The Major League Baseball All-Star game is upon us once again and this year we head to San Francisco for the festivites. The City by the Bay happens to be the home of the most controversial figure in sports these days, future home run king, Barry Bonds. Bonds squeezed into the line-up because of a late push by the fans that vote in the starters, and many think this will be the final All-Star appearance for the hitter that many feel is the face of the steroid era. But Bonds isn't the only storyline in a game that features several future Hall of Famers, and a host of young players making their All-Star debuts. Check back with this blog for constant updates and analysis, as we find out which league will have home field advantage for this year's Fall Classic. Feel free to weigh in with your questions or comments below...
Is there anything more boring than full-team player introductions? I don't know why they do it. I understand that they want to give every player their due by letting them hear their name introduced over the PA system and the crowd their chance to cheer on their home-town players, but do we really need to see that on TV? I don't think so.
Kudos to the tribute to Willie Mays. Regardless of what Barry Bonds does in a Giants uniform, the "Say Hey Kid" will always be the greatest Giant in my eyes. In one shot, TV viewers saw Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. - maybe three of the ten best players (especially if Griffey hadn't had all the injury issues) to ever live. I don't know about the Pink Cadillac, but the idea of taking the time to honor a player from the past that laid the foundation for the game we enjoy in the present is something that never gets old.
Ichiro starts off the game with a single to right off of Padres ace Jake Peavy. In typical Ichiro fashion, it was a slap single on the ground, a style that has earned the Japan native almost 1,500 hits in less than seven seasons. There is a good chance that he will get to 3,000 hits and he didn't even start his career in the States until the ripe old age of 27 - ridiculous.
After Jeter gounded into a 6-4-3 double play, Prince Fielder showed us that even the pros can get nervous. In his first All-Star appearance, the son of former slugger Cecil Fielder dropped what should have been an inning ending grounder into the right field shift by David Ortiz. While Peavy got A-Rod to ground out to third (compliments of a fine defensive play by David Wright), Fielder reminded us why he's here more for his 29 home runs than his potential to give Don Mattingly a run for his money anytime soon.
Jose Reyes, a player that many think can become an MVP-type shortstop in the near future, showcased his talents right away. He took Danny Haren's offering right back up the middle for a single and then stole second off of Pudge Rodriguez, no small feat. That brought up Bonds with a man on, but he popped out weakly to short right. Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran couldn't do much better, waving at a 1-2 pitch for strike three. Griffey came through with a two-out single up the middle to drive in Reyes and give the N.L. a 1-0 lead. Reyes' partner on the left side of the Mets infield, David Wright, ended the inning on a grounder to short.
Mets fans have to love Reyes, I know I do. The guy is the best in the league at manufacturing runs for his team. At the beginning of his career, he had no eye at the plate. Now that he can take a pitch, there is arguably no better lead-off hitter in the game. He hits over .300, has 46 stolen bases already this year, throws frozen ropes to first, and almost never misses a game now that he has altered his running stride to help avoid the hamstring problems he had early in his career. Ichiro could give him a run for his money, but Reyes is 11 years younger...case closed.
Top 2nd: A.L. 0 - N.L. 1
Brad Penny came on to relieve Peavy and did his job well - three up three down in the form of a Vladimir Guerrero ground out, a Magglio Ordonez fly out to right and a Pudge grounder to short.
Managing an All-Star game has to be annoying. Tony Larussa took out Peavy and put in Brad Penny to start the second inning. There are so many factors involved in All-Star game pitching changes. The manager is trying to win the game so that his league can host the World Series, but there are those that are clamoring that everyone should get a chance to play, and still others that don't want their guy to throw too many pitches during an exhibition game, fearing injury or fatigue...I say the starter should go two - he's earned the right to stay out there a while with his performance during the first half of the year, and if he gets hurt in that second inning, well, it just wasn't his year anyway.
Bottom 2nd: A.L. 0 - N.L.1
Apparently Jim Leyland agrees with my opinion on starting pitching, as Haren is out for a second inning. Fielder's on base percentage is a lot better than his fielding percentage so far - a leadoff walk for the big guy from Milwaukee. Russell Martin, a good young catcher for the Dodgers lined out to A-rod for the first out. Chase Utley flied out to Ichiro before Miguel Cabrera, who was questionable with a shoulder injury, struck out pinch-hitting for Penny.
Ben Sheets came on in relief of Penny, and he quickly retired the first two hitters he faced. Placido Polanco, another player nursing an injury, grounded out in what is likely to be his only at-bat for the game. Manny Ramirez followed with a fly out to right before back to back singles by Ichiro and Jeter gave the American League runners on first and second with two away. David Ortiz couldn't come through, however, lining out to Griffey in right to end the threat.
Hitting is typically hard to come by in these kinds of games. One of the old adages in baseball is that good pitching always beats good hitting, so it would make sense that with the best pitchers in the league all in one bullpen, runs would be few and far between. With the run that the National League has scored tonight, they have taken a one-run lead in the all-time series 247-246. Amazing that after all these years, the two leagues had scored the exact same number of runs coming into tonight. I'm one of those people that thinks baseball keeps track of too many stats, but I have to admit, sometimes there are some pretty cool numbers out there.
Josh Beckett came on for the A.L. If we were in New York the fans would have found a way to boo A-Rod for that play...whatever - the spin on that ball was ridiculous. Bonds came up with a runner on again, and he put a charge into one to left which was caught on the warning track.
Anything off that guy's bat in the air will get the fans out of their seat, and this was no different. I can't even imagine how many home runs Bonds would have if he played in a place like Camden Yards he'd probably have 1,000 by now. He plays in about as bad a ballpark as you could possibly draw up for a slugger, and he hasn't even blinked. The Home Run Derby last night was a testament to how hard it is to hit a ball over the wall in San Fran - the final round went 3-2 in Vlad Guerrero's favor. Some will argue that some of those have been aided by some kind of chemical agent, but the fact is that the architect of At&T Park hasn't done him any favors.
P.S. Beltran grounded out and Griffey struck out to end the inning.
A-Rod showed a little versatility, leading off the inning with a single and stealing second, but back to back ground outs for Guerrero and Ordonez left I-Rod needing a two-out hit to keep the inning alive. It looked like he had an RBI single to right, but Griffey provided us a look back in time to his Gold Glove days with the Mariners, gunning down Rodriguez by about 15 feet at home to end the inning and keeping the A.L. off the board.
Another solid inning for Beckett - Wright, Fielder and Martin, all down in order. The A.L. has used two pitchers to the N.L.'s four. It's early, but in a close game that could go extras, that could play a factor later on.
In other news, I have stared at that design in the center field grass about two dozen times and in every instance wondered how they could possibly mow a wave into the turf. I don't know if that makes me weird, or just the guy that says what everybody else is thinking...
Top 5th: A.L. 2 N.L. 1
After a leadoff walk by Brian Roberts and a fly out by Jorge Posada, Ichiro came through with an inside-the-park home run that has to catapult him into the early lead in the MVP race. I have to say he got a lot of help from the right field wall - the bounce that his line drive took off the right-center field wall made Griffey look like a little leaguer - the guy was literally running the wrong way, and a guy with Ichiro's speed is going to take advantage. Make it a 3-3 night for Mr. Suzuki, with the only two RBIs for the A.L. so far and a run scored. The Mariners are looking pretty smart right now for reportedly signing the guy to a five year extension before he had a chance to hit free agencyy. It's going to cost them, supposedly between 90 and 100 million dollars, but the guy is irreplaceable, both from a marketing standpoint and as a stat filler.
Jeter and Morneau flied out to end the inning while David Ortiz fanned Ichiro in the dugout. There is something odd about a 275-pounds slugger fanning off a 150-pound slap hitter...I can't quite put my finger on it, but you know what I mean...
Bottom 5th: A.L. 2 N.L. 1
C.C. Sabathia came on in the fifth for the A.L. and he promptly pitched a scoreless frame. A Jose Reyes single was the only hit off the big lefty from Cleveland, as Utley grounded out and Alfonso Soriano lined out with Derrek Lee grounding back to the pitcher to end the inning.
Top 6th: A.L. 3 N.L. 2
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
