Dugout Diary by Joe Boesch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                July 30, 2025   BASEBALL FANS SET GUINNESS WORLD RECORD WITH WORLD'S MOST AUTOGRAPHED BASEBALL              Over 6,700 baseball fans combined to set a new world record Tuesday as their collective signatures on the World's Most Autographed Baseball have set a new mark for the most signatures on a single piece of sports memorabilia.     ...

Honoring David Wright "The Captain," the Mets, as they always do under the ownership of Steve Cohen, knocked it out of the park literally. No one deserves it more than Wright, who enlightened Mets fans with his dazzling plays at third base and hot bat at the plate during his playing career. To "The Captain," thank you. Now the Mets have to start winning again. Until then, see you at the park. — Joe Boesch

Aaron Judge is at it again, this time hitting 350 home runs in fewest games played. Here's a look at the list, as reported by several media outlets: 1. Aaron Judge: 1,088 2. Mark McGwire: 1,280  3. Juan Gonzalez: 1,298 4. Alex Rodriguez: 1,301 5. Harmon Killebrew: 1,319 6. Albert Pujols: 1,320 Until then, see you at the park. — Joe Boesch 

With the Home Run Derby set for Monday on ESPN, the players participating are set. Here's a look at the players: Cal Raleigh (Mariners) — 36 HR James Wood (Nationals) — 24 HR Junior Caminero (Rays) — 23 HR Byron Buxton (Twins) — 20 HR Brent Rooker (A's) — 19 HR Chisholm (Yankees) — 17 HR Oneil Cruz (Pirates) — 16 HR Ronald Acuña, Jr. (Braves) — 11 HR Always a big hit at the All Star Game, one name missing is Pete Alonso who has opted not to participate this season. Who will win it this year? We will have to wait for Monday. Until then, see you at the derby. — Joe Boesch 

With a strong start to the season, the  Yankees  now find themselves struggling to win games as they have lost their last six games, the last two to the crosstown rival  Mets . The Yankees have a 48-41 record and are sitting three games behind the  Toronto Blue Jays  in the AL East.  The news also got worse for them, as Clarke Schmidt is likely facing Tommy John surgery, and Aaron Judge was hit in the face by a baseball tossed by Anthony Volpe in between innings. With the trade deadline coming up, the Yankees need to look at pitching and third base options. If they have  World Series  aspirations, they need to make improvements, or they may not be playing in October. — Joe Boesch 

One more week to go until the All Star break, which means the season is halfway over. Wow, how time flies, as it just felt like the season started. Many fans find the All Star game not exciting and somewhat boring, which is how I feel about it also. Some team owners probably cringe as to not wanting to see their best players hurt. To read more about the All Star festivities, check it out here:  https:/www.mlb.com/all-star 2025 Topps Series 1 & 2 Many collectors have not been in awe of the 2025 Topps release of baseball cards, which is not like last years, when the rookie class was exceptional and made the chase that much more exciting. This year's photography and design are nice, but the only rookies to chase are Dylan Crews, James Wood, Coby Mayo, etc. Not too exciting of a class to go after. Until then, see you at the park! — Joe Boesch