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If Your Birthday is March 20th...

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...you share it with Justin Garza .  After earlier tenures with the Guardians and Red Sox, the California-born reliever pitched for both the Syracuse and New York Mets during 2025 -- but without much success.  He was waived late in September, and has yet to land a deal for the upcoming season. Garza is the only player born on this date that I've photographed. I've yet to see rising star Colton Cowser of the Orioles or Twins pitcher Taj Bradley; and I missed well traveled relievers Brad Hand and Jonny Venters during the 2010s. There's only one Hall of Famer with a March 20th birthdate: that's turn of the century pitching ace "Iron Man" Joe McGinnity, who won 246 games in just a 10-season career!!  But with 27, 31 and 35-win seasons for the old New York Giants (plus 28 win seasons for the 1899 Orioles and 1900 Dodgers), it's easy to see why he earned his place in Cooperstown.  I recommend his biography posted online by the great researchers at SABR .  
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The Trop is Ready

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  Driving to Clearwater for a recent Phillies Grapefruit League game, there was an encouraging view from I-275; the hurricane damage is gone; the sad image of a shredded roof now a memory.  Tropicana Field is ready to welcome fans back for the Rays home opener against the Cubs on April 6th. There is a new and stronger roof along with interior enhancements to hopefull brighten the atmosphere at one of the worst designed domed stadiums ever. 
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If Your Birthday is March 13th...

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...you share it with Johan Santana .  The Venezuelan lefty starred for the Twins and Mets -- where on June 1st, 2012, he authored the franchise's first no-hitter (and still the Mets only one thrown by just one pitcher).    While a 139-78 career record might seem a bit thin, keep in mind he's a product of 21st century ball.  Santana has the highest WAR for any pitcher born on this date.  And despite seven outstanding seasons -- one more than icons and inductees Sandy Koufax and Dizzy Dean -- he failed to draw even five percent of the vote and was dropped from the Hall of Fame ballot after his first year of eligibility.   Hopefully, when Santana comes up before  the Veterans Committee in a few years, he'll receive stronger consideration.  He certainly deserves it.    
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Spring Training Flashback: 2011 in Clearwater

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Winding it back 15 years; it's March 2011 as the four-time defending NL East champion Phillies look to make it five in a row.  Getting ready for the season at what was then Bright House Field, the Phils brought back plenty of familiar faces, starting with pitching ace Cole Hamels . Outfielder Raul Ibanez takes a big swing. (Below:) Slugger Ryan Howard  -- on track for his 6th straight 100_ RBI season -- gets ready in the on-deck circle. Aiming for the opposite field... Howard plants one of the seats in front of Frenchy's Tiki Bar. Something you only see in Florida, as the game heads toward the late innings, you see some of the regulars -- especially the pitchers who had the day off -- leave early.  That's Roy Oswalt on your left, and Roy Halladay on the right. (Below:) Closers need work in the Grapefruit League.  Here's Brad Lidge , getting his throws in early.
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If Your Birthday is March 6th...

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...you share it with Edmundo Sosa .  The popular Phillies utilityman provides a spark coming off the bench and when platooned against  lefty pitchers.  A .276 hitter last season, with a career-best 11 home runs, he's a key for Panama's team in the World Baseball Classic. Francisco Cervelli will also be in this year's WBC.  The longtime Yankees and Pirates catcher will be Italy's manager, connecting with his father's birthplace.  He played parts of 13 seasons in the majors, highlighted by backing up Jorge Posada on the Yanks 2009 World Series champs.  
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Spring Training Flashback: More From 2016

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My spring training trip ten years ago was short but productive as I managed to catch both New York teams within three days.  Today, let's zoom in as the Yankees visit the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium on March 8th, 2016.    CC Sabathia -- whose number 52 will be retired by the Yanks this summer -- got the start.  And this marked my first chance to see Aaron Judge in a Yankee uniform -- five months before he'd make his big league debut .  Could anyone have predicted that this tall kid from California would become one of the game's biggest stars?? Rob Refsnyder was also in the lineup that day.  He'd seen his first major league action the summer before --  where he was Judge's Scranton teammate for part of the season.  I liked this candid shot, entering the dugout together between innings.  A free agent over the winter, Refsnyder left the Red Sox to sign with the Mariners, while Judge gets ready for his 10th full season in the Bronx. Ichiro ...
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If Your Birthday is February 27th...

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  ...you share it with Matt Stairs , the Phillies reliable pinch hitter on their 2008 World Champions.  His standout moment was a pinch homer off the Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton in game four of the NLCS.   Yet Philadelphia was just one stop on his 20 year big league career, where he set the record as the most traveled position player of all time -- playing for 12 franchises in 13 cities (he was both an Expo and a National) and also suited up for Canada's other club, the Blue Jays. Stairs renewed his Phillies links in mid 2010s as one of their TV analysts, before getting back into uniform as the club's hitting coach.  I snapped the second image of him sitting just outside the dugout during a March 2017 exhibition game against the Braves.   And if you really enjoy baseball rarities: Stairs is one of four natives of Canada to play for both his country's MLB franchises.  The others are Denis Boucher, Rob Ducey and Shawn Hill.
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