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Wayback: Pitching Standouts

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April 7th, 1984 was a noteworthy day for pitching.  After being their big story during spring training 19 year old Mets rookie Dwight Gooden  was a winner in his regular season debut, striking out five and holding the Astros to a run and three hits over five innings in a 3-2 Mets victory .  It was his first of his 16 wins that season  en route to National League Rookie of the Year honors (and 157 career wins as a Met). Very impressive, yet not the day's top baseball headline. That belonged to Tigers ace Jack Morris.   Making his second start of the young season, he no-hit the Chicago White Sox, striking out eight, walking six, but otherwise firing blanks in Detroit's 4-0 victory at old Comiskey Park -- their fourth straight win to start the year.  , a streak that would soon reach nine in a row and 35 wins in their first 40 games, the best start to a season ever! (Morris ended the year 19-11, finishing seventh for the Cy Young Award.) Sparky Anderson's Tiger...
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If Your Birthday is April 3rd...

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...you share it with Jay Bruce , whose 14 big league seasons included time with both New York teams and both Ohio clubs, as well as the Mariners and Phillies.  Power was his calling card -- he slugged 319 homers, including five seasons with 30 or more and another with 29.  Hayden Senger waited eight years to finally reach the majors.  The Mets 24th round draft choice in 2018 suited up for Kingsport, Columbia, Brooklyn, Binghamton and Syracuse before making his MLB debut in 2025.  Injuries to and then a bout of subpar play by Francisco Alvarez led to Senger appearing in 33 games for the Mets.  This year, he's back in Syracuse, insurance against Alvarez or backup Luis Torrens missing time. (Below:) And we remember the late Wally Moon .  The 1954 NL Rookie of the Year with the Cardinals was traded to the Dodgers five years later, collecting three World Series rings during his time in L.A.  1959 was his standout season -- as the lefty hitter mastered the ...
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2026 Rookies Worth Watching

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Several prominent rookies have already broken in with a splash.  Among them, Cardinals 2nd baseman JJ Wetherholt , who homered in his first at-bat Thursday against the Rays.  I caught this shot in a March 13th exhibition against the Astros. (Below:) The Marlins' Owen Caissie  -- the key return in the Edward Cabrera trade with the Cubs -- grabbed the headlines Sunday.  His a walk-off home run against the Rockies not only produced a 4-3 win over the Rockies, but capped Miami's first 3-0 start since 2009.  This big swing came on St. Patrick's Day, as the Marlins hosted the Mets in Jupiter. The Mets Carson Benge , after advancing through three minor league levels a year ago,  won the club's staring job in right fielder then homered in his first MLB game Thursday against the Pirates. (Below:) Justin Crawford has done just what the Phillies hoped for -- he's had a hit in each of his first three big league games.  Add on a Sunday walk and he's hitting ....
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If Your Birthday is March 27th...

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 ... you share it with a Baseball Hall of Famer and a likely future Hall of Famer. Buster Posey , the heart and soul of the Giants trio of Worlds Champions during the 2010s, is a near-lock for induction a year from now.   The NL Rookie of the Year in 2010, and MVP/batting champ two years later, he is also the leader in WAR among the 62 major leaguers born on this date.  Though he played just 11 full seasons and totaled just 1500 hits, his .302 average, strong defense, seven All Star selections and on-field leadership boost his cause. Miller Huggins , manager of the first Yankee Dynasty — the “Murderers Row” of the 1920s led by legends such as  Ruth, Gehrig, Lazzeri and Combs, that won six pennants and three World Series championships. Dominating a decade and establishing the Yankees as baseball royalty punched his Hall of Fame ticket.  And there’s more to his story: his sudden death in 1929 at age 51, led the club to erect a monument to him by the Stadium’s...
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Young Yankees in Florida

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My spring training trip was shorter this year, with just four games.  The only time I saw the Yankees was a “road” matchup against the Phillies on Clearwater.  Though such big names as Aaron Judge, Austin Wells, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm were away at the WBC, I got a good look at several familiar faces, such as 1st baseman Ben Rice (above) and pitcher Luis Gil.   Take a good look at Spencer Jones.  Watch how he stands in the batter’s box.  He impressed during the month of Grapefruit League action, smacking five home runs and looking like his big league debut could be closer than expected. (Below:) Jasson Dominguez and Jones should be a fun slugging combo to watch at Scranton Wilkes-Barre.  While The Martian still needs to improve his defense in left field, he looked more than capable batting from both sides of the plate.   Now ranked as the Yankees number-one prospect, George Lombard Junior didn’t hit especially well in the pre-season. ...
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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 hopefully brighten the atmosphere at one of the worst designed domed stadiums ever. 
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