LOS ANGELES – Brian Snitker once promised he’d never remove Ronald Acuna from the leadoff spot again. He even stuck to his word at the All-Star Game.
Acuna topped the lineup for the National League All-Stars, who were overseen by Snitker and members of the Braves’ coaching staff. Acuna opened the bottom of the first with a double off Rays starter Shane McClanahan. He scored the game’s first run on an RBI single from the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts.
The NL, however, mustered only one hit after the first inning and fell to the American League 3-2 Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, which hosted the event for the first time since 1980. The Braves were well-represented with six All-Stars - their most since having seven in 2003 - plus Snitker and his coaches.
Acuna finished 1-for-3, collecting his first hit in an All-Star Game.
Braves catcher William Contreras, 24, joined Acuna in the starting lineup as a designated hitter and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout. This was the first year DH appeared on the NL ballot, and with Bryce Harper injured, Contreras received the start. He hit seventh, one spot behind his brother Willson, the Cubs’ backstop who started for the NL.
William and Willson became the first pair of brothers to start on the same All-Star team since Roberto and Sandy Alomar in 1992.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Snitker inserted a trio of Braves in the sixth: third baseman Austin Riley, shortstop Dansby Swanson and catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Each player had a plate appearance in their debut inning.
“It was awesome,” Snitker said of seeing the All-Star trio debut together. “Just having those guys here with us, I’m very proud. I feel like a proud father, I guess. It was really neat to get them in there.”
Riley, 25, went 1-for-2. He struck out against Yankees starter Nestor Cortes on seven pitches to begin the bottom of the sixth. He singled off Yankees reliever Clay Holmes to open the eighth.
Swanson, 28, missed Monday’s events as he was in Mexico to see his fiancée Mallory Pugh and the United States Women’s National Soccer Team clinch a spot in the 2024 Olympics. But he made it to Los Angeles for the game.
Swanson went 0-for-2, producing a hard-hit liner to center off Cortes in the sixth and flying out to center against Holmes in the eighth.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
D’Arnaud, a native of Long Beach, California, also faced Cortes in the sixth, drawing a two-out walk. He flew out to deep center against the White Sox’s Liam Hendriks to end the eighth. The 33-year-old backstop draws rave reviews for his game planning and is a highly respected clubhouse leader.
Braves lefty Max Fried, back home in Southern California for All-Star week, didn’t pitch in the game (though he was interviewed alongside Yankees ace Gerrit Cole during the FOX broadcast). Fried was unavailable after giving the Braves seven innings over the weekend. He has a 2.64 ERA across 19 starts.
Contreras, Riley, Swanson, d’Arnaud and Fried were each first-time All-Stars. Acuna received his third All-Star nod at age 24.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Other notes:
- The announced attendance Tuesday was 52,518. That ranks 22nd of 92 All-Star Games, according to Baseball Almanac, and one spot behind the 1972 All-Star Game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (53,107).
- The Dodgers faithful have embraced first baseman Freddie Freeman despite the messiness that surrounded his arrival (due to his unwanted breakup with the Braves). Freeman received a thunderous applause – and “Fredd-ie” chants – during introductions. The crowd showed the same love when Freeman entered the game in the third inning.
- Joc Pederson was yet another individual in the game with Braves ties. Braves fans love Pederson for how he helped the 2021 Braves in the second half. Pederson’s timely hitting, colorful personality and sense of fashion – he had Truist Park attendees decorated in pearls throughout October – forever made him a beloved part of Braves history.
Pederson, who went 0-for-2, gets cheered across the country these days. Despite being a Giant, Los Angeles mostly applauded the former Dodger who helped the team win a World Series in 2020.
- Twins outfielder and Baxley native Byron Buxton crushed a home run in the fourth inning off Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin. Buxton has endured injuries throughout his career, but he’s undoubtedly a premier talent. He has 23 homers, 11 doubles and 43 RBIs over 73 games this season for the first-place Twins.
- The Braves resume playing games that count Friday. They’ll host Shohei Ohtani’s Angels to begin the second half. Ohtani, the two-way sensation who’s garnered the most interest during the past two All-Star events, is scheduled to start Friday. It would be his first game in Atlanta.
- The Braves are 2-1/2 games behind the Mets with 68 games remaining. Their 56-38 record is the best of the three teams holding wild-card spots, though the Braves hope to drop the Mets into wild-card position.
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