MLB Roundup: Mestemaker Throws First Pitch, Benge Throws Out MVP

There were a handful of Oklahoma State storylines in Major League Baseball this weekend, and not all of them had to do with baseball players.

Here’s a quick roundup.

Drew Mestemaker Throws Out First Pitch

The Texas Rangers celebrated OSU Night on Friday, where the Cowboys’ new QB threw out the first pitch.

Drew Mestemaker threw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers game to kick off the Rangers’ Oklahoma State University Theme Night.

(video via Texas Rangers) pic.twitter.com/VmqwLDFGXi

— Scott Wright (@ScottWrightOK) July 25, 2026

The play nowadays for social media teams is to stay zoomed in on the celebrity pitcher as to avoid the potential embarrassment of following a poor throw. But while Mestemaker didn’t rear back and fire one in there full speed, based on his reaction and quickly meeting up with Rangers assistant coach Travis Jankowski, who caught the first pitch, the ball was on target.

The Rangers would go on to beat the Seattle Mariners 5-4 on OSU night.

Carson Benge Throw Out Former MVP

Friday night also saw former Cowboy Carson Benge heave a rope in from right field and got former MVP Freddie Freeman out at the plate.

Miguel Rojas flied out to right field in the sixth inning of the Dodgers eventual 4-2 win. Benge caught the flyout moving forward and threw home to keep the game tied.

Carson Benge delivers a one-hop strike to the plate 🎯 pic.twitter.com/7nNcE9JBk8

— MLB (@MLB) July 25, 2026

A two-way star in Stillwater, Benge is in his first Major League season at 23 years old. Through 101 games, he’s hitting .260 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs.

McLean Makes National TV Start

Speaking of that Mets-Dodgers series, Game 2 was played Saturday night on national TV. Not only was a Cowboy playing in right field for the Mets, but another was on the bump.

Nolan McLean is in his second MLB season (but is still considered a rookie), and he’s already developed into the Mets ace, recently celebrating his 25th birthday.

The Mets are struggling relative to their season expectations, but McLean has undoubtedly been a bright spot. The Dodgers beat New York 4-3 on Saturday night, where McLean was issued the loss after throwing six innings where he allowed two earned runs off seven hits. McLean is now 7-7 on the season.

He leads all Mets in innings pitched with 119 1/3, posting a 3.32 ERA. That ERA ranks sixth among qualified rookies in MLB. He also leads the Mets in wins (7) and strikeouts (142).