COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – Forward-thinking? Maybe it’s more of a fashion blunder. On social media, the new All-Star jerseys that were on display Tuesday night received mixed responses.
There will be no typical birds-on-a-bat graphic for the Cardinals at Coors Field, and no elegant script for the Dodgers. The Padres wore no brown pinstripes, and the Yankees wore no hat with the distinctive “NY” symbol prominently displayed.
It’s a long way off.
Many others argued that the rainbow of colors should be reinstated, with players wearing their own team’s uniforms. This, they believed, was a crucial part of the game’s attractiveness.
Brett Anderson, a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, said, “MLB should just let the players wear their own outfits instead of these slow pitch softball uniforms.”
The AL wore blue jumpsuit-style clothing in their 5-2 victory. The Netherlands sported an all-white ensemble that was criticized for being, well, boring.
The shirts contained three-letter abbreviations for the teams they represented instead of well-known emblems and names.
Major League Baseball has a billion-dollar agreement with Nike, whose swoosh is conspicuously embroidered on the right side of the uniform just below the collar.
MULTIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES
Without a doubt, Shohei Ohtani has the ability to usher in a new era of two-way players.
What’s the difference between a pitcher and a batter? He wasn’t the one who did it.
In the All-Star Game on Tuesday, the pitcher/hitter sensation from Los Angeles pitched a perfect first inning. He was the American League’s leadoff batter when he grounded out to second base.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Even Babe Ruth, who retired from pitching after two seasons, couldn’t keep up with both.
Although the time has come to modernize the model, most players acknowledge that they will not be able to practice both at the same time.
“It generally takes one to maybe develop a pattern,” Freddie Freeman, a five-time All-Star with the Atlanta Braves, said. “I just don’t think anyone will be able to match Shohei’s performance.” This is a one-of-a-kind piece. “
Freeman used to be a two-way threat, stating that one of two clubs perceived him as a batter when he was drafted. The rest of the club expected him to start on the mound.
He has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Ohtani.
“My elbow would’ve exploded,” Freeman, who was picked in the second round by the Braves in 2007, joked. “My elbow was bothering me in high school.”
At the All-Star break, Ohtani leads the majors in home runs with 33, the most in franchise history. With a 4-1 record and 87 strikeouts thanks to a fastball that can exceed 100 mph, he’s been equally spectacular on the mound.
“Ohtani is an oddball. But there’s no reason why someone else can’t do it, “said Nolan Arenado, a closer in high school for the St. Louis Cardinals. “It’s a fantastic talent. You’re extremely valuable to a squad if you can assist on both sides. “
Finding time to practice at both the big and lower league levels is the one stumbling barrier.
Arenado continued, “It appears to be a lot of effort and, in some respects, detrimental in terms of health.” “It’s a challenging task…. He’s a one-of-a-kind player. He’s a one-of-a-kind individual. “
Straight-handed pitcher Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers recalls picking up a bat at Vanderbilt and being told to put it down right away.
“I didn’t swing a bat for around five years,” Buehler said. “When I go to Double-A, on the other hand, they say, ‘Hey, go get ’em.’
It’s a good thing I don’t have to try,” says the narrator (do both). I just want to get a hit once in a while and be happy with it. I’d never be able to accomplish what he is. “
Shane Bieber, the AL Cy Young Award winner who will miss the All-Star Game because to a shoulder injury, is in the same boat. Bieber is all too familiar with the batter, Ohtani.
Ohtani, who has only two hits in ten at-bats, is “tough,” according to Bieber. “I’ve never stepped in the box against him when he’s on the mound. That is not something I intend to accomplish.
“What he’s accomplished is nothing short of incredible.”
Bieber’s days in the batter’s box dwindled in high school due to one factor: “I got bad at hitting.”
“It looked like throwing was a better place to go, a higher opportunity for my career,” Bieber, a fourth-round pick by Cleveland out of Santa Barbara in 2016, revealed. “It was almost as though the choice had already been made for me. It appears that (Ohtani) is paving the road for many more players to be able to continue their careers as two-way players rather than being restricted to one position. “
Justin Turner, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ third baseman, used to toss a little as a kid. He explained, “I stood on the mound and hurled several balls to the catcher.”
He doesn’t regard himself as a two-edged weapon in the same way that Ohtani does.
“Hitting is difficult enough,” Turner said. “Throwing on the fifth or sixth day, on the other hand? Putting that on his plate is ridiculous. It’s fantastic. “
COLE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE PLAYOFFS.
The ace pitcher for the New York Yankees Because Gerrit Cole was present at the game, the Yankees advised him not to throw.
“They would prefer not to,” he said. “Coming in and getting to salute everyone else’s accomplishments in the room is always a treat. The first-time guys are always having a good time, and it’s our responsibility to come out and answer questions, perform if we can, and promote the game and industry. “
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BASES
Both catchers, Mike Zunino and J.T. Realmuto, blasted home runs. For the third time in All-Star history, multiple catchers homered, joining Javy Lopez/Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1997 and Bill Freehan/Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1969. … A total of 278 pitches were thrown by 19 pitchers, all of whom threw more strikes than balls. Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta had a three-strikeout frame in the seventh inning. The White Sox’ Liam Hendriks earned the save. He joined Virgil Trucks, who did it in 1954, as the second White Sox closer to complete the accomplishment.
Ronald Blum of the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Reference:https://fox28media.com/sports/content/mlb-all-star-game-uniforms-not-drawing-all-star-reviews
