He throws 101 mph. And dances on the mound

Plus: 1 week 'til Field of Dreams

Thursday, August 06 View Online 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's edition is brought to you by David Adler.   The greatest showman in baseball is here, and he is an absolute electric factory.    The Jefry Yan Experience arrived in full force yesterday. You have to see this guy's celebrations on the mound.    Yan is a 29-year-old relief pitcher who was just called up by the Mets to make his MLB debut, 12 years after he first got to pro ball. That's a pretty incredible story by itself. But that's not why we're here.    Yan also throws a sizzling 101 mph from the left side. That's also not why we're here.    We're here because of what he does after he strikes you out.    Even before he ever got to the Majors, Yan was something of a cult hero for his strikeout celebrations. He's a full-on dancer on the mound. With every K, Yan launches himself airborne … and that's just the start of his celly, which usually involves an extra flourish, or two, or three. We've been following Yan's gravity-defying celebrations for years. They were his calling card when he signed on with the Rockies as a Minor Leaguer in 2024. They stole the show in Spring Training, and in the Dominican Winter League championship, and again in the Caribbean Series.      So when Yan finally got to take the mound in an MLB game for the first time last night, we had our popcorn ready. And he didn't keep us waiting.    Yan struck out the very first batter he faced in the big leagues. And it was on:  "If I freeze him, which is exactly what I did, I’m going to celebrate accordingly," Yan said after the game.    A few batters later, he got another one:  "I'm in my zone," Yan said, "and I'm going to enjoy my game any way that I want to."   We hope there's a lot more where that came from between now and the end of the season. Yan is just endless fun.  GAMES OF THE NIGHT A couple of seven-game winning streaks are on the line tonight. Here's how to watch.   White Sox at Red Sox (7:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)   Can anyone stop the Red Sox? They were 11 games under .500 on July 1. Now they're 11 games over .500. They've won seven games in a row and 25 of their last 28. They've won nine straight series, including this one, as they go for the sweep of the other Sox tonight. Boston will look to spoil Luis Castillo's White Sox debut, after the longtime Mariners workhorse came over at the Trade Deadline.   Marlins at Braves (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)    The Braves are back to their winning ways, allowing them to put some distance between themselves and the Phillies in the NL East. They lost 19 of their last 28 games going into the All-Star break, but they've won 14 of 19 since the break to go 8 1/2 games up on the Phils. Also, shoutout to Matt Olson, who passed Stan Musial for eighth place on the all-time most consecutive games played list yesterday. CAN 3-TIME ALL-STAR ARM BOUNCE BACK? As Luis Castillo gets ready to make his first start for the White Sox tonight, we're wondering: Is the change of scenery enough to trigger a bounceback from the veteran right-hander?    Castillo is having the worst season of his career, with a 5.06 ERA through 20 outings. He just hasn't been the same pitcher that he was in his first several seasons as a Mariner. Castillo has to be better if he's going to help the White Sox reach the postseason. But here are three positives that he can build on in Chicago:   1) His sinker has promise    Castillo has been throwing his sinker less this season (16% usage, down from 22%), but it's actually been his one pitch to generate positive value from a run prevention standpoint. It has above-average velocity (95.5 mph), it moves a ton (over 18 inches of horizontal break), and it induces grounders (63% ground-ball rate). There's probably more opportunity for him to use that pitch to his advantage.   2) His 4-seamer still misses bats    Castillo's overall whiff rates and strikeout rates have dropped a lot. But the one pitch that is still strong at getting swing-and-miss is his other fastball, the four-seamer. The 27% whiff rate against Castillo's heater puts him in the 80th percentile of MLB pitchers. If he can focus his four-seamer with two strikes, he can hopefully use that as a putaway pitch to get back some of those missing K's.   3) He can still get hitters to chase    Castillo is inducing a 33% chase rate this season, which puts him right around the top quarter of MLB pitchers and is right in line with what he's done in past, better seasons. He hasn't been fully capitalizing on those chases to this point, but the more out-of-zone swings he can force, the better the results will be. 1 WEEK 'TIL FIELD OF DREAMS The MLB at Field of Dreams Game is just a week away. Next Thursday, the Phillies and Twins bring baseball back to the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa.     It's the third edition of the Field of Dreams Game, presented by John Deere. The game, which is set near the iconic location of the classic 1989 film "Field of Dreams," is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and will stream exclusively on Netflix. Set a Netflix reminder for the Field of Dreams Game Here's some of the key info about the game:   Who is the home team?   The Twins are the home team for this regular-season game.   Will the Phillies and Twins wear special uniforms?   Yes. The Phillies' gray road uniforms are inspired by the same unis the team wore from 1939-41 while the Twins’ home uniforms are inspired by their original duds from the 1960s. See 'em here.   Will any Hall of Famers be at the game?   Yes! More than 25 Hall of Famers are scheduled to walk through the cornfields and onto the diamond during a pregame ceremony. Among that group are luminaries who played for the Phillies, the Twins, or both.   For all the details on the Field of Dreams Game, see our FAQ here >> MLB STARS VS. CRICKET LEGEND IN MUMBAI Michael Clair has the details on a unique upcoming MLB event in India…    Cricket and baseball will square off this fall as MLBx heads to India.   On Oct. 24 at Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri Sports Complex, former MLB superstars Nick Swisher and Adrían González will take on India's T20 World Cup-winning captain Surya Kumar Yadav in a battle of power and defense supremacy.   The game is a modified, co-ed 3-on-3 home run derby which rewards players for home runs and defensive catches -- making it the perfect format for big leaguers and cricket stars to battle.   See more info here >> MLB.TV TRADE DEADLINE SALE The Trade Deadline has passed, but the MLB.TV Trade Deadline sale is still running.   From now through Sunday, an MLB.TV Seasonal subscription is discounted to $34.99, bringing you every out-of-market regular-season game, live or on demand. As an added bonus, U.S. fans can watch MLB Network 24/7 with their MLB.TV subscription. Subscribe to MLB.TV Seasonal for $34.99 An MLB+ Yearly subscription is also available for $49.99. Enjoy access to MLB Network 24/7 and MLB Big Inning, live out-of-market games and home and away radio broadcasts of every game blackout-free. Plus, step into the batter's box with Gameday 3D and watch live MiLB games throughout the season. Buy MLB+ Yearly for $49.99 © 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Please review our Privacy Policy. You (geoffgould.gr8iphone@blogger.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com. Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe  or log in and manage your email subscriptions. 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