Those holding their breath for offensive outbursts in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game likely passed out early on. For those that chose to partake with a less serious approach, the game could be categorized as a culmination of baseball’s new wave.
With baseball adopting a true two-outcome guise, strikeouts are at an all-time high. Between the American and National League clubs Tuesday, they struck out 23 times, with 13 hits to show for it. Of those hits, two were home runs.
For the AL, a 4-3 win was their seventh consecutive victory in the Midsummer Classic. Of the last 23 matchups, they’ve won 19.
The Colorado Rockies’ All-Star selections were merely a byproduct of shift.
Much the way he’s been all year, Charlie Blackmon was the brightest of the stars representing the Rockies.
On a night where the NL club failed to get anything going, he came through. On a 1-0 fastball from Athletics’ reliever Liam Hendriks. Blackmon broke the freeze:
cOoRs FiElD pRoDuCt pic.twitter.com/YtuPPEEdf2
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 10, 2019
The long ball was Blackmon’s first of his career through four All-Star appearances. It was also his first hit after failing to garner a knock in his first eight chances.
For the franchise, it was the fourth home run in the history and the first for any Rockies’ All-Star since Trevor Story’s last year.
With the bases loaded in his second at-bat of the night, Blackmon was unable to come through, striking out against the hosting Indians’ Brad Hand.
The lone Rockies’ starter, Arenado, was unable to capitalize on his short-lived stint for the NL squad. In two at-bats, he went hitless. At third, he was unable to engulf his lone groundball, a hard-hit shot off the bat of Alex Bregman.
A Michael Brantley double drove in Bregman later in the same frame.
Arenado is now 2-for-10 across his five All-Star appearances with his pair of hits both being singles. The trend continued for Story who also went hitless in his only chance, striking out against the aforementioned Hendriks.
David Dahl, the other half of the Rockies’ contingency in the outfield, ensured the club would go home with more than just one hit. His eighth-inning single signaled his first All-Star hit in his first at-bat. He finished the game a perfect 1-for-1.
It wasn’t as easy as it appeared for the young outfielder.
“I was so nervous out there, it was a good time though,” Dahl said. “(My thought was) ‘Don’t make a first-pitch out’.”
For the four players combined, the Rockies’ stars have gone in 5-for-24 (.208) in their 12 All-Star appearances.