Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know today, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. When a play is close and the manager requests a challenge, we watch the umpire crew chief put on that headset and then wait -- in anticipation … and sometimes agony -- as the call on the field is reviewed by some unseen ump in Manhattan. So what's happening on the other side of that headset, anyway? Earlier this season, we sent a camera crew into the Zoom Replay Operations Center in MLB headquarters to find out. Instant replay has been a part of our baseball lives for quite a while now, beginning with disputed home run calls way back in 2008 and then expanded considerably in 2014 to form the meat of the system in place today. Thanks to replay review, we no longer have to worry about someone losing a perfect game because of an obvious missed call at first base. (Although, you have to admit, it's pretty cool that Armando Galarraga kinda/sorta has the only 28-out "perfect game" in history.) |
And yet the mechanics of how the replay room operates are mysterious to most. Did you know, for instance, that two four-person crews assigned to replay review are in New York at any given time during the season for a full week? Or that there are 16 full-time and 50 seasonal people who work in the replay room? Or that most close plays are already unofficially being reviewed by the umps there before a challenge is even requested? We learned all this and a lot more when we shadowed crew chief James Hoye during one of his replay shifts. Each time a close play occured in one of the two games Hoye was monitoring, we'd get that rush of excitement that maybe, possibly, a challenge was about to occur. And for several innings, this excitement was dashed when the affected team instead let the play stand, as-is. But then, lo and behold, not only did Hoye get a play to review while our cameras were rolling ... he got two of them. Including the most exciting (and difficult) type of challenge of all -- a play at the plate! Watch our MLB Network feature to see what happened next, and read our FAQ about all things replay room to learn more about this fascinating, important process. It's content worthy of your review. -- Anthony Castrovince |
Newly minted T-Mobile Home Run Derby champion Cal Raleigh finished the first half with 38 homers, putting him on pace for 64, which would be only the 10th 60-homer season in MLB history and the first since Aaron Judge set an AL record with 62 in 2022. If Raleigh stays on his furious pace, he would also shatter the record for homers by a catcher (48, by the Royals' Salvador Perez in 2021) and a switch-hitter (54, by the Yankees' Mickey Mantle in 1954), as well as Judge's AL record. |
And Raleigh isn't the only one who could make a run at the hallowed 60-homer mark. Seattle's backstop is one of five players who have cleared the fence at least 30 times so far, along with Judge (35), the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (32), the D-backs' Eugenio Suárez (31) and the Phillies' Kyle Schwarber (30) -- the last of whom just won the first All-Star Game swing-off by homering on all three of his swings. Check out this story from our Mariners reporter Daniel Kramer for more on Raleigh's quest and the other All-Stars who could be chasing history alongside him. -- Betelhem Ashame |
MILB TEAM AIDING FLOOD RELIEF |
In the wake of severe flooding that has devastated Central Texas since a July 4 storm, Minor League Baseball's San Antonio Missions have announced a fundraiser to benefit the communities impacted. The Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the Padres, will play their Aug. 9 game against the Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis) wearing the jerseys of four local high schools. Those game-worn jerseys will then be autographed and auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the Kerr County Flood Relief. Through a partnership with the Round Rock Express (the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate), the Nolan Ryan Foundation and RS3 Turf, the earnings will also help rebuild a Little League field in Ingram, Texas. One such jersey will be worn by Missions part-owner and NBA Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili, who will throw out the first pitch to a student-athlete from one of the affected schools. For more information, click here. |
IS MIZ THE NL ROY FRONTRUNNER? |
Perhaps you didn't know the name of Jacob Misiorowski five weeks ago. But since making his MLB debut on June 12, the Brewers' phenom has made sure everyone -- including a future Hall of Fame pitcher -- knows exactly who he is. Misiorowski has dazzled the baseball world with his powerful, no-hit stuff. He became an All-Star after making just five starts, and he kept lighting up the radar gun during Tuesday's Midsummer Classic. The lanky right-hander has gone from an intriguing prospect to the possible favorite for National League Rookie of the Year in practically no time. He tops our latest ROY poll, which was released today. It's no coincidence that the Brewers have the Majors' best record (20-7) since the day the Miz burst upon the scene. Milwaukee has surged in the NL Central during that time, going from 5 1/2 games back to just one game behind the Cubs as we head into the season's second half. The Miz's second half will begin with either a rematch against the Dodgers this weekend or a showdown in Seattle early next week. Regardless of when he pitches next, one thing is for sure: Jacob Misiorowski has everyone's attention. – Brian Murphy |
Can you guess today's mystery player using clues like age, league, division, position and place of birth? You'll have nine tries to get it right. Good luck! Play here >> |
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