The Reds and The All Stars

Jul 16, 2013; Flushing, NY, USA; National League pitcher

(54) of the Cincinnati Reds throws against the American League during the 2013 All Star Game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

So much happened during the 2013 MLB All Star Game at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, that I don’t even know where to begin. There were embarrassing moments that made me cringe, sentimental moments that made me teary eyed and then there was just plain boredom. Speaking of All Star Games throughout history, this one wasn’t full of excitement but it did have its moments. It should also be mentioned here that it was one of the lowest scoring All Star Games in history with the American League beating out the National League 3-0.

The Cincinnati Reds had three players to join the All Star team this year: First Baseman Joey Votto, Pitcher Aroldis Chapman and Second Baseman Brandon Phillips. Phillips had a couple of spectacular defensive plays with one ending in a 4-2 Double Play. Chapman took the mound and threw a 101 mph fast ball to Adam Jones for a Strikeout. On offense, both Votto and Phillips went 0-2 which was cringe-worthy for myself and all Reds’ fans. I must admit, I expected the boys’ offense to be better. However, the American League guys were seriously dealing all night. The pitching on both sides was the best we’ve seen in years.

Mo and the MVP trophy (Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports)

The games MVP went to New York Yankees legend #42 Mariano Rivera. I’ve never been a Yankees fan but anyone who watches the game can appreciate everything this guy has done. At 42 years old, Rivera will retire at the end of the season. During the game, he pitched a perfect inning in the 8th with 16 pitches. Rivera took the field to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and received a standing ovation from the fans and players alike as he stood on the mound, alone on the field, and tipped his cap.

Speaking of music, Neil Diamond performed his classic “Sweet Caroline”. Which was another cringe moment for me. He just kinda… sucked. But the fans still sang along and seemed to enjoy it. It’s just weird to me that he did this song at this field and this game when it’s traditional home is in Boston with the Red Sox. Adding Metallica to the same playlist as Neil Diamond is a stretch even for me.

Another Yankee, Robinson Cano, was hit by a pitch threw by the Mets’ Matt Harvey and was forced to leave the game. His X-Rays were negative and he plans to be back in action this Friday for New York. Harvey apologized to Cano and they both seemed to be good sports about it, recognizing that it was an accident.

The National League scored 0 Runs with only 3 hits in the entire game while the American League scored 3 Runs with 9 hits. One of the bigger hits of the night came from Mets’ Captain David Wright with a drive to Left Field in the 7th Inning followed up by a double from Paul Goldschmidt in the 9th Inning. Chris Sale pitched two perfect innings and by all means was definitely a candidate for this years MVP.

I learned during the game is that this was the first All Star Game since 2005 that New York Yankee Derek Jeter hasn’t played. I guess it really doesn’t matter what his impact might have been since the American League won anyway.

All in all, the game was alright. It wasn’t that bad but it wasn’t that good. Like I said, it had its moments. Even though the representing Reds players could have performed better and even though I was forced to sit through Neil Diamond, the game was alright. Oh, and by the way, with this win the American League gains home field advantage for the World Series this year.