No sooner had Billy Dundon finished saying how hopeful he was to meet Yoenis Cespedes than the Mets slugger sauntered over from his usual haunt around the batting cage. Cespedes grinned at Dundon and his Maine-Endwell baseball teammates, who on Sunday became the first New York team to win the Little League World Series in more than a half-century. Then Cespedes worked his way down the line, offering autographs for all of them.

With division and Wild Card races heating up across the big leagues, a number of teams made a statement Wednesday by wrapping August with a series sweep.

Every team has a throwback, and everybody gets a big kick out of them. In determining the best throwback uniform in the Majors, we have reached the Final Two.

Whether you’re one of us who dwell on every detail of a 162-game schedule or just a casual observer who latches on when the stakes are raised, the pulse-quickening final playoff push is always great theater. And with great theater comes great storylines. Here are 10 big ones going into baseball’s final month.

With a furious late rally, the Dodgers stormed to a remarkable 10-8 Coors Field win over the Rockies on Wednesday night on Andrew Toles’ grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning of the nightcap, avoiding sweeps of the doubleheader and the three-game series.

The Nationals will enter September in excellent shape in the National League East. They swept the Phillies in a three-game series with Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park.

As the homestretch of the regular season begins, here are some questions and answers regarding the various rules of roster expansion and how they affect clubs and players.

Terry Collins still thinks back to when Jenrry Mejia initially suffered an injury last season, later losing his job due to a PED suspension. The Mets’ manager recalls approaching Jeurys Familia to ask him, “Can you do this?” “He said, ‘Yes,'” Collins recalled Wednesday, after Familia nailed down his 44th save in a 5-2 win over the Marlins, setting the Mets’ single-season franchise record.

Although trade talks did not go far, the Dodgers showed interest in reacquiring right-hander Zack Greinke from the D-backs before the end of August, MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal reported on Wednesday night.

As the calendar flips to September, opportunities are winding down for teams to make a final push up the standings. Several clubs looking to do just that will take the field today as part of a pint-sized four-game slate.

The Mets’ months-long search for right-handed relief depth finally came to an end late Wednesday night, about an hour before the unofficial waiver trade deadline. The team acquired reliever Fernando Salas from the Angels in exchange for pitching prospect Erik Manoah.

Aaron Sanchez showed no signs of rust Wednesday in his return to the Majors. After being sent to the Minors for 10 days to keep his innings down, the 24-year-old righty fired six innings while allowing just one unearned run in Toronto’s 5-3 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

From the very first at-bat it was evident that Indians ace Corey Kluber was going to have that kind of night and the Minnesota batters could merely watch. Kluber whiffed 11 batters lifting the Tribe past the Twins for the third straight night in the team’s 8-4 win on Wednesday at Progressive Field.

Rockies rookie Stephen Cardullo spent four years in Independent Ball before fulfilling his Major League dream.

Welcome to DraftKings fantasy baseball, the Official Daily Fantasy Game of Major League Baseball. The players listed are in position to provide difference-making stats for DraftKings participants on Thursday.

After weighing all options, receiving medical opinions and second opinions and, ultimately, considering the breadth of his future, Mets second baseman Neil Walker appears headed for season-ending back surgery. Manager Terry Collins said after Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Marlins that Walker is likely to undergo the procedure instead of attempt to play through his back issues.

When Yadier Molina homered in the fourth inning Wednesday night, it marked a franchise record 20th straight game in which the St. Louis Cardinals had a hit a home run.