Baseball's visual delights through the lens of a lifelong fan.
Closing out Trenton's Season
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Nothing better than baseball on Labor Day -- today, I made my first visit to New Britain, Connecticut, home of the Twins' Double-A farm team. The lure was another chance to catch the Yankees' affiliate the Trenton Thunder. New Britain Stadium has seen several top Twins prospects blossom over the years, including current major league stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. But my focus today was on a likely future Yankee -- shortstop Eduardo Nunez. Fans getting autographs from this talented shortstop had best hold onto them -- in a couple or three years, they'll be able to say they saw Nunez before he was famous (and charging big bucks for his signature!). Both teams lined up on the field for the national anthem before the game. (Above) Nice to see the Twins train their prospects in the almost lost art of bunting. (Below) it's mascot time! Trenton 3rd baseman Marcos Vechionacci has spent several years in the Yankees' farm system. But with Alex Rodriguez only two years into a 10-year contract, his major league destination won't be the Bronx -- despite this impressive home run. It proved to be the Thunder's only score. I paid special attention to Eduardo Nunez today. Impressed when I saw him in spring training -- where he got ample opportunity to play while Derek Jeter was away with the US squad of the World Baseball Classic -- and again in my visit to Trenton, I snapped away during his at bats (even walking down to the field boxes for the best view). Back to young Mr. Nunez. Nice swing, good form. He hits the ball with authority, even though today he went 0-for-4 as Trenton lost 4 to 1. Trenton's loss the day before eliminated them from a chance at the playoffs. So this game rings down the curtain on the Trenton season.
September 2nd, 1955 : Whitey Ford takes a no-hitter into the 7th inning, while Yogi Berra adds two hits and Mickey Mantle crushes a three-run homer as the Yankees beat the Washington Senators 4-2 . It's also a big day for Billy Martin . Back from a year and an half of active duty in the Army, the shortstop goes 2-for-4 as the Yanks stay a half-game back of the league-leading White Sox. (They would regain 1st place on the 16th and go on to their 21st American League pennant. Martin would hit .300 over the final 22 games.) The Monument Park plaques are from a 2021 visit to Yankee Stadium. The image of Whitey and Yogi up top is from the 2012 Old Timers Day at the Stadium.
...you celebrate it with Bill Mazeroski , the first player to end a World Series with a walk-off home run. 65 years ago next month, leading off the last of the 9th in game seven against the Yankees, he crushed Ralph Terry's second pitch over the left field wall, giving Pittsburgh perhaps its greatest baseball moment. A gifted defensive player with more modest offensive skills, Maz remains one of the more controversial inductees of the Hall of Fame. A statue, depicting his joyful scamper around the bases following that 1960 home run, is one of several outside PNC Park in Pittsburgh. And below, Pablo Lopez , who earlier this season, added his name to the nearly 170 who have played for both the Yankees and Mets. The utilityman got into 24 games for Bronx Bombers -- highlighted by driving in the go-ahead run against the Royals on June 12th, His Mets tenure was microscopic -- he pinch ran for JD Martinez (and scored a run) in the September 1st, 2024 game against...
The stories I post are based on or connected to photos I've taken. While watching the remarkable conclusion of Saturday night's Orioles game on TV, it struck me that I'd seen one of the key players on a recent trip to Baltimore -- and the other as a Mets minor leaguer a year ago: In the most dramatic bottom of the 9th I've seen all season , Yashinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers was one out away from no-hitting the Orioles. Two outs, no one on, LA up 3-0 -- standing on the verge of history. And indeed we were... just not the way you'd expect. Down to their last out, Baltimore's rising star Jackson Holliday faced Yamamoto. He crushed the righty's 2-1 pitch and launched it into the right field seats, ending the no-hit bid and shutout -- but still leaving the O's down 3-1. That was just the start of a remarkable comeback. Next up, former Mets prospect Jeremiah Jackson (below) doubled to the wall in left -- followed by...
Nothing better than baseball on Labor Day -- today, I made my first visit to New Britain, Connecticut, home of the Twins' Double-A farm team. The lure was another chance to catch the Yankees' affiliate the Trenton Thunder.
New Britain Stadium has seen several top Twins prospects blossom over the years, including current major league stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. But my focus today was on a likely future Yankee -- shortstop Eduardo Nunez.
Fans getting autographs from this talented shortstop had best hold onto them -- in a couple or three years, they'll be able to say they saw Nunez before he was famous (and charging big bucks for his signature!).
Both teams lined up on the field for the national anthem before the game.
(Above) Nice to see the Twins train their prospects in the almost lost art of bunting. (Below) it's mascot time!
Trenton 3rd baseman Marcos Vechionacci has spent several years in the Yankees' farm system. But with Alex Rodriguez only two years into a 10-year contract, his major league destination won't be the Bronx -- despite this impressive home run. It proved to be the Thunder's only score.
I paid special attention to Eduardo Nunez today. Impressed when I saw him in spring training -- where he got ample opportunity to play while Derek Jeter was away with the US squad of the World Baseball Classic -- and again in my visit to Trenton, I snapped away during his at bats (even walking down to the field boxes for the best view).
Back to young Mr. Nunez. Nice swing, good form. He hits the ball with authority, even though today he went 0-for-4 as Trenton lost 4 to 1.
Trenton's loss the day before eliminated them from a chance at the playoffs. So this game rings down the curtain on the Trenton season.
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