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2018 All Star Game, All Star Game, American League, baseball, Chris Sale, Home Run Derby, Max Scherzer, Mookie Betts, National League, Nationals Park
“‘Monumental” Night for D.C. Baseball”
I woke to several headlines and numerous articles touting last night’s 10-inning All Star Game as a “Classic,” a “Full-powered Classic”.
That was not the 3:45 minute game (4:45 with all the introductions) that three of us watched at Nats’ Park and that the American League won 8-6 in the 10th inning.
As we left the stadium at the end of the game, I asked my friend Todd what he would lead with if he was writing the next morning’s story about the game. He said he’d probably write that if you want the All Star Game to be truly competitive, it has to mean something (it no longer determines home field advantage for the World Series).
My wife Ellen, who now attends 5-10 games a year, said “there didn’t seem to be much energy out there, neither the players nor the fans were particularly into the game after the first few innings.”
It did start with energy, both in the stands (sellout crowd of 43,843) and on the field. The Nats’ ace Max Scherzer opened the game by striking out the American League’s leading hitter, Boston’s Mookie Betts. The crowd roared. He struck out the second batter also, the American League’s 2017 MVP, Houston’s Jose Altuve, on three pitches. Scherzer and Los Angeles’ Mike Trout, perhaps MLB’s premier player, battled. The fans wanted a third strike out, but Trout took the count to 3-2, fouled off a few pitches, and earned a walk. The fans sat down, disappointed and quieted further when Boston and MLB’s home run leader, Boston’s J.D. Martinez singled. But Schezer got Jose Ramirez to pop out and got out of the inning. The crowd settled in.
In the bottom half of the first, Boston’s ace Chris Sale gave up a first pitch single to Javier Baez, but then got the next three batters out, two on fly balls and one on a strike out. Sale threw at least one pitch over 100 mph and several at 99 and 98, something he has not done over the last eight years.
Scherzer came back out and immediately the Yankee’s Aaron Judge hit a home run. American League up 1-0. The stadium seemed stunned. So did Scherzer who then got all of the next three batters out quickly, including two by strike outs.
After Matt Kemp started the National League off with a double in the bottom of the second against New York’s best pitcher, Luis Severino, Bryce Harper, winner (and hero to the Nats’ fans) of the Home Run Derby the previous night, had a chance to tie the game or even put the National League ahead. He struck out (he did that again in his second at bat too), and the next two batters were quickly retired. All quiet on South Capitol Street.
Each team scored a run on bases empty home runs in the third, Mike Trout for the American League and then Wilson Contreras for the National League.
And for almost the next two hours, the score remained at 2-1, the American League leading. The fans began to leave when most of the starters and best players on both teams were replaced by less well known names, and neither team seemed to have much spirit. There was a spark of life when the National League tied the game on a home run by Trevor Story in the bottom of the 7th, but then rained threatened.
The fans should probably have stayed, as it turned out, because 11 of the 14 runs were scored (all on home runs but one) after the seventh.
But for some reason both managers seemed to stop managing, or at least seemed to stop trying to win. The best of the relievers remained in the bullpens, even when a barrage of hits and home runs were given up, and the game was still on the line. Then Seattle’s Jean Segura hit a three run homer in the 8th off the NL’s Josh Hader, and there were to be seven more runs scored before the American League was able to win on homers in the 10th. By that time, the stadium was more than half empty and even some of the starting players had left their dugouts.
Maybe Todd is correct. Maybe there needs to be some incentive beyond just being an exhibition game for the best known players. Maybe the Washington fans are more sedate than in other cities. (We were in Minneapolis for the ALG a few years ago, and Ellen remarked that that game was much more lively).
But a “thriller” or “monumental” this game was not. Or at least it did not seem to be so to us nor to many of the 43,843 fans who were no where to be seen well before the game ended.
I am curious what others who watched the game on TV saw and thought.
Please Comment.
Thanx.
Bob Thurston said:
I’m not a good judge, but I did tune in. I wanted to see Scherzer pitch, I had missed the first inning, and the first thing I saw was giving up a home run to Ashley Judd. Oh well. I flipped back to Tour de France, with the commentators trying to make some excitement out of what we were seeing. I stayed with that for a while, not so much because of all the competitive drama they were selling but because of the scenery. French Alps, wow! Also I wanted to watch those guys scream downhill at 50 or 60 miles an hour when anything over 30 gets me pretty scared!
I turned back to the All Star game in time to see Bryce Harper strike out. Back to watch a very excited French rider win the stage.
I agree with Todd, the game should mean something.
Land Wayland said:
The All-Star game is a great place to show off excuses. An excuse for most of the players to take a break from going to the office. An excuse for some stars to make their sponsors happier. A place to get to see how some of the hot guys in the other league do their stuff. But baseball, not so much
The teams are like the sandlot teams we used to have in high school where every one assembled and the captains (the best players to make sure they weren’t on the same team) chose his players and the game started. Shirts vs Skins. Nine guys playing the same game on the same field at the same time but nada said about being a team, or having a reason to win, or being managed or taking any kind of a risk (e.g. sliding into home) for no reason.
Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed. This is not a replay of the Gunfight at the OK Corral or Pickett’s Charge.
Richard said:
Indeed. Indeed.
Sean said:
Re: your All Star Game: It was terrible,
Boring, FOR WHAT?
Why have this game?
Sean
Sent from AOL Mobile Mail
Chris Boutourline said:
A few days ago I read this ESPN article about the All-Star Game and thought it brought up some good points and ideas. The observation that the ASG used to be the only chance for those of us living in AL or NL city to see the best players from the other league rang true for me as I can now watch NL or AL highlights any day. I haven’t watched more than a bit of the game in decades and the home run contest doesn’t float my boat either. I think the chance for spectators to have some in-game, interactive involvement might spice things up. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24082078/olbermann-want-fix-mlb-all-star-game-turn-upside-down
Chris Boutourline said:
PS: If you look at the ESPN article mentioned above there are some great video highlights from past All-Star games.
Richard H. said:
The worst part about the game not meaning anything from the TV-viewing perspective is that it gives Fox the license to deploy all these intrusive gimmicks with microphones, including on players in the field every inning.
I am not interested in the announcers’ inane hear-themselves-talk chit-chat. And if you mute the TV, half the camera coverage is still a close-up on some fielder apparently mostly talking to himself and half-watching the game.
I’d recorded the broadcast and started watching from the recording around 8:45 so that I could fast-forward thru the commercials and gratuitous patriotic zeal; my recording buffer and patience and endurance ended exactly on Segura’s HR, and I said: perfect timing; delete. And went to bed.
Richard H.
Jim Cooke said:
Richard, I was at the game in 117 dugout box, 7th Row, and every pitch was exciting. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. If you have a true passion for the sport, the All-Star Game is heaven. One of my highlights occurred when Snell was on the mound, and he fell behind Freddie Freeman 2-0. I razzed him with my stentorian voice heard up and down the AL dugout, “He’s afraid of you, Freddie! He can’t throw a strike! He’s afraid to throw the ball over the plate!” The entire AL bench turned around and looked at me with astonishment. AJ Hinch turned around and smiled. Several players smiled and chuckled. The fans around me burst into laughter. It was a true baseball moment. I only wish I’d captured it on video.
Another highlight was entering the Home Plate gate on the First Base side and sauntering towards 127 to look for a friend. I spotted some fans wearing Nationals jerseys for the National League team and remarked how attractive they looked. It turned out they were guests of Josh Hader — his girlfriend, her mother and her brother, from Houston. I immediately told them how much I loved watching Josh pitch because he played for Old Mill in Millersville, MD, and my son had attended Meade High, an Arundel League competitor, at the same time. I told them my son played JV Baseball in the spring of his sophomore year 2011, but he quit to devote all of his time and energy on Meade’s Varsity Soccer team the next year, so he never faced Josh on the diamond. At the time he quit, I told him that he’d regret it, but I’d support his decision. As I walked away from Josh Hader’s guests, I thought to myself what would my son’s life be like now if he had faced Josh and been successful with the bat against him? It was one of those moments we all have about reflecting on the decisions we make in life. Baseball teaches us many things, and like all sports, it teaches us how to win and lose. It teaches us success and failure. It gives us so much more of course. PS My son was captain of the Delaware County Community College soccer team two years ago, and he is now studying biology at Temple. We still enjoy going to baseball games together.
I think the earlier commentator who said that player and fan interaction would help the game was spot on.
Ed Scholl said:
I saw the game on TV and thought there was a fair amount of action and suspense, especially with the game going into extra innings.
I was struck by Tom Boswell‘s article today about the All-Star game he saw in 1969 and how much those memories have remained with him over the last 50 years.
Todd said:
When Rick invited me to the All Star game, I said something like “I can’t pass up this opportunity to see Mike Trout. I won’t have another opportunity to do so.” Seeing Mike Trout hit a home run off a low an outside ball into the left field stands will remain my highlight. If I were alive 50 years ago and if Mike Trout become part of the “best of all-time discussion,” I would be the one saying I saw Mike Trout pull a home run off DeGrom.
Just like my saying that I was at the game and saw Mickey Mantle hit the 565 foot homer over the left field bleachers at Griffith stadium.
At the same time, I groaned a bit when the NL tied the game in the ninth inning and forced the game into extra innings. Rick, Ellen, and I said that we’d watch one more inning, but we wouldn’t have been disappointed if they’d called the game a tie after nine.
Brian Steinbach said:
The all-star game is an exhibition again the way it should be. I never liked the WS home-field advantage hook. Let the players mingle, let them have some fun. I watched the first few innings from home and even enjoyed the players talking into the mike – but agree that the cameras spent too much time showing the player rather than what was going on in the game. Harper saying “that one’s gone” was priceless. Watching Scherzer was terrific. Harper, not so much. Over the last year or so he just tries too hard and whiffs. Seems like too many HRs in the rest of the game – make me wonder if the pitchers were grooving the ball a bit.