Tag: all star game

Red Sox at the All-Star Game: Rafael Devers draws a walk in American League’s ninth straight win

The American League defeated the National League by a final score of 3-2 in the 92nd MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night, marking their ninth straight Midsummer Classic victory.

Yankees left fielder Giancarlo Stanton was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after crushing a game-tying, two-run home run in the top of the third inning that was immediately followed by a solo shot off the bat of Twins center fielder Byron Buxton. Stanton’s blast had an exit velocity of 11.7 mph and traveled 457 feet to left field while Buxton’s had an exit velocity of 107.7 mph and traveled 425 feet to left field as well.

Dodgers right-hander Tony Gonsolin took the loss, as the first time All-Star was the one who gave up all three of those runs. Astros righty Framber Valdez, also a first-time All-Star, earned the winning decision by tossing a scoreless third inning.

As far as those who represented the Red Sox were concerned, it was a quiet night for the trio of Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez. Devers, the AL’s starting third baseman, drew a seven-pitch walk off National League starter Clayton Kershaw in his lone trip to the plate.

Bogaerts entered the game as a defensive replacement for the White Sox’ Tim Anderson in the fourth inning. He went 0-for-1 with a strikeout at the hands of Diamondbacks reliever Joe Mantiply before being lifted for the Rangers’ Corey Seager in the middle of the seventh.

Martinez, meanwhile, pinch-hit for former teammate Miguel Cabrera in the top half of the seventh. Unlike Bogaerts and Devers, Martinez received two at-bats, though he, too, failed to record a hit.

So, between the three of them, the Sox’ contingent combined to go 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. Let’s check in on how some of their former teammates did.

Mookie Betts, starting in center field for the National League, went 1-for-1 with a first-inning RBI single off American League starter Shane McClanahan. Kyle Schwarber, representing the Phillies as a reserve, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. The same can be said for Andrew Benintendi, who was representing the Royals as a first-time All-Star. Martin Perez, also a first-time All-Star, tossed a 1-2-3 fifth inning for the AL.

Santiago Espinal, who Boston traded to Toronto for Steve Pearce in July 2018, went 0-for-1 with a walk in his first All-Star experience as a member of the Blue Jays.

All told, the American and National League lineups combined for just five runs on 13 hits. Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase picked up the save by striking out the side on 10 pitches in the bottom of the ninth, thus securing win for the junior circuit.

With this installment of the All-Star Game in the books, the likes of Bogaerts, Devers, Martinez will head back to Boston from Los Angeles before the second half of the regular season begins.

The Red Sox open the second half with a three-game weekend series against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. They will then host the Guardians and Brewers to conclude a 10-game homestand that will take them right into August.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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Red Sox’ Rafael Devers named starting third baseman for American League in All-Star Game for second straight year

For the second straight year, Rafael Devers has been named the starting third baseman for the American League All-Star team, Major League Baseball announced on Friday. Devers will represent the Red Sox in the 92nd MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19.

After being named a finalist to start at third base alongside Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez last Thursday, Devers ultimately beat out the Guardians star by receiving 60 percent of the Phase 2 vote.

Coming into play on Friday, Devers was batting a stout .330/.387/.598 with 27 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 51 RBIs, 59 runs scored, two stolen bases, 25 walks, and 61 strikeouts over 79 games (351 plate appearances) so far this season.

Among qualified American Leaguers, the left-handed hitting 25-year-old ranks first in hits (106), first in doubles, seventh in homers, second in runs scored, 10th in RBIs, second in batting average, seventh in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.986), eighth in isolated power (.268), third in wRC+ (173), and first in fWAR (4.4), per FanGraphs.

While Devers is Boston’s lone representative in the Midsummer Classic at the moment, some of his teammates — such as Xander Bogaerts or Nick Pivetta — could still be joining him in Los Angeles. Pitchers and reserves for both the American and National League teams will not be unveiled until Sunday.

Opposite of Devers, Padres third baseman will be starting at the hot corner for the National League. Former Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts also made his second All-Star team as a member of the Dodgers.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers batting third and fifth in American League’s starting lineup for 2021 All-Star Game

Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers will become the first pair of Red Sox teammates to ever start in the same All-Star Game at shortstop and third base at Coors Field on Tuesday night, and they will do so while batting third and fifth in the American League’s starting lineup, respectively.

Rays manager Kevin Cash, who is also managing the American League squad in this year’s Midsummer Classic in Denver, announced his starting lineup and starting pitcher earlier Monday afternoon, as Angels’ two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani will bat leadoff as the starting designated hitter while also getting the start on the mound.

For Bogaerts, this will be his second All-Star Game start in addition to his third overall All-Star selection (2016, 2019, 2021).

The 28-year-old is currently hitting .321/.385/.545 with a league-leading 27 doubles, 15 home runs, 51 RBI, 57 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 85 games (361) plate appearances so far this season while primarily batting cleanup.

In the seven games he has hit out of the three-hole this year, Bogaerts has slashed .280/.406/.320 with one of his 27 doubles, three of his 51 RBI, and four of his 57 runs scored.

Devers, meanwhile, will be making his first career appearance in an All-Star Game after he — like Bogaerts — was voted in as a starter for the American League earlier this month.

The 24-year-old slugger wrapped up the unofficial first half of his 2021 campaign on Sunday sporting a solid .282/.350/.564 to go along with 25 doubles, one triple, a team-leading 22 home runs and 72 RBI, 59 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 87 games spanning 369 total trips to the plate.

278 of Devers’ 369 plate appearances (75.3%) this season have come with the left-handed hitter batting out of the five-hole. He owns an OPS of .931 when hitting in that particular spot in the order.

In addition to his stellar production at the plate, Devers has enjoyed moderate success defensively as well, as he has been worth one Defensive Run Saved at third base while also putting up an Ultimate Zone rating of 2.2, which translates to an UZR of 3.8 over 150 games.

According to FanGraphs, Devers (3.5 fWAR) and Bogaerts (3.9 fWAR) have been two of the most valuable infielders in the American League so far this season, meaning the dynamic duo has been a driving force when it comes to the Red Sox sitting in first place in the American League East at the All-Star break.

While Bogaerts and Devers will be starting for the American League in the 91st All-Star Game come Sunday night, the Sox have three more representatives who should be able to get into the game at well.

J.D. Martinez, who was selected as a reserve, will start on the bench behind Ohtani, and likely Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz as well.

Red Sox closer Matt Barnes and starter Nathan Eovaldi are both first-time All-Stars, and the pair of fiery right-handers figure to be available out of the bullpen for Cash once Ohtani’s night is done.

On the other side of things, Nationals ace Max Scherzer will get the start for the National League, marking the fourth time the three-time Cy Young Award winner has had the honor of doing so over the course of his illustrious career.

First pitch for the 91st MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. eastern time on FOX.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers: Boston Red Sox)

Red Sox’ Matt Barnes, Nathan Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez named to American League All-Star team, joining Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers for 91st Midsummer Classic in Denver

In addition to Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, the Red Sox will be sending three more players to the All-Star Game in Denver next week.

Right-handers Nathan Eovaldi and Matt Barnes, and designated hitter J.D. Martinez were all selected to represent the American League as All-Stars, Major League Baseball announced earlier Sunday afternoon.

Eovaldi and Barnes will be two of the 12 pitchers on Rays manager Kevin Cash’s staff, while Martinez will be one of three designated hitters on the AL roster alongside Angels two-way phenom and starter Shohei Ohtani as well as fellow reserve Nelson Cruz of the Twins.

For Eovaldi and Barnes, Sunday marks the first time in their respective careers that they were chosen to play in the All-Star Game. The same can be said for Devers, who was voted in as a starter at third base on Thursday, as well.

Martinez, meanwhile, will be heading to his fourth Midsummer Classic and his third as a member of the Red Sox organization.

Bogaerts, like Devers, was voted in as a starter at shortstop for the second time in his career and will be making his third overall All-Star Game appearance.

By sending the likes of Barnes, Bogaerts, Devers, Eovaldi, and Martinez to Denver to represent them, the Red Sox will have the highest number of All-Stars among any major-league team partaking in the festivities at Coors Field from July 11 through July 13.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, this is the second time in four years that Boston has had at least five All-Stars. They most recently did so in 2018 with Mookie Betts, Craig Kimbrel, J.D. Martinez, Mitch Moreland, and Chris Sale.

(Picture of Matt Barnes: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, and Alex Verdugo named All-Star finalists

Four Red Sox have advanced into the final stage of All-Star voting, Major League Baseball announced earlier Sunday afternoon.

Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, and Alex Verdugo were all named as American League All-Star finalists, which means they all move onto the next phase of voting and all have a chance to start in this season’s Midsummer Classic in Denver.

Bogaerts came into Sunday ranking first among qualified American League shortstops in batting average (.327), second in on-base percentage (.399), first in slugging percentage (.554), second in weighted on-base average (.401), second in weighted runs created plus (153), and second in fWAR (3.6), per FanGraphs.

As noted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the 28-year-old led all American League shortstops in total votes with 1,570,467.

Toronto’s Bo Bichette and Houston’s Carlos Correa finished second and third behind Bogaerts and join the Red Sox star as All-Star finalists.

Devers, meanwhile, also led all American League third basemen in votes, tallying 1,569,381 of them to finish ahead of Houston’s Alex Bregman and Chicago’s Yoan Moncada.

As of Sunday morning, the 24-year-old slugger was leading qualified AL third basemen in hits (76), doubles (23), home runs (18), runs scored (51), runs driven (60), slugging percentage (.564), OPS (.908), isolated power (.287), wOBA (.379), and wRC+ (139).

Martinez received 755,663 votes to finish second among American League designated hitters, trailing only Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani while finishing ahead of Yordan Alvarez of the Astros.

Verdugo on the other hand, just made the cut, as the 25-year-old finished eighth among nine AL outfield finalists in phase one of voting by receiving 702,560 votes.

With finalists determined for each defensive position (excluding pitcher) in both leagues, the second phase of All-Star voting will commence at 12 pm eastern time on Monday. That will last until 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, at which point starters will be announced later that night on ESPN.

Per MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan, the rest of the 2021 All-Star rosters will be unveiled on July 4, with the 91st installment of the MLB All-Star Game taking place at Coors Field on July 13.

(Picture of Xander Bogaerts and Alex Verdugo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox Want to Host All-Star Game in Near Future, per Team President Sam Kennedy

The Red Sox want to host another All-Star Game, according to team president and CEO Sam Kennedy, who revealed Friday that he has, “talked to some of the folks at MLB last week about the possibility.”

If the Sox were to host baseball’s Midsummer Classic within the next three to five years, it would be their fourth time doing it at Fenway Park, with the first occasion coming back in 1946, the second coming in 1971, and the third, more notable occasion coming in 1999, when Pedro Martinez was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

The American League is 2-0-1 when the game is played at Fenway Park.

In terms of future locations for the All-Star Game, the Los Angeles Dodgers will serve as hosts at Dodgers Stadium in 2020, the Atlanta Braves will do the same at SunTrust Park in 2021, and a little later down the line, the Philadelphia Phillies will host the event at Citizens Life Bank in 2026 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“We need more space for it to take over the whole city. We’ve told MLB we would like to host,” said Kennedy Friday. “We don’t have any specific plans or a specific year.”

Assuming the Red Sox host their fourth All-Star Game in the 2022-2025 range as noted by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, it’s not crazy to think that either of Xander Bogaerts and/or Rafael Devers could serve as the team’s ambassadors for that special week in July.

American League Tops National League 4-3 in 90th Midsummer Classic as Red Sox’ Alex Cora Picks up Win in All-Star Managerial Debut

The American League All-Stars defeated the National League All-Stars by a final score of 4-3 on Tuesday night, taking home their seventh consecutive All-Star Game victory in the 90th installment of the Midsummer Classic in Cleveland.

The defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox were represented by three All-Stars in reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and J.D. Martinez, as well as manager Alex Cora and the rest of Boston’s coaching staff.

Starting at designated hitter and batting out of the five-hole in place of the Texas Rangers’ Hunter Pence, Martinez, now a three-time All-Star, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being pinch-hit for by Seattle’s Daniel Vogelbach in the sixth inning.

Bogaerts, meanwhile, came on as a pinch-hitter himself, replacing Tampa Bay’s Austin Meadows in the bottom of the seventh.

There, with no outs and runners on the corners, the now-two-time All-Star failed to pick up an RBI, but did push across an important insurance run at the time, scoring Oakland’s Matt Chapman from third while grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. That put the AL up 3-1 moments before Texas’ Joey Gallo added on to that lead with a solo homer off San Francisco Giants left-hander Will Smith.

Finally, Betts, now a four-time All-Star, did not record an at-bar in this one, but he did come on as a defensive replacement for Bogaerts in the top of the eighth, moved over to play right field in place of Meadows, and was on the field for the final out of the night when New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman secured the 4-3 victory for the American League with a five-pitch punchout of Milwaukee’s Yasmani Grandal.

Cleveland Indians right-hander Shane Bieber was named the game’s Most Valuable Player thanks to a 1-2-3 fifth inning in which he struck out the side on 19 pitches, marking the first time since 1999 a player from the host city’s team received the honors (Pedro Martinez, Red Sox).

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All in all, it was a solid All-Star Week, the first for Red Sox manager Alex Cora, as a player or coach.

It’s not the first time Cora has come out on top against Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, either.

The Red Sox have two days off on Wednesday and Thursday before opening up a three-game weekend series against those aforementioned Dodgers on Friday night at Fenway Park. It will be their first game in Boston since June 26th.

As Betts put it when speaking with reporters postgame Tuesday night, “Can’t wait to get home.”

Red Sox’ J.D. Martinez to Hit Fifth for American League in 2019 All-Star Game

After being named to his third All-Star team on June 30th, Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez will start at designated hitter and bat out of the five-hole for the American League in the 90th Midsummer Classic Tuesday night. Sox manager Alex Cora, also serving as the manager for the AL Side this week, made the announcement earlier Monday.

Martinez was originally slated to be a reserve behind the Texas Rangers’ Hunter Pence, but since the Rangers DH suffered a setback with his groin injury while on rehab this past Tuesday, Martinez got the starting nod.

Through 79 games this season, the 31-year-old is slashing .304/.376/.541 to go along with 18 home runs and 48 RBI in his second year with Boston.

In his career hitting out of the five-hole, Martinez has posted a .880 OPS while mashing 68 homers and driving in 213 runs over 1,415 total plate appearances.

Here is how the rest of the American League will be lining up on Tuesday, with two of Martinez’s teammates in Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts available off the bench.

1. George Springer, RF, Astros
2. D.J. LeMahieu, 2B, Yankees
3. Mike Trout, CF, Angels
4. Carlos Santana, 1B, Indians
5. J.D. Martinez, DH, Red Sox
6. Alex Bregman, 3B, Astros
7. Gary Sanchez, C, Yankees
8. Michael Brantley, LF, Astros
9. Jorge Polanco, SS, Twins

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander will get the start.

First pitch of the 2019 MLB All-Star Game is scheduled for 8:00 PM EDT on FOX.

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez Selected as American League Reserves for 2019 All-Star Game, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers Snubbed

After neither made it as a starter on Thurday, both Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez were named to the 2019 American League All-Star Game roster as reserves on Sunday, marking the second straight year the pair of sluggers will be representing the Red Sox in the Midsummer Classic.

Betts, now a four-time All-Star, has followed up an MVP-winning 2018 campaign by slashing .261/.381/.454 with 13 home runs and 37 through 82 games in 2019.

Martinez, now a three-time All-Star, has followed up a successful first season in Boston by posting a .298/.374/.549 slash line to go along with 18 homers and 49 runs driven in over 74 games this year.

Both players nearly missed out on becoming starters in the fan vote, and both players are having quality years, no doubt about that. With that said, however, it seems wrong that Xander Bogaerts will not be in Cleveland a week from Monday.

Before Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees, the 26-year-old led all American League shortstops in runs scored (62), RBI (55), on-base percentage (.392), weighted on-base average (.386), and fWAR (3.7).

Through 81 games this season, Bogaerts a one-time All-Star, is slashing .299/.392/.540 with 27 doubles, 16 dingers, and now 57 RBI.  Certainly numbers worthy of representing the American League in the 90th All-Star Game, but it appears the players and Commissioner’s Office members who voted relied more on name recognition than anything for these particular selections.

Rafael Devers has a case to be made as well for not being selected as a reserve, but Bogaerts deserves the honor more out of the two, at least in my opinion.

Speaking of the All-Star reserves, here they are for both sides, as well as the full rosters:

The 90th MLB All-Star Game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM EDT on Tuesday, July 9th on FOX.

Red Sox’ Ninth-Ranked Prospect Jarren Duran Selected for 2019 MLB All-Star Futures Game

Rosters for the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Futures Game were announced on Friday, and the Red Sox will be sending just one representative to Cleveland next month in outfield prospect Jarren Duran.

Ranked as Boston’s ninth-best prospect on MLB.com, Duran will join 24 other prospects representing the American League in the Futures Game in Cleveland on July 7th.

For the last 20 years, the showcase was formatted so that the rosters were divided between U.S.-born and international-born players, but that all changes in 2019, as former Cleveland Indians great Jim Thome will be managing the American League side and long-time right-hander Dennis Martinez will be doing the same for the NL.

This honor is a first for Duran, who was promoted to Double-A Portland on June 3rd after a torrid start to the season with High-A Salem, where he led the Carolina League in hitting with a .387 batting average.

Initially, that promotion led to some struggles for the speedy 22-year-old, as he went just 6-for-38 (.158) with two doubles, one triple, and two RBI in his first 10 games with the Sea Dogs, but has since picked things up a bit over his last 11 contests, batting .250 (11-for-44) with one double and three runs driven in over that span.

Granted, Duran’s on-base percentage has fallen from .304 to .286 in that stretch, but that comes as his slugging percentage has slightly risen from .263 to .268 as well.

The call up to Portland has surely been a period of adjustment for the Sox’ 2018 seventh round draft pick out of Long Beach State, but to be named to the Futures Game in your first full season of professional baseball is pretty impressive nonetheless.