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.
Today is Lou Gehrig Day around the league, marking the anniversary of the day the Yankees great died in 1941 from ALS, the disease that came to bear his name.
There’s a lot planned on and off the field to commemorate the occasion — video tributes, player wristbands, special “4” patches, auctions and more — but something really cool also happened on Sunday that you should know about.
Because of an off-day today, yesterday was the Royals’ day to honor Gehrig, raise awareness for ALS and spotlight some of those affected by the disease, and MLB.com‘s Anne Rogers has a great story that shows what it’s all about.
Royals superfan Sarah Nauser got a thrill when she got to take part in an on-field ceremony honoring Bobby Witt Jr. as a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award finalist. At least, that’s why she thought she was there. It was really a chance for the team to honor her, too.
Nauser, a former police officer who has ALS, was gifted a new Royals-themed wheelchair that’s equipped with technology that allows Nauser to control it with her eyes. For Nauser, whose final shift in uniform helped her live her dream to work dugout security at a Royals game, it was quite the surprise.
“We should have been recognizing Bobby,” Nauser said. “The relationship I’ve built with this team is something I’ll cherish forever. It’s truly, truly special.”
Nauser was diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, seven years ago at age 29. She’s since had to retire from her police work and uses a wheelchair with machinery that helps her breathe. Although she can no longer work Royals games, her fandom is as strong as ever.
The Royals are fans of her, too. Want proof? Get this: Hall of Famer George Brett is a friend. In Spring Training, Nauser stopped by to talk to the team about her journey with ALS. And whenever she’s at a game, everyone wants to chat. This was certainly the case on Sunday, as players made sure to say hello during Nauser’s ceremony on the field. Witt even signed the new wheelchair.
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It’s not a stretch to say they consider Nauser part of the team.
“That’s how they make me feel,” she said. “I treasure that, too. That means everything to me. Because I know that I’m not fighting alone. These guys have my back. They wear my bracelet. They’re all wearing wristbands today. They know how much this means to me.”
— Jason Foster
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• Brewers @ Reds (7:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): No team right now is hotter than the Brewers, who just completed their first sweep at Philly in 10 years and have scored nearly seven runs a game while winning seven straight. Given their comfort level at Great American Ball Park — they’re 17-4 there in their last 21 games — the Brewers have to like their chances of inching closer to the first-place Cubs this week.
• Padres @ Giants (9:45 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Lockdown pitching (MLB’s best bullpen ERA) has kept the Giants afloat through a cold spell for the bats that’s dropped their OPS to 24th in the Majors. The Padres enter the first of four a game ahead of San Francisco and, as usual, can expect big things from Fernando Tatis Jr., who has 10 homers in 34 career games at Oracle Park.
• Mets @ Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV, MLB Network): After narrowly missing out on a sweep of the Mets’ crosstown rivals over the weekend, the Dodgers welcome the Amazin’s for another rematch of last year’s NLCS. The Mets took two of three when these clubs met last month, thanks largely to their ability to contain Shohei Ohtani (2 hits, 5 K’s). Keep an eye on Juan Soto, who’s been due for a breakout and just homered in back-to-back games.
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• Ohtani? Nope. Judge? Nope. The MLB homer lead currently belongs to none other than Big Dumper himself, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, who entered the new week with 23 homers in just 58 games. Raleigh already broke the record for most homers by a catcher through May – and he’s off to a good start in June. Is Raleigh putting together the best season by a catcher … literally ever? Brent Maguire says he just might be.
• During a victory over Ole Miss in the Women’s College World Series, Oregon catcher Emma Cox had to deal with a speck of dirt in her eye. But as Theo DeRosa wrote, how it got there must be seen to be believed. Let’s just say the Big Unit has nothing on Ducks hurler Lyndsey Grein.
• Here are a few things we know about actor Paul Rudd: He seemingly doesn’t age, he’s something of a Royals superfan … and he’s got breakaway speed. Check out this video of Rudd blowing away the competition while rocking a ketchup suit in Friday’s Hot Dog Race at The K.
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Former Arkansas Razorbacks slugger Bri Ellis has often gotten tagged as “the Barry Bonds of softball,” but there’s no way anyone can live up to that comparison, right? Well, here are her numbers from her just-completed senior season:
• .440 average
• 1.090 slugging percentage
• 1.729 OPS
• 26 homers (SEC record)
Those stats become even more outlandish when you consider she was walked once every 3.17 plate appearances, giving her precious few chances to do damage at the dish. To illustrate, look at her performance against Georgia in the SEC Tournament on May 7: After seeing precisely zero strikes all game thanks to two four-pitch walks and a hit-by-pitch, she finally got her first offering in the zone with the bases loaded in a tie game in the seventh and final inning … and she crushed a walk-off grand slam.
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July is still a month away, which means we’ll still have to wait to see blockbuster trades like Carlos Beltrán to the Astros, Rickey Henderson to the A’s and Gary Sheffield to the Marlins. Except maybe we don’t have to wait, because all of those trades actually happened in June.
There have been a ton of significant swaps in June throughout the years, some that instantly paid off that October (Beltrán, David Justice, Tony Fernandez) while other deals only revealed their true value several seasons down the line (see: 17-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. dealt to the Padres for James Shields in 2016). So pay attention to the transaction wire, and in the meantime dig into Brian Murphy’s rundown of the most impactful June trades in MLB history. There’s a lot of them!
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This is your guide to new food and beverage options at ballparks around baseball in 2025, featuring one special offering you won’t want to miss. Happy eating!
Last season the White Sox introduced a 16-ounce “Campfire Milkshake” to much fanfare, and in 2025 they are keeping the party going. Feast your eyes on the newest massive milkshake, the “Celebration Cake Shake.” It’s made with birthday cake ice cream, confetti cake, a pinwheel cookie and topped with a classic maraschino cherry. If that’s not cause to celebrate, we’re not sure what is.
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