All-Star game drops tricky decisions squarely in Dusty Baker’s hands
ALL-STAR EVOLUTION
19 July 2022
Jose Altuve will miss the All-Star Game, despite being named a starter. Composite image by Jack Brame.
It’s time to start naming two separate All-Star Game rosters.
One set of rosters for those who are voted into the game or gain entry based on their performance. And separate rosters for those who want to play.
This year, 14 players were named to the All-Star team only to pull out for reasons including injury (real), injury (dog ate my homework), or pitchers who aren’t available because they strategically threw over the weekend and teams don’t want them to burn innings in a meaningless made-for-TV exhibition game.
Today it seems like it’s enough of an honor to be named to the All-Star Game than to play in the All-Star Game. Sort of like car rental companies are good at taking Jerry Seinfeld’s reservation but not so good at holding the reservation. And isn’t holding the reservation – and actually playing in the All-Star Game – the most important part?
The absentees include starters Jose Altuve, Mike Trout and Jazz Chisholm Jr., and marquee stars like Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Bryce Harper.
The Astros had five players named to the American League All-Star team: Altuve, Verlander, Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. Only two will see action tonight (Valdez and Tucker). Verlander pitched last Saturday so he’s off the roster. Alvarez is on the injured list. Altuve, well, let’s say he won’t have to endure those clown Dodgers fans booing him tonight.
Clayton Kershaw is the National League’s starting pitcher for the first time in his Cooperstown-bound career. His reason for taking the mound: “I was just trying to hang on a little longer for (my kids) to see it,” Kershaw said. “I think my daughter is 7 and my oldest son is 5.”
He thinks his daughter is 7?
Baseball’s All-Star Game is unique among America’s four major sports because it’s the only one that could affect whether a team makes the playoffs or not. It’s unlikely to happen, especially since Astros manager Dusty Baker is calling the shots for the American League, but say Astros lefty Valdez pitches two difficult innings and throws 60 pitches tonight. That would rule out Valdez from pitching Thursday when the Yankees visit Minute Maid Park for a rare doubleheader against the Astros. Those games could be critical in the final won-loss tally for home field advantage in the playoffs. If one team sweeps the double dip it could leave a psychological mark on the losing team.
Another quirk for baseball’s All-Star Game, it’s played on a Tuesday night instead of the weekend like football, hockey and basketball’s showcase.
Baseball’s Midsummer Classic comes the closest to looking like a real contest, though. Pitchers throw hard and batters are trying to hit home runs. Football and basketball’s All-Star Games are not taken seriously by the players, who don’t play defense and try their darnedest not to get injured. The scores of the last five NBA All-Star Games: 163-160, 170-150, 157-155, 178-164, and 196-173.
As for recent NFL Pro Bowls, middle school touch football games have more physical contact. The NFL used to play the Pro Bowl in sunny tropical Hawaii at the end of the season, in the dead of winter when most of America was shivering, and still couldn’t get many top players to say yes to playing. Now the game is played in Orlando and it’s an annual debate whether to pull the plug on the Pro Bowl.
All Star Games for all four sports have their gimmick side show attractions. The NBA has the dunk contest, the NFL and NHL have skills challenges and baseball has its Home Run Derby. The dunk contest used to feature Hall of Fame legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dominique Wilkins. Can you name the 2022 winner? It was Obi Toppin. The first time I heard that name, at the 2020 NBA Draft, I thought, did the Knicks just pick the conductor in Thomas the Tank Engine cartoons?
Monday night’s Home Run Derby took 2-1/2 hours for less than an hour of action. That’s so baseball. It was almost enough to wish Chris Berman were still calling the homers. Almost.
The players used to have good reason to win the All-Star Game. Between 2003 and 2017, the winning league got home field advantage in the World Series. Now the players’ only incentives are cash payouts for being named to the All-Star Game, with a little something extra for winners of the fan voting and members of the winning team. Many players have bonuses for making the All-Star Game in their contracts.
A new wrinkle for tonight’s game, if the score is tied after nine innings, there will be a mini home run contest with three players from each league getting three swings. They might as well have a hot dog eating contest or dance-off. At least that would be fun after what’ll probably be nearly a four-hour game.
Like the NFL Pro Bowl, baseball’s All-Star Game has taken a nosedive in importance. The All-Star Game used to be a summer highlight for sports fans. Between 1959 and 1962, baseball even staged two All-Star Games each year.
That’s how Hank Aaron was able to set the all-time record of being selected to 25 All-Star teams despite playing only 23 years. The once (really still) home run king shares the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial.
Here’s a strange stat: Jeff Bagwell played 15 seasons with the Houston Astros and was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2017. He is the only player in history to have six consecutive seasons with 30 homers, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored and 100 walks. He’s the only first baseman with 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases. He’s an all-time great hitter and gifted fielder at first base.
Yet Bagwell made only four All-Star teams, only once as the starting first baseman. He was beat out for starting at first base by Greg Jefferies, Fred McGriff and Mark McGwire, none of whom is in the Hall of Fame.
So don’t put too much stock in tonight’s All-Star Game. It’s really just for fun.
How Astros constructed statement win over Brewers in critical stretch
May 19, 2024, 6:53 pm
HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Tucker homered twice to tie for the major league lead with 15 and drove in four runs, leading the Houston Astros over the Milwaukee Brewers 9-4 on Sunday for their ninth win in 11 games.
After striking out in his first three at-bats, Tucker decided to change his cleats from a pair of lime green Astros mascot Orbit-themed ones to his normal orange pair.
“I just didn’t really have great first three at-bats with them,” Tucker said. “I just decided to come in and swap them back out for my other cleats and it ended up pretty well for me.”
Jose Altuve hit his 37th leadoff homer in a four-run first inning and Jake Meyers had three hits for Houston, which took two of three from the Brewers and improved to 21-26 with its third straight series win.
“You’ve just got to pile up wins, especially series wins, throughout the year,” Tucker said. “At the end of the year it will be what it is.”
Tucker hit a solo homer to right in the sixth off Thyago Vieira and a three-run, opposite-field drive to left in the seventh against Mitch White.
“He’s playing on a different level right now,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s a really, really good player.”
Tucker tied Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson at 15 home runs after his third multi-homer game this season and the sixth of his big league career.
“I just try to get pitches over the plate and try and barrel them up and they just happen to fall for homers,” Tucker said. “It’s not like I’m trying to lift the ball and start hitting them. It just kind of comes with pitch selections and trying to barrel balls to the outfield.”
Rookie Spencer Arrighetti (2-4) won his second straight start after going 0-4 in his first five. He allowed four runs and six hit with six strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings, his big league high.
“I think my general presence is getting a little better,” Arrighetti said. “Obviously, that team runs really well and I gave up a couple stolen bases, but as soon as that happened I feel like I was able to make a good adjustment with controlling the running game a little bit and still being able to execute pitches while doing that.”
Colin Rea (3-2) gave up five runs, eight hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings.
“He didn’t have command of his stuff and Colin’s a command pitcher,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
After Christian Yelich’s RBI single in the first, Houston went ahead for good on Altuve’s homer, Jon Singleton’s run-scoring groundout and Meyers’ two-out, two-run double.
Brice Turang had a two-run single in the seventh and scored on Yelich’s single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: LHP DL Hall (knee) pitched one inning and struck out one for Class A Wisconsin on Sunday in a rehab start.
Astros: OF Chas McCormick (hamstring) went 2 for 4 with a single, double and a stolen base as the designated hitter for Double-A Corpus Christi on Sunday. Ryan Pressly (sore finger) threw a bullpen on Sunday. He has not pitched since Tuesday.
UP NEXT:
Brewers: RHP Joe Ross (2-4, 4.61) starts for Milwaukee against LHP Ryan Weathers (2-4, 3.81) on Monday to open a three-game series at Miami.
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (3-1, 2.95) starts for Houston at home on Monday in a series opener against LHP Reid Detmers (3-4, 5.19) and the Los Angeles Angels.
BY JOSHUA KOCH
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