NEW YORK (AP) — Seven new All-Stars and still no Yasiel Puig.
NEW YORK (AP) — Seven new All-Stars and still no Yasiel Puig.
The rookie sensation from the Los Angeles Dodgers was left out again after a string of substitutes were added to the National League roster Sunday. But this time, fans were not responsible. Instead, it sounds as though Puig’s ailing hip settled baseball’s big debate.
“If a guy is hurt, it doesn’t make sense for him to go,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
Puig may not be headed to Citi Field, but plenty of Pirates are.
Pittsburgh reliever Mark Melancon was picked as a replacement for the NL squad, giving the Pirates five All-Stars for the first time since 1972. That year Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Steve Blass, Al Oliver and Manny Sanguillen represented the defending World Series champions at the National League’s 4-3, 10-inning win in Atlanta.
Now, the Steel City has a fab five once again. Seeking to end a record streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons, the Pirates are 56-37 at the All-Star break and contending for the NL Central lead.
“It’s a great honor for our organization and shows how far we have come in the last few years,” general manager Neal Huntington said.
Once viewed by the Yankees as Mariano Rivera’s possible successor, Melancon was traded by New York, Houston and Boston in a span of 2½ years. Now he joins third baseman Pedro Alvarez, center fielder Andrew McCutchen and closer Jason Grilli on the NL roster.
Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke, Washington Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, all on the original NL All-Star squad, are hurt and will miss Tuesday night’s game at Citi Field.
“It’s pretty cool to be considered among the upper echelon of Major League Baseball players,” Melancon said. “It’s really humbling. It’s something you always hope will happen at some point in your career and I’m really excited about it.”
He learned of his addition late Saturday afternoon.
“My first thought was, how I am going to get so many people to New York — which is a pretty busy city, to say the least — on such short notice?” Melancon said.
Pirates traveling secretary Greg Johnson helped with the arrangements to transport a dozen people in Melancon’s group.
NL manager Bruce Bochy also selected Sergio Romo, his San Francisco Giants closer, as a replacement pick along with Atlanta catcher Brian McCann. St. Louis closer Edward Mujica was chosen to fill in for teammate Adam Wainwright, who started Sunday night.
Under baseball’s labor contract, pitchers who start on the Sunday before the All-Star game may opt not to participate.
Despite four changes to the NL team, only one position player pulled out Sunday and Puig was not picked as the replacement. Though he’s spent just six weeks in the majors, Puig has been so successful and exciting that some clamored for his inclusion, sparking a heated debate about whether that would be fair.
Puig was beaten out by Freeman last week in fan balloting online for the NL’s final spot, and the Cuban outfielder didn’t start for the second straight day Sunday because of a sore left hip, though he singled as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. He came out after four innings Friday and didn’t play Saturday.
After the Dodgers lost to Colorado 3-1 in their first-half finale, Puig was told Freeman had been removed from the NL roster.
“I just found out, but I’m not going either,” Puig said through a translator.
Baltimore pitcher Chris Tillman, Kansas City closer Greg Holland and Oakland closer Grant Balfour were chosen by AL manager Jim Leyland of Detroit to replace Tigers ace Justin Verlander, Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma and Oakland’s Bartolo Colon, who all started Sunday. Verlander was the AL starter and loser in last year’s All-Star game at Kansas City.
“It’s a great honor now that it happened,” Balfour said. “It was up in the air and it’s nice to know it is official. I can go and have fun and do my thing.”
Holland joined outfielder Alex Gordon and catcher Salvador Perez to give Kansas City three All-Stars for the first time since George Brett, Mark Gubicza and Kurt Stillwell in 1988. Holland received the notification Sunday in Cleveland and traveled with Gordon and Perez to New York instead of returning to Kansas City with the rest of the team.
He wasn’t sure he was properly packed for the All-Star festivities
“I’ve got a lot of golf shirts,” Holland said. “I don’t know if that will pass. We’ll see what happens.”
Mujica’s addition gave the Cardinals six All-Stars, tying Detroit for most in the majors.
Romo joined Giants teammates Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Marco Scutaro to give the struggling World Series champs four representatives.
“I’ve never really seen myself as an All-Star. I’ve never really said it’s one of my goals to make an All-Star team, but now that it’s happening, I’m very proud. I mean, I’m an All-Star. Cool,” Romo said. “To be honest, I still feel like I weaseled my way into the big leagues.”
NOTES: There are a record 39 first-time All-Stars following the additions of Melancon, Romo, Tillman, Holland, Balfour and Mujica, four more than the previous mark set two years ago in Arizona. … Holland and Balfour both earned $50,000 bonuses, Romo and Tillman $25,000 each and Melancon $10,000.
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AP Sports Writers Mike Fitzpatrick, Bernie Wilson in San Diego and Beth Harris in Los Angeles, and AP freelance writers Steve Herrick in Cleveland, John Perrotto in Pittsburgh and Rick Eymer in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.