The highlight of last night's Major League All-Star game in San Diego, with apologies to game MVP Eric Hosmer, was not the Kansas City Royals first baseman's home run, or the blast by his teammate Salvador Perez that powered the American League to a 4-2 victory.
It was a series of hugs near the first base line as player after player wrapped their arms in the prodigious embrace of David Ortiz ,who drew a walk in his last ever all-star appearance and was removed for a pinch runner in the third. That's when the A.L. players all emerged from the bench and took turns saying goodbye to the player known as Big Papi, along with 42,000 fans in Petco Park who stood to acknowledge the forty year old DH, who already has 22 home runs in his final season, 525 for his career, and is still being asked whether he should reconsider the whole retirement thing. Ortiz was robbed of a hit in the second inning that was snagged by Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. His final all-star at-bat was against 23-year old Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez, who admitted to having the willies pitching against a player he grew up idolizing, and there was a fun moment after a swerving inside slider had Ortiz jumping out of the way for ball four, when Ortiz laughed and asked Fernandez if he was trying to break his forty-year old back.
Big Papi's Red Sox teammates had a pretty good night, too, with short stop Xander Bogaerts ripping a double to left, Jackie Bradley Jr. collecting two hits, and Mookie Betts picking up an RBI.
Also, a nice moment before the game when the family of former Padres great, and one of the greatest hitters who ever lived, Tony Gwynn, joined commissioner Rob Manfred on the field to formally name the National League batting title after Gwynn, who died of cancer two years ago at the age of 54. Rod Carew, a pretty good hitter himself, was on the field for that ceremony and to receive the news that the American League batting title would be named after him.
The 4-2 win for the American League was the fourth in a row over the senior circuit, and it will mean that whichever American League team make sit to the World Series this year will have home field advantage.
In New York Penn League action it was a good pitching duel in Auburn, New York yesterday, with Vermont Lake Monsters reliever Ivan Andeuza throwing five and two thirds scoreless innings before faltering in the eighth in a 3-1 loss to the Auburn Doubledays.
The Lake Monsters led 1-0 after a fifth inning RBI ground out scored Luke Perisco from third. The Doubledays mustered just four hits for the game, but in the eighth Andeuza tired, walking two batters before Blake Perkins hit a two-out, two-run triple to give Auburn the lead for good. The Lake Monsters took game one of the series and the rubber game is tonight before the Monsters come home to Centennial Field to open a series against the Williamsport Crosscutters.
In the NECBL the Vermont Mountaineers had their three game winning streak snapped in a 6-2 loss to the Mystic Schooners at Recreational Field. The Schooners built up a 6-0 lead before Vermont scored its only runs of the night on a two-run, RBI single by Ryan Fineman. The loss also broke the Mountaineers' eight game home winning streak, and now they'll take to the road for three games over the next couple of days, starting with a tilt against the Swamp Bats in Keene, New Hampshire tonight.
The fledgling Upper Valley Nighthawks got off to a great start in their debut season, but the hard times have fallen fast and hard recently. The Nighthawks have now dropped eight of their last nine games after a 9-5 loss to the Plymouth Pilgrims at the Maxfield Sports Complex in White River Junction last night. Right now the pitching staff could use a break. Billy Layne was making his first start in more than a year, and it was a rough return as he suffered an apparent ankle sprain in the first inning. Wes Engle and Avery Fliger followed, but gave up three runs, all earned on seven hits in a four inning span, handing the Pilgrims a lead they would not relinquish. The Nighthawks will try to get well against another slumping tea, when they take on the North Adams Steeplecats in western Massachusetts tonight.
