes Barre.  17 home runs and 17 steals in AAA show his potential, but he's yet

Yankee fans got their wish on Monday, when top level prospect Jasson Dominguez was recalled from Scranton Wilkes-Barre.  After an especially hot series against Syracuse -- where I saw him last Tuesday -- the move makes sense, especially with the rest of the Yankee lineup struggling.  Jasson's arrival might lead to more rest for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, who seem to be slowing down after 140 games. While I caught "The Martian" in a lighthearted move before the game, he wore a more serious expression once the action began. Monday in the Bronx, he went 1-for-4, with a stolen base, that thanks to a Royals error became a run scored. Then on Wednesday, I zoomed in on the two hottest bats for the AA Yanks.  I'd already seen Spencer Jones in early August when Somerset visited Bowie; the young centerfielder impressed again in the series against the Mets prospects in Binghamton, leading off the opening game of a twi-nighter with a bullet of a double. Rafael Flores  is finish

Next to Tom Seaver, there was arguably no player more synonymous with the New York Mets than Ed Kranepool.   His franchise-most 18-season run began in 1962 under Casey Stengel at the Polo Grounds; slowly but surely, the club then assembled a strong core of young talent.  Playing alongside Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Cleon Jones, Tommie Agee and Tug McGraw, Kranepool was a key player on the 1969 World Champs (he homered against the Orioles in game three) and '73 NL pennant winners.  Never the biggest bat in the lineup, he was a steady contributor who hit a lifetime .261.  As his career wound down, Ed found (and excelled in) a new role, becoming one of the game's most effective pinch hitters.  Kranepool was a fixture at Mets-themed events in the New York area.  The top photo is from the 2014 BAT Dinner, where he enjoying reminiscing with Solly Hemus, a coach on the 1962 and '63 Mets. Signed out of James Monroe High School in the Bronx -- where he broke home run records set by Hank

  ...you share it with a trio of players who called New York home during the 2010s.  Clint Frazier , touted for his "legendary bat speed," joined the Yankees in a 2016 deadline deal for reliever Andrew Miller.  Despite flashes of brilliance -- and several serious injuries -- he never stuck as a regular and later bounced in and out of the White Sox and Cubs. (Below:)  Tyler Austin made history in  '16 when he and Aaron Judge homered in their first plate appearances.   Never in 147 years -- reaching back to 1869 -- had there   back to back blasts by two teammates making their big league debuts in the very same game.  But while Judge went on to become the Yankees biggest star and re-write the American League single season home run record, Austin played in just 85 games as a Yank and was out of the majors just three years later. Jerry Blevins was a media favorite during his four seasons as a Mets reliever: so it's no surprise he's going into broadcasting.  He now ap

Nick Castellanos was the difference maker as the Phillies took three out of four in their showdown series against the Braves,  Sunday night, his two-run double tied things in the 6th; his two-out RBI single in the 11th walked off the NL East leaders as they stretched their division lead to seven games with 25 to go.  Tack that onto his two-run 7th inning homer that gave the Phils the lead in Thursday night's series opener and you've got a big reason why Philadelphia is a big step closer to its first division title in 13 years. (Below:)  Austin Wells picked a good time for the first two homer game of his career.  Friday night, the Yankees rookie catcher drove in four in a 6-3 victory over the Cardinals in the Bronx.  ( This image is from the Yanks' 4th of July home game against the Reds .)   Let's zoom in on a couple of players promoted as September began:  Duke Ellis , the gifted base stealer but a marginal hitter, quickly passed through the Mets organization in June

...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 MVP smacked a game-tying bottom of the

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, forcing in a run and changing th

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 h