Friday, July 24
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 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship Series is here — and it’s the rivalry rematch we’ve all been waiting for.
And it’s all thanks to the Agbayani family clutch gene.
The Utah Talons face the Chicago Bandits in the best-of-three series starting tomorrow at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas. The winner takes home the 2026 AUSL crown. Game 1 is set for 1 p.m. ET on ABC.
AUSL Championship Series schedule
- Game 1: Saturday, 1 p.m. ET on ABC
- Game 2: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN 2
The Talons and the Bandits are the AUSL rivalry. The Talons are the reigning champsafter defeating the Bandits last year in the league’s inaugural championship series.
Now the Bandits have their chance at revenge. But it took a thrilling extra-inning walk-off winover the Portland Cascade last night for them to get back to the Championship Series.
The Bandits beat the Cascade, 6-5, in the AUSL play-in game to advance to the finals and set up this weekend’s showdown with the top-seeded Talons. Ailana Agbayani delivered the walk-off RBI single down the first-base line in the 11th inning to end the longest game in league history.
Wait, Agbayani?
That’s right — Ailana is the daughter of former MLB outfielder Benny Agbayani. And last night’s walk-off was a big-time “like father, like daughter” moment.
You might remember that Benny — a Mets cult hero — crushed an unforgettable 13th-inning walk-off home run in Game 3 of the 2000 National League Division Series against the Giants.
Apparently big hits run in the Agbayani family, and if Ailana and the Bandits can come up with a few more this weekend, they could win their first AUSL championship.
And that’s been Chicago’s signature this season. The Bandits are an offensive powerhouse who scored a league-high 139 runs this season, led by Skylar Wallace and Sami Williams, two of the best hitters in the AUSL.
But the Talons’ pitching is just as dominant as their rivals’ hitting. Utah has a pair of aces in Montana Fouts and Georgina Corrick that’s as good as any in the AUSL. That could be just what the Talons need to go back-to-back.
No matter who emerges victorious, this championship series should be one for the ages.
See our full preview of the 2026 AUSL Championship Series here >>
BELTRÁN, JONES, KENT ENTER THE HALL
The Hall of Fame adds three new members this weekend — two of the greatest outfielders of their generation, and the best power-hitting second baseman in MLB history.
Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent will be enshrined in Cooperstown on Sunday. We’ve collected everything you need to know about the 2026 Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but here’s some of the key info:
When does the induction ceremony take place, and how can I watch it?
The induction ceremony begins on Sunday, July 26, at 1:30 p.m. ET. It will be televised exclusively on MLB Network. It will be streamed at MLB.com and in the MLB App, and broadcast on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio. The ceremony, which is expected to last between two to three hours, will also be simulcast at https://baseballhall.org/.
Where is the ceremony held?
On the grounds of the Clark Sports Center, which is located on lower Susquehanna Avenue, one mile south of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Can fans attend?
Yes. More than 25,000 fans typically attend the induction ceremony. Lawn seating for the ceremony is unlimited and free of charge. Keep the conditions in mind, since the event is held outdoors — rain or shine (unless severe weather forces a cancellation).
Which caps will the new Hall of Famers have on their plaques?
Beltrán will be the third player to have a Mets logo on his Hall of Fame plaque, following Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza. Jones will be the 12th player to enter the Hall as a Brave, and Kent will be the 16th player to represent the Giants.
See more details on the Hall of Fame induction here >>
GAMES OF THE WEEKEND
Here’s one game to watch for each day this weekend. Go to MLB.com/Watch for info on how to watch every game this season.
Tonight: Yankees at Phillies (6:45 p.m. ET, Apple TV)
We’ve got an All-Star pitching matchup in the series opener between these two playoff contenders, as AL Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler duels against Phillies lefty Jesús Luzardo. There are also some of the top sluggers in the Majors on both sides, with NL home run leader Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper leading the way for Philadelphia against Ben Rice and the Bronx Bombers.
Tomorrow: Dodgers at Mets (7:15 p.m. ET, FOX)
Speaking of pitchers’ duels — in this Saturdayprimetime showdown, Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto squares off against Mets phenom Nolan McLean. McLean just dominated the rival Phillies with a 10-strikeout gem in his last start … but Yamamoto is coming off a masterpiece of his own, a complete-game victory over the Yankees. Can he do the same to the other New York team?
Sunday: Mariners at Rangers (2:35 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
These two AL West rivals are battling for first place in the division — the Rangers hold a half-game lead over Seattle entering the weekend. All three games have enticing pitching matchups, but we have our eyes on the series finale, which pits Jacob deGrom against Logan Gilbert.
BEST TRADE FITS FOR CONTACT KING
Luis Arraez is one of the most mentioned and most polarizing names on the trade market this season.
Will baseball’s king of contact hitting be on the move before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline? And if so, where to? Mike Petriello takes a stab at making sense of Arraez’s situation.
He breaks down the six best trade fits for the Giants second baseman. Here are three of the most interesting:
Yankees
Given how much the offense has collapsed since Aaron Judge went down, and because this team really does strike out too much, this is a trade match that’s probably going to come up a lot. The only problem is Arraez isn’t a perfect positional fit with the Yankees’ roster.
Red Sox
The Red Sox going on a 15-game win streak suddenly puts them in position to be buyers, and no team has gotten less out of left-handed hitters than Boston has. Plus, only the non-contending Reds and Mets have had less offensive production from second base.
Rangers
This could be the move that helps the Rangers hang onto first place in the wide-open AL West. And manager Skip Schumaker once called Arraez “one of my favorite players I’ve ever been around,” back when he was the Marlins’ manager and Arraez had been traded to San Diego.
Find out who’s the No. 1 trade fit for Arraez here >>
HOW YANKS CAN FILL CATCHING NEED
We just took a look at the teams that were the best fit for a player (Arraez). Now let’s do the opposite and take a look at which players are the best fit for a team.
The Yankees need catching. It’s one of the most obvious Trade Deadline needs. So Thomas Harrigan breaks down the best options for New York to address the catcher position.
Harrigan divides the catchers on the market into five tiers based on their fit with New York:
The most likely target: There’s a lot of trade buzz around this backstop.
The dream options: A couple of All-Stars the Yanks would love to have.
Don’t rule it out: An outside-the-box, but not untouchable, possibility.
Probably not happening: A catcher who’s a long shot to get traded, but would be a big fish to land.
Fallback options: These guys would still help, but it’s not the high end of the market.
See the catchers that fall into each tier here >>
A MUNE … SUSHI … PUSH-POP
You could have given us a million guesses, and we would’ve never predicted the newest Munetaka Murakami concession at White Sox games.
It’s called the “Muneshot.” It’s a sushi push-pop featuring the White Sox rookie sensation. And the next time we’re in Chicago, we will be trying it.
The tubular Murakami sushi — designed for you to push your sushi roll up through the top, one piece at a time — comes in two varieties: shrimp tempura roll and California crunch roll.
The Muneshot Sushi Push-Pop can be found at Lucky’s Section 154 and portable carts on 100 and 500 levels at Rate Field.
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RJ Hamster 