Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.

There are plenty of people, places and things you can associate with New York City, but the trio of Spider-Man, Juan Soto and Mr. Met is tough to beat. In a recently released promotional spot for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which will release in theatres on July 31, Spidey sat

There were so many unforgettable moments from the 2025 World Series. Near the top of that list is Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages’ series-saving catch in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7. That play has now been immortalized in bobblehead form.

Whether a Minor League team has had an outstanding first half of the season or it's been a bumpier road than expected, fans can always rely on one common ballpark giveaway for an encouraging nod.

• Get tickets to a Minor League game near you » Ever optimistic, unceasingly agreeable,

Shohei Ohtani is a four-time Most Valuable Player, and he’s the proud owner of one of MLB’s Most Valuable Pups. His dog, Decoy, has made the rounds from MVP announcement shows to the inside of Ohtani’s suit coat on the All-Star Game Red Carpet. But Ohtani is no longer the

As the baseball world converged on Philadelphia this week for the MLB All-Star Game and its related activities, so, too, did a local icon become the consensus flavor of the week. That, of course, is the cheesesteak. Philly’s classic cuisine was the subject of an MLB-hosted “Cheesesteak Challenge” at the

The Home Run Derby is one of the most anticipated events on the baseball calendar each year, and for good reason -- watching some of the game’s greatest sluggers launch mammoth home runs is can’t-miss television.

It’s Jonah’s world, we’re all just living in it. Three weeks after taking the internet by storm, the 6-year-old cunucu returned to loanDepot park for his Dream Day during Sunday’s Guardians-Marlins series finale. Before the game, Jonah accompanied his owner, Peter Silveira, onto the field to throw out the ceremonial

A version of this article was originally published in July of 2021.

"You had the defending World Series champion Red Sox host the game at Fenway Park with Babe Ruth on the mound," author Scott Reich told me in a phone call. "Playing against a galaxy of All-Stars that had gathered from teams around the league. Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Walter

If you talk to anybody who was there on the night of Nov. 12, 2022, at Empire Ballpark -- the tiny stadium on Australia's southwest coast that houses about 1,500 people (and maybe even more snakes) -- they all have the same reaction. Their eyes widen, like the memory of

ST. LOUIS – Your eyes did not deceive you during the 18th inning of Brewers baseball on Tuesday. Jackson Chourio actually batted left-handed. And he really did come close to hitting a home run. The right-handed-hitting Milwaukee outfielder said he did it on a dare during the ninth inning of

Be yourself, unless you feel like being something else. This is now an established Minor League Baseball promotional strategy, as teams across the country regularly assume alternate identities in lieu of their day-to-day primary identities. These alternate identities often have a local connection, with teams celebrating their region's culinary specialties,

It’s been a tough go for Cubs lefty Justin Steele as he works his way back from an elbow surgery that ended his season in 2025, but he received an unexpected pick-me-up this week that might make things a little easier. Steele posted to social media on Monday a brief

It’s almost like a rite of passage for baseball broadcasters: You simply have to joke about a foul ball entering the booth every time it gets close. And further, you have to express that you were ready to make the play if needed. But it doesn’t actually happen all that

PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Dolan turned his computer around and smiled. There were graphs and charts and all kinds of data sets on the screen. Like something you might see from a financial advisor or some risk-averse manager or on some math test from back in high school that you're inevitably

A version of this story was originally published in March of 2022.

If Kolby Stringer wasn't a real person, the baseball gods would probably have to invent him. An 18-year-old right-hander who quite literally looked like a man among boys during the 2026 high school season, Stringer has rocketed into Draft prospectdom from Foxworth, Miss., a town with a population of 523,

Crooked Numbers is a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. Keeping track of the weirdness is a team effort, so get in touch if you've witnessed something out of the ordinary at a Minor League game (benjamin.hill@mlb.com).

The world's newest (and perhaps biggest) Team England fan gained a whole lot of credibility on Sunday. If he keeps this up, Michael Harris II may be looking at an invitation to Buckingham Palace. A few days after receiving every honor short of being knighted by the English soccer fans

SEATTLE -- Mauricio Pochettino has become such an icon for his role leading the U.S. Men’s National Team at the World Cup that recently he had to set the record straight that he is still “100% Argentine.” But Friday night, he got another taste of good ol’ America, throwing out

Baseball is the national pastime for a reason. From coast to coast, north to south, each pocket of the country has its own unique connection to the sport. Here at MLB.com, in celebration of the semiquincentennial this weekend, we’ve been taking a summer road trip across America, featuring one baseball

A version of this story was originally published in 2024. America's 250th birthday calls for a big-time celebration. Every baseball fan knows that one great way to spend the day is to head to the nearest ballpark, take in a game and stick around to ooh and aah at the

This story was originally published in Nov. 2025, when Somerset announced the alternate identity. What has 19 letters, seven syllables and is covered in pinstripes? The Somerset Patriots have the answer to this heretofore unasked question, as this weekend -- July 3-5 -- the Double-A affiliate of the New York