Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. If you are joining us today from your desk at your home or work office and there is a decade-old bobblehead staring back at you, then please do read on. And if you are sitting at an unfortunately bobblehead-less desk, do not despair. You should also read on, because there are plenty of chances to catch up!
Since everybody loves a ballpark giveaway – and that means much more than just bobbleheads, by the way – our 30 beat reporters pored over the calendar and came up with the best promotion for each team this season. Feel free to parse through the list on your own to find your favorite team, but for any roving baseball fans out there, we figured we'd curate the selections even further into these very scientific categories:
Best bobblehead giveaway:
It's nearly impossible to choose just one, but the Marvel-Orioles crossover gets the nod for this Cal Ripken Jr. Iron Man bobblehead, which coincides with Marvel Day at Camden Yards on June 28. It features baseball's Iron Man in the superhero's signature suit, with the helmet at his feet.
Most devious giveaway:
This is a feat of creativity (and a little bit of shade) by the Astros, who are giving out Jose Altuve socks when they play the Padres on Sunday. You might remember that last year, against the Padres, Altuve famously took off his cleat and sock to show the umpire he really had fouled a ball off his foot. Now nobody need be barefoot at the ballpark.
Giveaway with the most utility:
You might not have known that pickleball, the sport that has been making quite the racket in recent years, originated not far from T-Mobile Park, on Bainbridge Island. So the Mariners are honoring those local roots with a pickleball paddle promotion on Aug. 24.
Most Milwaukee giveaway:
The card game Cribbage is huge in Wisconsin, and it has quite a few fans in the Brewers' clubhouse. Link up with friends and family at American Family Field on May 17 for the chance to snag a Cribbage board featuring the Brewers' famous racing sausages.
Most fashionable giveaway:
It's a large-brim straw Cardinals hat, and you can complete the outfit with a matching shirt by purchasing a Margaritaville Night theme ticket for May 23. Don't waste away this opportunity. -- Scott Chiusano |
ANOTHER TRICK IN THE WALL |
Rays center fielder Jake Mangum robbed a Red Sox batter of a hit last night, but in the process he was also robbed … by the wall? That's right, his batting gloves got stuck between the padding, and Mangum didn't even realize it until he got back to the dugout. And there the perpetrator stood, unmoving out there in center field, acting all high and mighty. |
Perhaps boosted by the enigmatic torpedo bat, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is among MLB's leaders in homers so far with six, but that's not enough for him. The Yankees' second baseman has come up with a lighthearted way to equate his production to that of teammate and two-time AL MVP Aaron Judge by creating a new stat: Home runs + stolen bases.
What's the statistical merit of this category? We'll check with the Baseball Savant team and get back to you on that, but as Bryan Hoch details in his Yankees Beat newsletter, Judge (trailing Chisholm, 10-9) is having fun with it: "I told him I was going to catch him in stolen bases this year." |
- Giants @ Phillies (4:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Up against the club with MLB's third-best run differential (+26) and needing a win to prevent a third straight series loss, the Phillies have the right guy on the hill. They've won each of the last 10 games started by Cristopher Sánchez, including the playoffs, dating to last August.
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- Yankees @ Rays (7:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): This may not feel like much of a road game to the Yankees, who offered up their Grapefruit League and Single-A park in Tampa to the Rays for this season while hurricane-ravaged Tropicana Field is repaired. Steinbrenner Field's dimensions mimic Yankee Stadium's, but it's been a welcoming home for the Rays, 8-7 at the park so far this year.
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- Angels @ Rangers (8:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV, MLB Network): This set is coming at the perfect time for the Rangers, who have overtaken the Halos for the AL West's top spot while also winning seven straight against them dating to last year. One more win will give Texas its best run vs. the Angels in club history.
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• You can add another head-scratcher to the growing list of MLB's most bizarre injuries: The Twins' Jose Miranda strained a muscle in his left hand while trying to keep a case of water from falling. • Thirteen years ago today, Jamie Moyer (49 years, 150 days) became the oldest pitcher in history to earn a win, backflipping his way past the Brooklyn Dodgers' Jack Quinn, who had held the record for 79 years. The key to Moyer's win that night? The all-time leader in home runs allowed with 522 kept the Padres in the park. |
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