The calendar reads Sept. 4, 2014. But in terms of White Sox baseball, this last month of the present season might as well read 2015.

Sure, Sunday is going to be Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium. But the Royals, who have opened our minds, will look to make their presence known.

The A’s were 51-30 through the halfway point of the schedule on June 29 but are playing sub-.500 ball since, at 28-30. Here are five keys for them to right the ship heading into the stretch run.

The main business on Cape Cod is tourism, and the second-most productive industry in eastern Massachusetts might be the refinement of baseball players. The Cape Cod League, which traces its roots back to 1885, has been the top proving ground for college players for the last three decades.

Though they entered Thursday feeling fortunate to be just a half-game back in the battle for the National League’s second Wild Card spot, the Braves know their postseason hopes could quickly fade if they spend the regular season’s final three weeks battling the offensive woes that have plagued them all year.

In the bottom of the eighth inning last Friday, Josh Harrison tripled to score Andrew Lambo, then himself scored on a single by Jose Tabata. In the first inning on Monday, Neil Walker doubled to drive in two teammates. So? In the 10 games since Aug. 23, those are the Pirates’ only three run-scoring hits not to leave the yard.

If you want to talk about the future of sports stadiums, one good person to start with is Larry Lucchino. From Baltimore to San Diego to Boston, he has been at the head of unique initiatives to develop or modernize important ballparks, and during Thursday’s ongoing Bloomberg Sports Business Summit the Red Sox president and CEO was asked what tomorrow’s stadium looks like.

Louie Eljaua remembers the first time he saw Jorge Soler in 2009, and he recalls how impressed he was at the then-teenage outfielder’s size and skills. And Eljaua isn’t surprised that Soler has made a smooth transition to the big leagues.

Jake Peavy hadn’t won a game in more than three months when he was acquired on July 26, but the Giants knew he was far from washed up.

Pat Gillick answered questions from reporters for nearly 15 minutes Tuesday afternoon at Turner Field, and for a brief moment, it felt like 2008 again. Gillick, 77, has assumed control as interim president, although his focus will be on baseball operations. It is impossible to know exactly how things will work with Gillick in charge.

Craig Biggio remembers the first time he laid eyes on Astros second baseman Jose Altuve. He was roaming the back fields at Spring Training a few years ago — a few hundred feet away from the Major League clubhouse and light years away from the Major Leagues — when he saw a 5-foot-6 ball of energy manning second base.

The best-of-three semifinals of the Florida State League playoffs came to quick conclusions Wednesday, as Fort Myers eliminated Bradenton in two games and Daytona cruised to a sweep of Dunedin. Now, Fort Myers and Daytona will meet in the league’s best-of-five championship game series, beginning on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

There are still 3 1/2 weeks remaining in the season, with so much still to be decided. But the annual great debate over Most Valuable Player Awards is underway.

With the Orioles holding the second-best record in baseball and the biggest lead of any division leader with just three and a half weeks remaining in the regular season, Baltimore skipper Buck Showalter is making sure his club doesn’t get ahead of itself.

Erin Cahill, who is best known for two roles on “Power Rangers Time Force” and “How I Met Your Mother,” recently dished on her career and talked baseball while taking in a game at Dodger Stadium on “Express Written Consent.”

A a look at the MVP Award winners in each league over the past five years and how they’re faring in 2014 will show that it’s not easy to become an MVP, but it’s even harder to stay one, even harder to be one again.

Pulses were pounding with playoff-relevant action across the Major League Baseball landscape on Thursday night, but for sentimental reasons, the Bronx was the place to be.