Do you remember the MLB All–Star Game in 2012? It’s okay, most people don’t. Even hardcore baseball fans have a tough time remembering what happened in All-Star Games from year to year. Let’s jog your memory:
The venue was Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. We didn’t know it at the time, but this would be Kauffman’s last All-Star Game. The Royals have recently announced plans to build a new stadium downtown.
As the visiting team, the National League batted first versus AL starter Justin Verlander and took him for a ride. Melky Cabrera (SF) singled and subsequently scored on a Ryan Braun (MIL) 2-bagger to deep right. 1-0 National League and they were just getting started.
A bit later in the first inning, there were 2 outs but the NL had loaded the bases. San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval was up – hitting lefty. As it turns out, this at-bat was a bit of foreshadowing. That fall, Sandoval and the Giants would clash with Verlander and the Tigers in the World Series Sandoval would have an immaculate series – hitting .500 with 3 home runs and taking down MVP honors. Here’s what he did in the mid-summer classic:
A stand-up triple for the big fella breaks this game open early. The NL would wind up scoring 5 runs in the top of the 1st inning, effectively ending this game before the American League even got to bat.
This one really became a snoozer as the NL All-Stars built an 8-0 lead by the 4th inning and kept it that way throughout – preserving the 11-pitcher shutout when Phillies’ closer Jonathan Papelbon induced a lazy fly ball off the bat of Matt Wieters.
So why do we care about this seemingly inconsequential All-Star Game from 11 years ago? Because it was the last time the National League had won … until last night.
2023 MLB All-Star Game is the Rangers, Braves Show
Quick! The best team in the American League is the … Rays. The second-best team is the … Orioles.
The Texas Rangers are 3rd. They’re currently 52-39, in first place in the AL West, and have one of the most talent-saturated rosters in baseball. Proof of this is 6 Rangers getting selected to the 2023 MLB All-Star Game (5 position players and 1 pitcher).
Our SIX All-Stars 🤩 pic.twitter.com/uJVNcIvqum
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 10, 2023
4 Rangers were voted in by the fans as All-Star starters. Those were 2B Marcus Semien, SS Corey Seager, 3B Josh Jung, and C Jonah Heim. SP Nathan Eovaldi and OF Adolis Garcia were picked as reserves.
Getting 6 All-Star selections is a major accomplishment, and the game would actually start with 5 Rangers on the field as Garcia got the nod in right field to start in place of the injured Aaron Judge.
The last MLB team to get 5 men starting in the mid-summer classic was the Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s. If AL manager Dusty Baker could bring Eovaldi into the game to pitch early on – he could stack the field with 6 Rangers. Dusty obliged, throwing Eovaldi in the 2nd inning – making the American League team two-thirds Rangers.
Rangers vs. NL pic.twitter.com/DHVz76GZ2Z
— Texas Rangers Insider (@RangersInsiders) July 12, 2023
It is incredibly rare to even have 6 All-Stars from one team on the roster let alone get them all into the game at once. Only 2 other times in MLB history has this ever happened. The most recent was the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers (Newcombe, Campanella, Hodges, Robinson, Reese, Snider) and the other was the 1939 New York Yankees (Ruffing, Dickey, Gordon, Rolfe, Selkirk, DiMaggio).
The 1939 Yankees would win 106 games and the World Series. The ’51 Dodgers won 97 games but lost to the Giants on the ‘Shot Heard ‘Round the World” by Bobby Thomson. Put the 2023 Texas Rangers in this category, now, and it’s hard not to get your hopes up.
Here’s another little tidbit that has been pointed out by folks on the internet. This is an obscure factoid, but it’s fun to think about. The last National League win in the All-Star Game was in 2012. That fall, Bruce Bochy won the World Series managing the San Francisco Giants.
The National League won another All-Star Game this year and Bruce Bochy (now managing the Rangers) is again in a position to win a Fall Classic. Could it be?
The Atlanta Braves Had Their Entire Infield at the 2023 All-Star Game
The Braves were better represented than the Texas Rangers at the 2023 All-Star Game – getting 8 selections. OF Ronald Acuna, C Sean Murphy, and SS Orlando Arcia were voted in as starters. 1B Matt Olson, 2B Ozzie Albies, 3B Austin Riley, SP Bryce Elder, and SP Spencer Strider were picked as reserves.
8 players at the mid-summer classic is the most any team has had in a decade. The last team to get 8 at the ASG was the 2012 Texas Rangers. This was a franchise record for the Braves, an organization that has been around since the olden days. The Braves sent 6 guys to the 2022 All-Star Game – a huge amount – but only Austin Riley and Ronald Acuna are the only repeats from last year to this.
Atlanta had the privilege of a first, second, and third basemen at the game along with their shortstop (who was starting). That’s an entire infield. If NL manager Rob Thomson wanted to, he could put all 4 Braves infielders out there at once … and he did.
5th inning. Arcia was left in the game longer than most of the NL starters in order to create this moment. Thomson subbed in Olson at first, Albies at second, and Riley at third to give the Braves fans in attendance something to goon over.
This would have been the worst possible inning for 3 strikeouts. We wanted to see some Braves infield action. We didn’t have to wait very long before this gem occurred:
Most third basemen in baseball are just eating this and conceding the single – especially with a runner on first heading toward second. You make a bad throw down the right field line and a run is scoring. This is a high-risk throw by Austin Riley, and he actually didn’t get it there.
This is exactly what we were afraid of. Riley sprints in, tries to be the hero, and gives Olson an impossible short hop to contend with. This is the 2023 Atlanta Braves, though. They’ve been making the impossible look easy all season long. Olson makes the dirty pick and then just smiles as he understands how cool this is.
Kudos to both managers for giving both the Rangers and Braves fan bases these moments. It was cool to see. Also, let’s not ignore the fact that the Los Angeles Dodgers had 3 starters in the NL lineup and a total of 5 guys at the game. That’s amazing and would be the best representation for any team in a lot of seasons – just not this one.
Gerrit Cole Pitches Perfect 1st Inning Despite Nearly Allowing 2 Home Runs
AL manager Dusty Baker gave Yankees starter Gerrit Cole the honor of starting on the mound last night, much to the dismay of Mariners’ fans who wanted to see either Luis Castillo or George Kirby get the ball.
Cole doesn’t have a lot of fans outside of the Bronx, so the Mariners-heavy crowd let him hear it with boos anytime his name was uttered by the PA announcer. Cole was infamously a part of the Astros teams shortly after they were busted for cheating, so that’s not going to endear him with the average fan. He then signed a massive contract with the most hated organization in American professional sports.
Many Mariners fans (and random dudes on the internet) wanted to see Cole self-destruct and allow a crooked number in the 1st inning. The first at-bat of the game – Cole vs Acuna – was particularly interesting as the Braves have scored the most 1st-inning runs in baseball this year largely because Acuna seemingly gets a hit to open every single game.
Acuna jumped on a 1-0 Cole heater low in the zone and sprayed it to deep right field. Adolis Garcia was drifting back and was running out of room. As he looked back for the ball, all Garcia could see was sun. This was looking like a leadoff double off the wall, at worst. Check out the play by Garcia.
Acuna can’t believe it. Cole can’t believe it. Garcia made the play, but even he doesn’t really know how he caught that.
What a start to the game! Ok, now Cole can take a deep breath, relax, and BOOM … oh no …
Same story, other side of the field. What is going on?!
The first two National League hitters had absolutely tagged Gerrit Cole and had nothing to show for it. This was the same dumb luck that has kept the NL winless since 2012. They can’t buy a base hit. Cole would induce a ground out to end the frame. He pitched just the 1 inning before giving way to Nathan Eovaldi in the 2nd.
Diaz is a Good Last Name to Have in the MLB All-Star Game
The last several All-Star Games have been very low scoring. This one was no different. The score remained 0-0 into the bottom of the 2nd when the American League opened up the scoring. The Rays have the best record in the AL at 58-35, so it’s very fitting that one of their own kick started the offense.
Rob Thomson elected to go to Pirates starter Mitch Keller as his first reliever of the day, and Rays’ first baseman Yandy Diaz greeted him with this shot:
Yandy Diaz – American League All-Stars (1)
pic.twitter.com/rZDybcEcGo— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 12, 2023
The American League grabs a 1-0 lead. This wouldn’t mean a ton in a normal baseball game but is actually pretty significant in the All-Star Game. A constant rotation of high-caliber pitching means it’s always the first time though the order – aka the hitters are always at a disadvantage.
Given how nasty many of the top-tier guys in the MLB are these days, it’s a wonder any runs at all are scored in these games. Here’s a quick look at the scoring totals of the last several All-Star Games.
| Year | Score | Total Runs |
| 2023 | NL 3 – AL 2 | 5 |
| 2022 | AL 3 – NL 2 | 5 |
| 2021 | AL 5 – NL 2 | 7 |
| – | – | – |
| 2019 | AL 4 – NL 3 | 7 |
| 2018 | AL 8 – NL 6 (10) | 14 |
| 2017 | AL 2 – NL 1 (10) | 3 |
| 2016 | AL 4 – NL 2 | 6 |
The Vegas run total was set at 7.5 runs last night. The game went under, as it has in 6 of the last 7 All-Star Games. We digress. Back to the Diaz’s.
Rockies’ Elias Diaz Earns MVP Honors With One Swing
It’s the 8th inning. Things are getting late. The American League is clinging to a 2-1 lead and has some absolute horses lined up to finish the game. Baltimore’s Felix Baustista gets the ball in the 8th with Kenley Jansen ready for the 9th. The NL can feel the walls closing in.
Bautista has been incredible in 2023 – saving 23 games with a miniscule 1.07 ERA and 18.0 K/9. Yes, 2 per inning, no typo. NL Manager Rob Thomson was emptying his bench, trying to get everyone involved in the contest – akin to a Little League coach.
Up steps Rockies’ catcher Elias Diaz with a man on and no one out. Diaz is 32 years old and having a breakout season – earning his first ever All-Star selection. He’s having a decent offensive year – .277 with 9 homers and 45 RBIs. That’s pretty good for a catcher, although he plays in Coors Field which makes people skeptical whenever they see above-average power numbers.
From Colorado to one of the hardest places to hit a home run – Seattle. This swing would have been good anywhere.
Diaz turned around a hanging splitty from Bautista – giving the NL a 3-2 lead. Players named “Diaz” had now hit 2 home runs and driven in 3 RBIs – 60% of the game’s scoring and more runs than the losing team has managed in each of the past 3 All-Star Games.
Give him the All-Star Game MVP! Great job, Elias.
Kreighton loves sports, math, writing, and winning — he combines all of them as a writer for WagerBop. His favorite sports to review are MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAAF, and NCAABB.
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