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The 8 Best MLB Moments from All-Star Tuesday

Vladdy touches the moon, Freddie Freeman mic'd up and much, much more.

Wynn McDonald
Best MLB Moments 7/14/2021

Well, that was fun, eh?

Another All-Star Game is in the books, and would you look at that, the American League won… for the eighth consecutive year. As far as suspense goes, it wasn’t much to write home about. But the event itself gave us tons of wonderful content, from the time the gates opened till the lights went out at the end of the night. Coors Field gave us a show to remember.

Before we get to the best moments from the game, here are a few highlights from the pregame festivities. The red carpet show gave us some striking shots of our favorite players looking sharp, and also Josh Hader was there:

Meanwhile, international megastar sensation Shohei Ohtani opted for a simpler look. He still rocked it.

We got to meet some All-Star kids, and boy were they cute:

https://twitter.com/AllStarGame/status/1415056286958379018?s=20

But let’s be honest, nobody stole the show quite like Charlie Freeman. Even after meeting his idol, Fernando Tatis Jr., on Monday, he wasn’t quite sure how to react to seeing El Niño up close.

Frankly, I’d say he had nothing to worry about. I mean, look at that smolder!

Once inside, MLB ran a neat tribute video for another Braves legend, Henry “Hank” Aaron, who passed away in January. It’s not easy making 25 All-Star Games, let alone in just 23 seasons, but the Hammer did it all.

The celebration featured an appearance from Hank’s wife, Billye:

What a beautiful moment. Okay, now let me get to the list before Nick Castellanos shows up, and there’s a deep line drive to lef–OH GOD, NO!

The Face of the Game

The last time we saw him, he was putting on a show in the Home Run Derby. He caused a rippling online controversy that caused Stephen A. Smith to, get this, apologize, without lifting a finger. He’s the greatest Sho in baseball, and he’s just as cute as a button. Fox made sure to give him the most appropriate introduction possible with this dope animated clip:

Ohtani made his All-Star debut at the plate and on the mound on Tuesday, and it was pretty darn neat. Though he went 0-2 as a hitter, he pitched a perfect first inning that included a triple-digit reading on the radar gun… and he did things like this to Tatis:

Ohtani’s achievements this week as a derby participant, starting pitcher, and leadoff hitter are, of course, entirely unprecedented. He was also the first Asian pitcher to start the ASG since Hideo Nomo in 1995, and once the AL held on to win, he became the first Japanese-born pitcher to earn an ASG victory. But at the end of the day, he was just a kid having the best day of his life at a baseball game. That’s what I love the most.

Never change, Shohei.

Vladdy’s MVP Moment

Ohtani may have generated the most buzz, but he wasn’t the first selection for the game—not quite. That honor belonged to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and he wasted no time reminding us why he led all players with more than three million votes to start the game. He hit this ball so far, even Tatis couldn’t believe it!

The homer made Vlad Sr. & Jr. the third father-son duo to homer in ASGs, joining the Bonds and Griffeys. You better believe dad was proud:

If you needed another reason to cry and/or feel old, don’t forget he was wearing this glove in the game:

Shew. Is it dusty in here? Oh, and of course, Vladdy went on to become the youngest All-Star Game MVP ever. That about sums it up.

Nolan’s Warm Welcome

No starter received a warmer welcome from the Colorado crowd than Nolan Arenado, despite his red threads.

He had some words for the fans, as well:

Man, this guy really seems to like it in Colorado. I’m no expert, but maybe they should trade for him?

Freddie’s Image Problem

You love mic’d up. I love mic’d up. Everyone loves mic’d up! Especially when that mic is up on Freddie Freeman, one of the most charming characters in the league. The Fox team knew exactly what they’d get from talking to Freddie in-game, and he happily delivered. Here he is voicing his concerns about looking short if 6’7″ Aaron Judge reaches base, which immediately came true.

Poke fun all you want, but keep in mind, his son’s favorite player already plays for a different team. He needs all the image points he can get out there!

Technical Difficulties

Enjoy that clip because, after the way the night ended, we may not get quite so much mic’d up content next year. I say that, of course, in light of one Liam Hendriks, Fox’s final mic-ee of the night, who couldn’t hear the broadcasters and made the unfortunate assumption that they couldn’t hear him either. He was wrong.

It wasn’t the most NSFW of innings, but it gave us a pretty hilarious couple minutes of television. Suffice it to say, he was animated.

Here are a few more fine examples of the Aussie hurler’s colorful wordage:

https://twitter.com/MajorLeagueGIFs/status/1415148550351110148?s=20

I’m sure that’s a GIF we’ll neeeever see again, right?

Just Walshin’ Around

The A.L. never relinquished their lead once they got it, but they came close once. The N.L. managed a bases-loaded threat in the eighth after a Juan Soto walk. Things were looking awfully tenuous for the American League until Kris Bryant served a 3-0 heater on a seam into left field, where first-time left fielder Jared Walsh made the play of the game to save the lead. Wait, what?

Wow. Just wow. And you know what else? Walsh.

You said it, Matt.

Filthy Offerings

It wouldn’t be a true PL highlight tour without some nasty pitch gifs, and this game had no shortage. Here’s a few of the best, starting with some knuckle action from the ageless wonder, Mark Melancon:

Then, though he ultimately walked him, Matt Barnes did manage a knighting of Juan Soto:

And finally, there’s Zack Wheeler’s stupid sliding cheese:

Putrid. Vile. Disgusting. GIVE ME MORE.

The Birds

Speaking of those things… ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner Rob Manfred! What, too harsh? Eh. It’s a shame it overtook Vlad’s special moment, but there was something beautiful about the Coors Field crowd showering Rob Manfred with boos as he’s handing out the MVP award at the literal All-Star Game. I’ll leave you with this.

That’ll do it for this one. Tune in next year to see Ohtani play all nine positions! In the meantime, there’s real baseball to be played. Let’s get to it.

Wynn McDonald

Born a Kentuckian, much like Dan Uggla. Braves fan by choice, unlike Dan Uggla. I enjoy long walks on the Brandon Beachy. @twynstagram

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