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 way Shohei Ohtani's teammates talk about him, you'd think that, centuries from now, scientists will be studying his fossil record and wondering how such a mythological creature ever existed among us.
"He's the best player that's ever walked this earth," Will Smith said last night.
That was after Ohtani's latest unicorn two-way game, when he pitched six scoreless innings, lowered his ERA to 0.74 … and got on base five times as a hitter with three hits and two walks.
And all this came as an encore to Ohtani's last two-way game, when he crushed a leadoff home run and then threw six no-hit innings. This guy's just putting up one-of-a-kind performances every week.
The ridiculous Ohtani facts are piling up for 2026, just like they seem to do every year. Thomas Harrigan has collected seven of them right here.
Right now, the big one is this: Ohtani's ERA through his first 10 starts of the season is the third lowest ever. (We're only counting real starting pitchers here, no "openers.")
Lowest ERA through first 10 starts of a season
Since earned runs became official in 1913
- Jacob deGrom, 2021: 0.56
- Juan Marichal, 1966: 0.59
- Shohei Ohtani, 2026: 0.74
Oh, and while he's doing that, he's also batting .301 with 10 homers and a .941 OPS. Shohei's batting average is over .300 for the first time since Opening Day.
A .300 hitter with an ERA under 1.00. Forget Victor Wembanyama, Ohtani is the real Alien.
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VOTE FOR ALL-STAR GAME'S SIGNATURE FOOD |
Fans get to vote for the signature food that will be served at this year's All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Here's Matt Monagan with the info:
A glazed donut fried chicken sandwich? A Wagyu beef hot dog on a pretzel bun? A smoked short rib sandwich with beef consomme dripping all over it?
As (at least I’m pretty sure) the famous quote goes:
"Is this Heaven?"
"No, it’s the All-Star Game in Philadelphia."
Aramark and MLB have put together four potential meals for the Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park this year. And you, yes YOU, can vote bracket-style for which of the four will ultimately be served during the festivities.
The poll opens today and the two finalists will square off on June 8 to see which is the winner.
To help you make your decision, check out the full story on the contest here. These are the four mouth-watering, deliver-this-food-into-my-mouth-right-now delicacies up for vote:
The Declaration Dog
A smoked Wagyu beef frank laid out on a toasted pretzel roll topped with a candied bacon crumble, apple cider gastrique and crispy shallot and micro mustard greens.
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The Liberty Stack
A buttermilk-brined hot chicken thigh placed on a brown butter-maple-glazed donut with charred peach bourbon compote, aged cheddar and pickled Fresnos.
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The Revolutionary Rib Melt
Smoked short rib, aged provolone, charred onion jam, fried peppers and pickle butter on a pressed brioche roll with a side bowl of beef consume (for dripping).
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Betsy’s Banana Ice Cream Sundae
Banana pudding with vanilla soft serve, topped with crushed vanilla wafers, peanut brittle, hot fudge, strawberry sauce and toasted marshmallow cloud. Red, white and blue sprinkles scattered throughout and, of course, served in an All-Star souvenir cap.
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A TOP-5 SCORELESS STREAK OF ALL TIME |
Cristopher Sánchez's scoreless-inning streak is finally over. But it was one of the most incredible runs of pitching we've ever seen. Let's take a second to appreciate what the Phillies ace just did.
50 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. 50 2/3. That's so many scoreless innings.
"It's something I never imagined in my life that I would do," Sánchez said last night via Phillies interpreter Diego D'Aniello.
Sánchez's streak finishes as the fifth longest by any pitcher in a single season since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893. It's the longest in Phillies history, breaking Grover Cleveland Alexander's 115-year-old record. And it's the longest by any left-handed pitcher.
Longest single-season scoreless streaks since 1893
- Orel Hershiser: 59 IP (1988)
- Don Drysdale: 58 IP (1968)
- Walter Johnson: 55 2/3 IP (1913)
- Jack Coombs: 53 IP (1910)
- Cristopher Sánchez: 50 2/3 IP (2026)
Sánchez didn't allow a run for over a month. So it's no wonder that even with what Ohtani is doing on the mound for the Dodgers, and Jacob Misiorowski for the Brewers, it's Sánchez who's sitting at the top of our starting pitcher power rankings.
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GAME OF THE NIGHT: SALE'S CY YOUNG PITCH |
As great as Ohtani is, as great as Sánchez is, they're not the only ones making their cases to be the NL Cy Young frontrunner.
Tonight it's Chris Sale's turn.
The Braves ace, who already has one Cy Young under his belt, has been right up there with the rest of the best in the National League this year, even at 37 years old. Entering tonight's start against the Blue Jays (7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV), Sale is 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA and 80 strikeouts for baseball's best team.
He's pitching like a younger man. Sale's fastball velocity in his last start against the Red Sox sat at 97 mph on the dot, his highest average velo in any game since the 2018 season -- when he was getting ready to pitch those same Red Sox to a World Series championship.
And for the season, Sale's four-seamer is averaging 95.6 mph, which would actually be the highest mark of his career. The veteran lefty's current single-season best is 95.2 mph, also in that 2018 season with Boston.
Sale is letting it rip, and he's no pushover in this Cy Young race.
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THE GREATEST TRIPLE-A ROTATION EVER? |
Imagine you're a Minor League hitter just trying to make it to the big leagues. And then you have to face a guy with five straight 200-strikeout seasons … a future Hall of Famer … and a former Cy Young winner … all in a row.
That's what's happening to the Buffalo Bisons' poor opponents this week. The Bisons (the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate) are scheduled to run out these three starting pitchers over the next three days: Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber.
Is that the most decorated Triple-A rotation ever assembled?
Cease, Scherzer and Bieber are all rehabbing injuries, and it just so happens that their rehab assignments have them lined up to pitch one after the other for Buffalo against the Worcester Red Sox.
It's not every day that you get to see three pitchers with so many accolades taking the mound together in the Minor Leagues.
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DISCLOSURE DAY FOR LINDOR |
"If you found out we weren’t alone, would that frighten you?"
That question is posed in a new trailer for "Disclosure Day," an upcoming science fiction movie from legendary director Steven Spielberg. And at the center of the trailer is none other than Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.
In the 30-second spot filmed at Citi Field, Lindor is seen preparing to field his position when a mysterious spacecraft appears in the sky and leaves him in a trance ... before his eyes suddenly change color.
If that all seems familiar, it's because it evokes the scene from "Men In Black" where Mets outfielder Bernard Gilkey is distracted by a spaceship flying over Shea Stadium and has a fly ball bonk him on the head.
But what does it all mean? Guess we’ll find out when "Disclosure Day" is released nationwide on June 12.
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