Major league baseball’s midsummer classic, the annual All-Star Game, was played last night on the Texas Rangers home field, the Reds represented on the National League roster by shortstop Elly De La Cruz, and pitcher Hunter Greene, and manager David Bell was honored as a member of the NL coaching staff. In the contest against the stars of the American League, Elly played 3rd instead of short, and De La Cruz did make an impression, though it was already late in the game, the Americans leading 5-3 in the top of the 7th inning. Elly hit a long single to center field, and got right to first with his blinding speed, but had to retreat after rounding the base, and of course you know he didn’t score, since 5-3 the American League was the game’s final.
Greene humbly said afterward that when the score was tied at 3, he’d thrown a split-fingered fast ball over the plate, when Jarren Duran tattooed it for an AL home run. Hunter added though, that just being there, being an All-Star, was a huge privilege and honor. He hopes that being on that roster so early in his career can help propel him over through coming seasons.
So the guys and Manager Bell are on the way to Washington now, where the Reds meet the Nationals Friday, to start the second half of the season. All the action starts at 7:15 Friday evening, here on the Sports Voice, 103.9 WRBI.
The Batesville area’s heard a little more from hometown boy Bryan Hoeing, still a reliever on the Miami Marlins’ roster, after those several recent starts when others on the club were coming back from injuries. Hoeing tells our Rob Lafary in Tuesday’s Osgood Journal, that although he didn’t get into the games last week when the Marlins visited the Reds, just being there was in his words, “one of the coolest moments of my baseball career.” Bryan recalls visits to the Ballpark fondly from when he was growing up. He also tells Rob there’s a lot of baseball talent moving through southeastern Indiana right now. The Marlins also open the second half Friday, when they host the Mets. Miami will also be back in Cincinnati in early August.
NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 rolls through Indianapolis Sunday. Listen at 7:40 with Brent Lee each morning this week for your chance to win tickets to the race. And if you don’t go, remember all the action will be heard right here, at 1:30 Sunday afternoon, on 103.9 WRBI.