While Mariners duo Julio Rodriguez and Ty France had little impact in the All-Star Game itself, they reveled in the experience as a whole in Los Angeles.
The American League beat the National League for the ninth straight year, as they won the 92nd All-Star Game 3-2 on Tuesday night. In terms of the outcome, Mariners duo Julio Rodriguez and Ty France went a collective 0-for-3 at the plate.
However, Rodriguez and France still both enjoyed the experience of appearing in their first ever All-Star Game. Rodriguez was also mic’d up during the game, to give MLB fans a chance to become more familiar with one of baseball’s young potential superstars.
The 21-year-old had an amusing interaction with the White Sox’ Liam Hendricks in the bottom of the eighth inning, after catching a fly ball from the only batter the reliever faced. Rodriguez pretended he was going to throw the ball into the crowd, causing a brief moment of panic for Hendricks.
The reason for this panic was because Hendricks has collected memorabilia from special moments throughout his career. A ball from his first All-Star Game in Los Angeles definitely qualifies, but Rodriguez couldn’t resist teasing him first.
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Rodriguez talked to the media afterwards about the moment and explained what happened. As per Juan Toribio and Dylan Svoboda of MLB.com, he said:
“I could hear him say that he wanted to keep the ball and I was messing with him because he didn’t know I had a mic that I could hear him. It was fun. It was fun getting to talk to those guys during the All-Star Game.”
France had to patiently wait until the start of the eight inning to get his chance to play, when he pinch hit for Jose Ramirez. In his only at-bat, he struck out swinging.
However, this did not dampen France’s joy from the game and the festivities as a whole. As per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, he said:
“It all happened so fast and it ended really quick too. It was an incredible experience and I’m very grateful to be here … I’m finally getting a chance to let it all sink it. This has been very memorable for me.”
What was particularly telling about France, was how much he supported Rodriguez and was genuinely happy his teammate received so much praise. Of course, the youngster’s dazzling debut in the Home Run Derby the previous evening, had a lot to do with the positive reaction.
Now, it’s a case of getting back to reality, although it’s a good one, thanks to a 14-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break. The Mariners find themselves in a wild card spot and hoping to end the longest active postseason drought in the Majors.
France admitted he was eager to return to Seattle. As per Divish, he said:
“We’ve been playing really good baseball and I’m excited to get back there with the boys. It’s a fun group we’ve got over there and I’m looking forward to getting back to playing baseball again.”
The Mariners will begin the unofficial start of the second half of their season on Friday, with the first of a crucial three-game series against the Houston Astros. They have struggled in recent seasons against their divisional rivals, but have a 6-6 record so far this year, including 4-2 at T-Mobile Park.
As a Mariners fan, it’s more than likely your main highlight was Rodriguez’s performance in the Home Run Derby. However, is there anything else in particular you enjoyed from this year’s events in Los Angeles? Let us know in the comments section below.
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