5/4/2024 Highlights from ASG22 in Montreal The Expos' import Joe Gordon didn't disappoint the hometown fans, going 1 for 1 in ASG22
(You can see the box score and watch the game in its entirety by clicking on the links in the "Message Center" on the League Home Page)
ASG22 (in Montreal)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada was the site of the 22nd All Yankee League All Star Game. It was the first AYL ASG to be hosted in America’s Hat since the Season 7 Mid-Summer Classic in Toronto.
Olympic Stadium was the scene for the latest showdown between the American and National League squads. The N.L. has been pretty dominant in the history of this league’s All Star games, leading the A.L. in the series, 14 to 7.
Pregame ceremonies were conducted in both official languages of Canada - English and French. In an effort to draw more French-Canadian fans to the game, the Commish delivered a heart-felt welcome speech in French. Bad idea. He butchered the pronunciations so badly that, instead of words of welcome and appreciation and thankfulness, he accidentally compared the atmosphere in the stadium to a septic tank, called all the French-Canadian fans “tremendously big-eared dogs” and called Montreal “the city of mushrooms”. Many empty bottles of Molson Canadian beer rained down on the Commish as he zig-zagged his way off the field, escaping with only minor head trauma and a broken humerus.
Celine Dion sang the national anthems, and the ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by long-time Expos pitcher Steve Rogers (dressed as Captain America, which was kind of weird).
The A.L. jumped out to a quick, early lead, with Chuck Knoblauch singling to lead off the game followed by an Alex Rodriguez two-run home run. The next batter up, Aaron Judge, also singled before N.L. starter Sonny Gray finally settled down and retired the next three batters to end the inning.
The A.L. starter, Ron Guidry, fared better, giving up just a two-out single to Johnny Blanchard before getting Luke Voit to fly out to end the first.
Tiny Bonham replaced Gray in the top of the 2nd but didn’t fare much better, giving up four singles and two more runs, although he did also get three Ks in the inning. The A.L. stars suddenly led by a score of 4-0, and the Canadian fans were getting restless.
The fans were even more upset when it was announced that, due to the real-life Expos having relocated to Washington DC way back in 2005, and perhaps also because of the pre-game beer-bottle throwing incident, the Commish had decided to play half of this-year’s All-Star Game in the U.S. Capital. Boos and strong language could be heard for miles around as the P.A. Announcer gave the details. The teams would continue to play at Olympic Stadium until the top of the 5th inning was complete, at which time the teams, coaches, managers, training staff, umpires, the Commish, and a few selected AYL owners would be flown to Washington DC to complete the game there.
The news seemed to light a fire under the N.L. stars (and also a real fire in the Commish’s rental car, but that’s another story) as their offense came alive in the bottom of the 2nd. After Kevin Brown walked lead-off hitter Matt Carpenter, Lance Berkman launched one into the upper deck to cut the A.L.’s lead to 4-2.
The N.L. would strike again in the bottom of the 3rd with a Johnny Blanchard solo homer, and again in the 4th with Blanchard singling in DJ LeMahieu to tie the game at four.
The score remained 4-4 through the top of the 5th, at which time, true to his promise, the Commish called the game “half-over”, loaded the participants into taxis and shuttles, finalized last-minute arrangements at the airport, and flew everyone southeast to D.C. and Nationals Park where they were greeted by a hastily-formed welcoming committee consisting of famous Washingtonians who happened to be home that day - Samuel L. Jackson, Stephen Colbert, Goldie Hawn, Alex Ovechkin, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), Al Gore, and of course Secretary of State Antony Blinken who was put in charge of local arrangements. Goldie sang the National Anthems, while Ovechkin used his hockey stick to “shoot” out the first pitch, a very accurate wrist shot right into the glove of N.L. catcher Bill Dickey.
The game resumed, with the Brewers’ Jesse Orosco pitching the bottom of the 5th. Orosco struck out Berkman, walked Troy Tulowitzki, and then got Dickey to hit into an inning-ending double play.
The offenses remained quiet (perhaps jet-lagged?) until the bottom of the 7th, when Johnny Blanchard led off with his fourth hit of the game, followed by a two-run home run by Garrett Jones who pinch-hit for Luke Voit.
The A.L. offense could be accused of missing the flight to D.C. based on how they performed in the second half of the game. A Knoblauch walk and a Robin Ventura single, both in the sixth, were the only base-runners the visitors could muster, going 1 for 13 altogether after deplaning. N.L. pitchers Dellin Betances (7th inning), Raul Valdes (8th inning), and Dwight Gooden (9th inning) each retired the side in order to seal the victory for the home team.
With the 6-4 victory, the N.L. now leads the all-time ASG series 15 to 7. Johnny Blanchard (4 for 4, 3 singles, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored) was named ASG22 MVP. It was announced that ASG23 will be hosted by just one city, but a BIG one, the Big Apple, New York City, as the Yankees host for the American League.
Hope you enjoyed the write-up. Good luck the rest of the way in the second half of the season.
Gus |
