ARLINGTON, Texas – The All-Stars will walk the red carpet this afternoon in their fanciest attire and try to make it inside Globe Life Field in under 20 sweat stains.
Players will change into their uniforms and take batting practice before tonight’s game. The roof is closed. Not a single complaint beneath it.
The media gets a little clubhouse time rather than pulling quotes on the field. And finally, the Midsummer Classic will commence.
Here are some leftovers from yesterday:
* The All-Star break didn’t force Jordan Westburg into doing much traveling.
The native of New Braunfels is spending the entire week in Texas. He has the All-Star Game, of course, and the Orioles begin the second half playing the Rangers in Arlington.
In between is checking into the team hotel on Wednesday and having “a chill day” with wife Anna Claire. They’ll relax again on Thursday before Westburg reports to Globe Life Field for an evening workout.
“I made sure to pack enough clothing for seven days,” he said.
Westburg wouldn’t have any trouble finding a place to do laundry if he ran out.
“I’d just probably bring it to the field since we’re going to be here. That might be a pretty good option,” he said.
“I’m gonna need it. That’s for sure.”
The All-Star experience is like a dream for Westburg, and he still had to process it yesterday as reporters and assorted media and entertainment types trickled over to his table in the outfield.
“I don’t know what I really imagined. It’s been such a whirlwind for me that I’ve just kind of been going with the flow,” he said.
“This is cooler than anything I think I did try to imagine. I didn’t really know what to expect, but getting here and being around the people, being around the players, this is definitely cooler than what I could have thought.”
Westburg begins tonight’s game on the bench. Being a reserve leaves him unsure whether he’ll play or when he might enter. He figures to back up third baseman José Ramírez at some point.
“I’m just going to be soaking it up,” he said. “I’m going to be enjoying my time in the dugout and whenever my name’s called, I’m certainly going to try to be ready. But I think I’m just more, I guess, concerned or feel good about the chance of just being here, being around some of the game’s best players. Kind of watching baseball and watching these events and having fun.”
* If Gunnar Henderson could choose any player from another team to have as a teammate, who would he pick?
It’s really true that you never have enough pitching.
Henderson chose a couple of future Hall of Fame starters.
“I feel like either Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, just two of the great pitchers,” he said. “It would be pretty cool to share the field with them.”
* Yankees slugger Aaron Judge put aside his club’s rivalry with the Orioles. But only for a minute or so.
Which player from another club would Judge want as a teammate?
“Well, just watching him, we just played Baltimore, Gunnar Henderson,” Judge replied. “Seeing what he’s doing for them – they’re in first place, doing their thing. Just impressive to watch at-bat after at-bat.
“He works his walks, he plays great defense, hits the ball out of the ballpark, hits for average. Great instincts on the basepaths, man. He’s a special talent, for sure.”
* National League starter Paul Skenes would get more attention for his mustache if he wasn’t blowing away hitters with hair-raising, triple-digit heat and flirting with no-hitters.
Henderson has his own growth, of course.
“Out of spring training I had a goatee going and I was about to shave it just because, and then my fiancée was like, ‘You should just leave the mustache,’” Henderson said. “I ended up leaving it, and I’m doing pretty good to start the year, so I was like, ‘Well, I may as well leave it.’”
The modesty in Henderson limits his self-critique to “pretty good.” But back to his upper lip and the mustache craze around baseball.
“I do notice more ‘staches now,” he said. “I kind of look at it and grade people’s mustaches.”
Henderson isn’t ready to share his list.
“There are some good ones,” he said. “I don’t really have a favorite just yet. Maybe I’ll run into one in the second half and I’ll let you know.”
Westburg is in the running. His motivation was “Mustache March” and now there’s no going back.
“It’s one of those things,” he said, “where I can’t shave it now.”
* Tonight marks the first time that an All-Star Game features a starting pitcher and catcher from the same team since 2016 with the Giants’ Johnny Cueto and Buster Posey.
The last time it happened for the American League?
Answer below. Don’t cheat.
* Skenes had the starter floor to himself yesterday with Corbin Burnes back in Arizona. He comes across like a media delight with his honesty and wit.
What was the one moment that convinced him to switch from catching to pitching?
Without missing a beat, Skenes replied, “They stopped putting me in BP groups.”
Would he like the chance to ditch the designated hitter and be allowed to bat again?
“Yeah, that would be cool,” he said. “There’s no helmet in my locker, so that’s not happening.”
National League manager Torey Lovullo didn’t hesitate to name Skenes, the first-overall draft pick in 2023, as his All-Star starter. Skenes is only the fifth rookie to do it.
“For me, it was consistently a no-brainer,” Lovullo said.
“Paul is everything right about this game. He just got drafted. Youthfulness of the All-Star Game. Just his ability to balance what he's had to go through over the past year has been amazing. He does it with humility. He does it very, very well.”
AL manager Bruce Bochy has noticed, too, 0though his exposure to Skenes is via television broadcasts.
“He’s a beast,” Bochy said. “I mean, it’s incredible stuff that he has.”
Skenes was asked whether he’d like to face Judge.
“Yeah, it would be cool,” he said.
“I hope he does,” Bochy said, flashing his own comedic timing. “It means one guy got on.”
Answer: The Detroit Tigers’ Kenny Rogers and Iván Rodríguez in 2006, per STATS.
