Frazier/Reynolds Rep the Burgh With All-Star Starts
The best that Major League Baseball had to offer came together on Tuesday night for the 91st annual Major League Baseball All-Stat game. Among those stars were two members of your Pittsburgh Pirates in Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds, batting eighth and ninth in Dave Roberts's order. For the Pirates, it was the first time they had two starters in the All-Star game since Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke both got the nod in the 1992 All-Star Game. It was also only the seventh time in the 91 year history of the All-Star game that the Pirates had two starters in the game, and both guys were very deserving of their nods.
Each guy got two at-bats, and while they didn't make much noise over one look at the box score, they made their presence felt. Combined, they had four at-bats and went 1-4, but each of those four at-bats was a competitive showing. Frazier also got to show off his glove a little bit with two slick plays in the field, while Reynolds did not have a ball hit to him in the outfield. Out of any two players on the Pirates, the MLB could not have chosen a better duo than Frazier and Reynolds. Neither are very flashy, and both represent the blue-collar work ethic that Pittsburgh is known for. Today, we look at both player's nights at the plate, and how they impacted what was ultimately a loss for the National League.
Adam Frazier (1-2, 1 1B, 3 PO, 1 Ast.)
The final vote for the starting second baseman job came down to Atlanta's Ozzie Albies, San Diego's Jake Corenworth, and Adam Frazier. Frazier won the vote, with over 51% of the tallies, and showed why he won that vote before he even stepped to the plate. On the first play of the day, Los Angeles's Shohei Ohtani grounded a ball that looked ticketed for the outfield. Frazier fielded it on the backhand and threw it across his body for the first out. The very next play, Toronto's Vlad Gurerro Jr. hit a bouncing ground ball that Frazier went down to a knee to field the ball before throwing on to first. Defensively, he finished with three putouts in the game and an assist as he and San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. combined for a 6-4-3 double play.
When he came to the plate, he may have been the number nine hitter, but he was looking to set the table. the NL All-Stars did not yet have a hit, and Frazier stepped up in the bottom of the third with one out. He was facing Texas's Kyle Gibson and was able to work ahead of the count 2-0. Then, he got a sinker near the middle of the plate and showed why he is one of the best contact hitters in the National League. He pushed a groundball through the hole on the right side and recorded the first hit of the evening for the NL. However, he was stranded on base to end the inning, and the NL All-Stars were trailing 2-0. Frazier got praise from the announce team of Joe Buck and John Smoltz for his short, compact, swing that allows him to make consistent contact.
Frazier's second at-bat came two innings later in the bottom of the fifth in a three-run game. Philadelphia's JT Realmuto hit a solo home run two batters earlier, and Frazier was looking to keep the inning alive with two outs. He was facing Detroit's Gregory Soto and got ahead of the count early taking the first two pitches for balls before a called strike made it 2-1. After another ball made the count 3-1, Fraser was jammed inside on a four-seam fastball and rolled it over to shortstop for the final out of the inning. Atlanta's Ozzie Albies would come on to replace Frazier in the top of the sixth, as Frazier had a very eventful first All-Star Game appearance.
Bryan Reynolds (0-2)
Although he wasn't voted in by the fans, Bryan Reynolds got a well-deserved start in the All-Star game in center field. Unfortunately, it took Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. breaking his ankle to get him there, but Reynolds hit eighth and got the start in Coors spacious outfield. Defensively, there weren't any opportunities for Reynolds to show his defensive skills. The one time a ball was hit his way was in the top of the fifth when New York's Aaron Judge flew out to Washington's Juan Soto in shallow right-center field. Reynolds came into back-up Soto but didn't have a need to go make the play himself. It was an easy day in centerfield for Reynolds, but it was an eventful day at the plate.
He was hitting eighth behind Realmuto and came to the plate for the first time in an All-Star game to lead off the bottom of the third. He was facing Texas's Kyle Gibson and initially fell behind 0-2 on a sinker and a change-up. However, the third pitch he saw was a sinker right down the middle and Reynolds hit it a long way to right, sending Aaron Judge all the way back to the wall. Unfortunately for Reynolds, it died right at the end and Judge was able to make the catch on the track for an out. He was just a couple inches away from making it a one-run ball game, but it helped showcase the power that lies in Reynolds' bat.
His second at-bat of the day came in the bottom of the fifth inning, and he was trying to follow up Realmuto's solo home run. This time, he was facing Detroit's Gregory Soto and the first pitch of the at-bat was a 99 mph fastball that was nearly center cut. However, Reynolds ended up just swinging over the top of the pitch, and rolled a groundball to Toronto's Marcus Semien for the second out of the inning. Reynolds was replaced in the top of the sixth inning by Los Angeles's Chris Taylor, ending his All-Star game experience. Reynolds may not have made any noise in the final box score, but he did showcase some of his power and introduced himself to MLB fans around the country in his first MLB All-Star Game.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (34-56) kick-off the second half of their season this Friday when they take on the New York Mets (47-40) at PNC Park at 7:05 pm. Neither team has announced their starters yet, as the Pirates look to start out their second half on a high note.
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