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Monday, July 17, 2023

Thomson Manages National League to All-Star Game Win


National League 3
, American League 2
All-Star Game - Tuesday Night, July 11th in Seattle

One Sentence Summary:  The National League, managed by Rob Thomson with help from the entire Phillies coaching staff, beat the American League for the first time since 2012, breaking a nine-year losing streak.

What It Means:  I'm getting old.  Our oldest son Doug had a baseball game on Tuesday night, and I was largely disinterested in the game once we returned home.  I recorded the game, watching the pre-game introductions and the first few innings over this past weekend.  I was not impressed.  The All-Star Game uniforms were atrocious, the game was secondary to the on-field interviews and other non-stop antics and I came away missing the All-Star Games of my youth.  I couldn't tell who most of the players were or even what team they were from.

What Happened:  The American League held a 2-1 lead until the Rockies' Elias Diaz hit a two-run home in the eighth to give the National League the lead and eventual win.  Diaz would win MVP honors for his big hit.

Featured Cards:  Thomson, manager of the 2022 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, in case anyone forgot, brought his entire coaching staff and both bullpen catchers with him to Seattle.  In the bottom of the fifth, Nick Castellanos replaced starting center fielder Mookie Betts.  Castellanos had never before appeared in center field during his 10-plus seasons in the majors.  He came to bat in the top of the sixth and struck out swinging against Orioles' All-Star reliever Yennier Cano.  Cano is a player I didn't realize existed until I just typed that sentence.  In the top of the eighth, with another Orioles' mystery reliever on the mound, Felix Bautista, Castellanos led off with a walk.  Castellanos would get to second on a wild pitch before Diaz hit his eventual game-winning home run.

In the bottom of the ninth, Thomson called on his closer, Craig Kimbrel, to record the final three outs.  Wander Franco flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. struck out swinging.  Kimbrel then walked Kyle Tucker and Julio Rodriguez before striking out the Guardians' Jose Ramirez to end the game and secure the win.

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