All-Star ups and downs for hometown heros
If Angels outfielder Torii Hunter can play a big game in front of his home fans at Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, he’ll have to chance to become just the third player to win MVP honors in his home stadium.
Boston’s Pedro Martinez earned the award by striking out five of the first six NL batters in as 4-1 win at Fenway Park in 1999.
Two years earlier, Cleveland’s Sandy Alomar Jr. took home the hardware after his tiebreaking two-run homer against Shawn Estes in the eighth inning of a 3-1 win at Jacobs Field.
In 1939 at Yankee Stadium, Joe DiMaggio powered the AL to a 3-1 win with his only home run in 11 career All-Star games. Hank Aaron homered at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium against Gaylord Perry in 1972, helping the NL win 4-3. Ted Williams hit two home runs at Fenway and had five RBIs to lead the AL to a 12-0 rout in 1946 - the second one on Rip Sewell’s famed “Eephus pitch.”
Frank Howard of the Washington Senators, in his only at-bat of the 1969 game, thrilled the crowd at RFK Stadium with a drive against Steve Carlton before the AL lost 9-3. Minnesota’s Harmon Killebrew also homered in a losing cause in 1965 at Metropolitan Stadium, as did Jim Gilliam of the Dodgers in 1959 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
In 1951, the AL wasted home runs by Detroit teammates Vic Wertz and George Kell in an 8-3 defeat at Tiger Stadium. The only other time two players from the hosting team went deep was in 1954, when Al Rosen hit two and Larry Doby got another in an 11-9 win for the AL at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. Rosen, Doby and Indians teammate Bobby Avila combined for eight RBIs that day.
Hometown hero Pete Rose scored probably the most memorable run in All-Star history in 1970 at Cincinnati’s brand new Riverfront Stadium, when he injured catcher Ray Fosse in a violent collision while scoring on Jim Hickman’s 12th-inning single.
Several pitchers have excelled in familiar surroundings during the midsummer classic. The best example was Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants, who in 1934 struck out Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin - in succession - and left the game with a 4-0 lead before the AL rallied to win 9-7 at the Polo Grounds.
In 1958, Billy O’Dell of the Orioles preserved a 4-3 win at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium by retiring the final nine NL batters. Three years earlier, Milwaukee’s Gene Conley fanned Al Kaline, Mickey Vernon and Rosen in succession during the 12th inning and was rewarded in the bottom half when Stan Musial homered for a 6-5 NL victory.
The most embarrassing moment by a player in front of his home crowd occurred in 1961 at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, when Giants pitcher Stu Miller lost his balance on the mound because of a sudden gust of wind and balked the eventual tying run to third. But Miller emerged as the winning pitcher in a 5-4 victory despite the only balk of his 16-year career.
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BAT MAN: Jack Marucci had a special reason for watching the game - nearly a dozen All-Stars, including Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Paul Konerko, were using his bats.
Marucci is the head athletic trainer at LSU and about 10 years ago, his son wanted to swing a wood bat in T-ball, rather than an aluminum model that most kids wield. So he went to his shed and began working.
Chase Utley, Jose Reyes and Mark Teixeira are among the 60-plus who handle the hand-crafted bats. Marucci was the star attraction at an All-Star event Monday, but then had to leave and return to Baton Rouge, La.
“Football season is coming,” he said. Marucci called all of the attention “humbling.”
Marucci said he planned to tune in the All-Star game. In particular, he wanted to study how his big league sticks did.
“I feel like I’m watching my son bat,” he said.
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DERBY FUN: First-time All-Star Nick Swisher is ready to take part in another Home Run Derby. The Yankees right fielder didn’t fare so well in his first, but enjoyed himself nonetheless. He didn’t advance out of the first round.
“I had an absolute blast,” Swisher said. “I’ll do that again, no doubt. It’s just different when you’re talking about the shadows and cameras. What you can have in that is experience, so I think the next time will be way better.”
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EXTRA BASES: Boston 3B Adrian Beltre deemed himself ready to go, three days after hurting his left hamstring at Toronto. “It’s good,” he said. Beltre is scheduled for further tests, like an MRI exam, Thursday once back with the Red Sox. ... Hunter and ex-Los Angeles slugger Vladimir Guerrero - now with Texas - had their usual lockers in the AL clubhouse. ... Two-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum of the Giants passed time before the game playing a baseball video game. Matt Holliday stopped to check how he was doing. ... Reds reliever Arthur Rhodes, a first-time All-Star at age 40, hit the weight room before the game to work out alongside Jose Reyes. ... NL coach Bruce Bochy was chatted up by Hall of Fame Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda on the NL side. ... Pitcher Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers hit the souvenir stand a couple of hours before first pitch and returned to the clubhouse with a full bag of goodies.