“It is fun when you can play this game and feel like a kid again”.
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“I was supposed to hit a home run in my second at-bat”.
American League’s Salvador Perez, of the Kansas City Royals, left, congratulates teammate Eric Hosmer, of the Kansas City Royals, for Hosmer’s MVP award in the MLB baseball All-Star Game, Tuesday, July 12, 2016, in San Diego.
“Hopefully this is something we can all rally upon for the second half and find a way to use that home-field advantage”, Hosmer said.
David Ortiz had a walk and a line-drive out in what’s expected to be the final All-Star Game for the Boston slugger, who plans to retire this fall.
This is nothing that Ventura can’t handle, as he’s shown over an entire season and to end previous year, that he has all the tools to be a quality big league starter. Dellin Betances flashed his 100 miles per hour heat, and Astros reliever Will Harris came on to throw a called third strike past Cardinals rookie Aledmys Diaz on a 3-2 pitch on the outside corner with the bases loaded to end the eighth.
– Cueto was the first pitcher since Roger Clemens in 2004 to give up two homers in an All-Star game. This time a year ago they acquired Johnny Cueto on their run to the World Series.
The Game 1 Series host has won six of the last seven titles and 24 of the last 30.
This year, Kansas City is languishing at 45-43, seven games off the AL Central lead and in the middle of the wild-card race as attention turns to which teams will be buyers and sellers as the August 1 trade deadline approaches.
Both those guys were crucial to Kansas City beating the New York Mets to win the World Series. The effect that one starter can have on an entire team shouldn’t be underestimated and gives everyone else a better chance at success. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain is also on the disabled list after straining his hamstring trying to leg out a single.
As he reached first, he was pulled from the game and left to a standing ovation and hugs from all his AL teammates on the field.
“Something that I will never forget”, Ortiz said of the cheers.
Ortiz said he will leave confident the game is in “unbelievable hands” with young stars like Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Bryant – referred to collectively as the “face of baseball” by Ortiz. “We both looked at each other and smiled”. I tried to go out and pitch the best I could. “All lives matter to the great”, and one held up a sign reading “All Lives Matter”.
“He said, ‘First-pitch fastball – be ready for it, ‘” Bryant said. He leads the majors in slugging percentage, on-base average and extra-base hits this year. It’s the opener of a nine-game road swing that continues a stretch of 19 of 23 games away from home.
“I think that if we had started the series in St. Louis”, he said, “maybe we would have lost in five”.
Ventura’s inability to establish himself as a frontline starter prompted the Royals to trade for Johnny Cueto.
“(Kris) Bryant came up and hit that homer in the first inning and I said, ‘Man, he must be on top of the world, ‘” Hosmer said.
The lead was short-lived, with Hosmer and Perez going deep for a 3-1 lead in the second, sandwiched around Mookie Betts’ single. “Today, I didn’t get up feeling well”.
“I wouldn’t say there’s urgency”, said Merrifield, whose fine play at second base allowed the Royals to jettison underperforming veteran Omar Infante.
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In the fourth inning, Miami Marlins Outfielder Marcell Ozuna tried to start a comeback after plating Buster Posey with a RBI single, but that was all the NL could muster, as they fell to the AL 4-2.
