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. Today we have a special All-Star Game edition of the newsletter.
It's time for the All-Star Game. After last night's Home Run Derby thriller, we can't wait to see what the best players in baseball have in store for us tonight.
Can the All-Star Game possibly top the Derby? We're hoping we get an instant-classic Midsummer Classic -- just like last year's. And there's definitely no shortage of compelling storylines to look out for.
Here are five of the big ones we'll be watching in the All-Star Game:
1) Mike Trout leading off the game
Trout is one of the greatest All-Star Game performers in history. He's one of only five players to win multiple All-Star Game MVPs -- along with Willie Mays, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter and Cal Ripken Jr. -- and he's the only player to win the award in back-to-back years.
That was all the way back in 2014 and '15. But lucky for us, Trout is back playing in the All-Star Game for the first time since 2019, and he's leading off the game for the American League against National League starter Cristopher Sánchez. The Angels superstar has two career All-Star Game home runs -- one off Zack Greinke, one off Jacob deGrom. What better time for another Trout moment?
2) Can the hometown hero Schwarber do it again?
If anyone can join Trout in winning back-to-back All-Star Game MVPs, it's Kyle Schwarber. He won the award last year after going 3-for-3 in the tiebreaking Derby-style swing-off to carry the NL to victory.
Now Schwarbs is playing in front of his home crowd. The Phillies superstar slugger is leading off for the NL against AL starter Dylan Cease -- and Schwarber is coming into the game with a chip on his shoulder after getting walked off by Jordan Walker in the Home Run Derby yesterday.
3) Yordan vs. the electric NL pitching staff
Yordan Alvarez has been the best hitter in the AL this year, if not the Majors. He's a Triple Crown threat, batting .318 with a league-leading 31 homers and 70 RBIs. He leads MLB with a 1.059 OPS.
The Astros' MVP candidate is batting second in the All-Star Game, and against the loaded NL pitching staff, every Alvarez at-bat will be a must-watch -- whether it's facing Sánchez in the first inning or any of the electric arms that come in after him.
4) Soto in his first Mets All-Star Game
Juan Soto has now made the All-Star Game with all four teams he's played for: the Nationals, Padres, Yankees and finally the Mets. But as he plays in his fifth Midsummer Classic, and makes his second start, Soto is still looking for his first All-Star Game home run. Can he get it today?
5) The Halladay connection
The two starting pitchers tonight, Sánchez and Cease, are connected by one Hall of Fame hurler: the late, great Roy Halladay.
The hometown ace Sánchez is the first Phillies pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Halladay in 2011. Meanwhile, Cease is the first Blue Jays pitcher to start the All-Star Game since … also Halladay, in 2009.
Doc starred in Toronto for the first 12 seasons of his career before moving to Philadelphia for the final four. He won a Cy Young Award in both cities. Now Sánchez and Cease are among the frontrunners in their respective leagues this year.
Read more on the Sánchez-Cease matchup here >>
