note: this blog contains All Star-related information from three days total, covering July 15-17.
Prior to the All Star Break
July 15: before the game versus the New York Yankees, Michael and his other All Star teammates received their 2018 American League All Star workout jerseys, which you can watch in this video from mlb.com/indians. (Trevor Bauer was not there/photographed because he
was in the bullpen warming up for his start, however.)
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
also prior to the game, Casey Harrison tweeted that Terry Francona said Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch (this year's AL All Star team manager) texted him and let him know the reserves (including Michael) would come into the All Star Game around the 5th inning.
following the Indians' win, an interview that FOX Sports analyst Jensen Lewis did with Michael on the field appeared in a youtube video on the FOX Sports Ohio channel. aside from discussing Michael's go-ahead home run that put the Tribe up for good, there was also some All Star Game talk. when asked what it means to represent the team in Washington, D.C., Michael responded, "it means everything. you know, all the hard work you put in the offseason, all the hard work you put in behind those closed doors when no one's watching and uh, you know, thank you to my teammates for even getting me there and then thank you for my teammates for pushing me every day to get better."
Lewis further inquired what the emotion is like knowing that five guys are going with him. "that's a awesome feeling. i was so pumped for Yan [Gomes] last night when they announced [that he made the AL All Star team as a reserve]. uh, i mean i got goosebumps for him. uh, but just to be there with all your boys and enjoy it, and embrace it, uh, it's gonna be fun. it's gonna be special. i'm glad to be a part of it."
the Indians' flight to Washington was delayed 3 hours, according to Bauer in a video on mlb.com/indians, and so the six Tribe All Stars did not get to D.C. until 11 pm.
Meet the Press
July 16: this was press day in D.C. here's a photo of Michael at his table that was posted on the Cleveland Indians' instagram:
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| screenshot cropped from @Indians on instagram |
the 3 on his left sleeve symbolizes that Michael has been an All Star three times now in his career.⭐⭐⭐
Paul Hoynes provided partial Q&As from everyone's media sessions in his article on cleveland.com. when Michael was asked how it feels to have his own row of tables (in the media interview room) with six members of the Indians at the All-Star Game, he admitted, "it's awesome. it's a credit to how hard this team works. it's a team effort all the way around. it's a credit to how skilled they are and how talented our organization is from top to bottom."
Michael's best memory from the first half is "that we're leading in the division. i think that's the most important. we're playing quality baseball, but we need to get better and that's what we're aiming to do."
as for if the Tribe needs to make a trade to get better, "that's up to the front office. i know every guy that walks through the door of our locker room is going to help us out in some certain way. our job is to go out there and play quality baseball."
the cleveland.com youtube channel supplied a video with Michael answering one of the above questions as well. "we're looking to get better. uh, we're leading in the division, but we gotta go into the second half and continue to play good baseball and that's what we look to do."
in Anthony Castrovince's mlb.com/indians article, he wrote how Michael jokingly suggested that they could put a banner of the six Tribe All Stars on the now-bare side of the Sherwin-Williams Global Headquarters Building on Ontario Street in Cleveland. "yeah, put us up there, right?"
also, in a video on MLB Network's twitter, Michael predicted "the guy that hits the most home runs" would win the Home Run Derby. lol
during batting practice, which was live streamed by MLB's twitter, Michael did an interview with Scott Braun for the All Star Game Preshow. (skip to about 32:10 in, after the Nick Swisher interview.) he was first asked how excited he was to be there with many of his Cleveland Indians teammates. "uh, it's great. great experience. it's my first time actually at this park, so it's even more exciting for me. i have some good memories to start already and uh, you know, like you said, being here with all my teammates, i mean we got, you know, five other guys including myself, so we're gonna all experience this together, it's gonna be fun."
who did he hear about his All Star selection from and who did he call first after finding out? "yeah, uh, you know, i heard it from my manager, Tito. we had a meeting and, you know, he kinda let everybody know what was going on. and, you know, the first person i called was my wife, let her know that, you know, we had some planning to do, make sure the kids are ready. and i called my father and the rest on, my mother, you know, down the line, just to let 'em know and share the experience with 'em."
he went on to talk about the Home Run Derby and say he was pulling for his old teammate, Jesus Aguilar. he claimed he looked confident when he talked to him earlier and has a lot of swag. he offered some advice to those who were participating in the Derby, too.
unfortunately, that was all the information i could find regarding Michael's session. i know he did a lot of interviews with several different media outlets, but as far as i know, they weren't shared online. there were a whole bunch of quotes and way more pictures last year, so the lack of details this time around was disappointing.🙁
here's a photo of all the Tribe's All Stars at Nationals Park:
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
and here's the entire American League team:
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| photo courtesy of @MLB on twitter |
All Star Game Day in the Nation's Capital
July 17: as always, the All Star parade and red carpet arrivals took place in the afternoon. NTD News' facebook page provided video of everyone arriving. Michael and his family come into frame at -3:49.
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
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| screenshot cropped from @Indians on instagram |
here's a pic of some of the Tribe squad before the All Star festivities got underway:
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
around 7:50 pm, the players were introduced. they began with the American League team and the Indians were announced right after the Boston Red Sox representatives. watching Michael's name called as an AL All Star reserve and enjoy his moment made me immensely happy. i've been following every aspect of his career religiously ever since his final call up to Cleveland in late 2010, and to see him evolve from a rookie to an All Star is incredible. however, this was also a sobering moment because i know that this will likely be the last time Michael ever goes to an All Star Game in a Cleveland jersey.😢 i'm so proud of him, nonetheless. SportsTime Ohio's twitter has video of just the five Tribe reserves.
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
after 5 innings, the ASG took a minute to Stand Up 2 Cancer. they did not get close enough to Michael for me to clearly read his placard. last year it read GRAMS for his grandmother who passed away on February 5, 2012, from lung cancer, though i'm not certain if that's what it said this time.
finally, in the bottom of the 6th inning, A.J. Hinch put Michael in the game. he was a defensive substitution for right fielder Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox, batting 1st in the lineup and playing left field (previously occupied by Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees). Michael's last time batting leadoff in a game occurred when he came in to pinch hit in the Tribe game on April 25, 2016, and he last started a game leading off on September 27, 2013!
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| photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter |
Michael recorded the 3rd out of the 6th when he caught a fly ball to left off the bat of Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies.
Michael's first at bat of the night came in the top of the 7th inning with 2 outs and the AL on top of the NL, 2-1. left-handed pitcher Felipe Vazquez of the Pittsburgh Pirates was on the mound and after taking a called strike, Michael sent a high fly ball to left field that dropped in for a single!!! or, apparently, Milwaukee Brewer Christian Yelich lost it in the light at the last minute, but whatever. we'll take it!👏
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| photo courtesy of @Indians on twitter |
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| photo courtesy of @SportsTimeOhio on twitter |
he moved up to 2nd base after Jed Lowrie of the Oakland Athletics drew a walk, but was left stranded when Mitch Haniger of the Seattle Mariners was called out on strikes.
Michael got another AB in the top of the 8th inning with Mitch Moreland of the Red Sox at 1st base, 2 outs, and the AL leading, 5-2. he faced the San Diego Padres' left-hander, Brad Hand (whom the Indians have been rumored to be trying to acquire). after a 1-2 count, Michael grounded out to 2nd base to end the inning. the pitch sequence went: foul to the left, called strike, ball, groundout.
the game went to extra innings after the NL tied it up at 5 in the bottom of the 9th. Michael came to bat for the third time in the top of the 10th inning with Jean Segura of the Mariners at 3rd base, Moreland at 1st, 1 out, and the AL leading once again, 7-5. on the first pitch from right-handed LA Dodger Ross Stripling, Michael hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Segura. (it was the only RBI of the game to come not by way of a home run lol) and that marked Michael's first career All Star Game RBI!!! hell yeah!👏😀
the American League team won, 8-6, in 10 innings. therefore, Michael will receive $20,000 for being part of the winning league. not only that, but Michael was awarded $100,000 when he made the team, according to Paul Hoynes' cleveland.com article from a year ago. easy money.💰
how did Michael feel about his performance? "this was my first RBI in an All Star Game and i've got a couple of hits already, so it was nice to check that box," Michael revealed in Hoynsie's game article on cleveland.com. "it was great to play in front of these fans. they were electric. i was blessed to be here."
in regards to the 10 combined home runs that were hit in the contest, Michael remarked, "we always think how good the pitching is, but we put together some quality at-bats and so did they. it was fun. i know the fans enjoyed it. they got a lot of free souvenirs so everybody is happy."
"when i sit back and think about all the hard work it took to get back to this level, i want to thank my teammates for helping me get here and all the players who voted for me. that's why i embraced it."
words cannot express how proud i am of Michael. he's one hell of a fighter, making another comeback from surgery and not only being selected to the All Star team, but being a contributor to his squad as well. it's an incredible story. what a great year he's having and i can't wait to see what he does in the second half!
i assume Michael and his teammates will head back to Cleveland later tonight so they can have all day off on Wednesday [July 18], because that's what happened after last year's ASG, before heading to Texas for the team workout (which is usually optional) on Thursday [July 19].
what were your thoughts on the 89th annual Midsummer Classic? let me know which team you were rooting for, who you voted for for MVP, and anything else you want in a comment below!
now it's time to break down the numbers. note: i'm doing things differently from my monthly blog format due to the fact that Michael played just 1 game and only for a couple innings.
i am going to document Michael's All Star Game #s and the leadoff #s, as well as the left field #s, the leadoff + left field #s, and overall outfield #s.
2018 All Star Game batting average: .500
OBP: .333
SLG: .500
OPS: .833
Michael played in the 2018 All Star Game on July 17, 2018.
he came in as a defensive substitution in left field in the bottom of the 6th inning and played 5 total innings in this 1 game.
Michael bat leadoff.
Michael played left field. (defensive substitution: 5 innings)
Michael bat N/A (0-for-0) against right-handed pitchers and .500 (1-for-2) against left-handed pitchers. he only came to the plate once against a righty and he hit a sacrifice fly, so he technically did not register a batting average for that category.
Michael bat N/A (0-for-0) with runners in scoring position, producing 1 RBI in the All Star Game. more specifically, he hit N/A (0-for-0) with RISP and 1 out. he only came to the plate once with runners in scoring position and he hit a sacrifice fly, so he technically did not register a batting average for that category.
in addition, Michael bat .000 (0-for-1) with runners on base, 1.000 (1-for-1) with the bases empty, and .500 (1-for-2) with 2 outs in an inning in the All Star Game.
Michael hit .500 (1-for-2) as a member of the away team in the All Star Game. he had 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 first at bat hit, and 1 total base. he hit safely in the game and safely reached base in it.
Michael reached base once and was left stranded once in the All Star Game.
Michael had 1 RBI and left 1 man on base.
he also had 1 groundout versus no strikeouts in the All Star Game.
in left field, Michael had 1 putout in 1 total chance and had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage for the All Star Game.
in the 2018 All Star Game, Michael had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats. here is how he fared:
1 hit
1 single
1 RBI
1 sac fly
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 left on base
1 putout
5 innings, 1 game
2018 All Star Game batting average: .500 (1-2) (1 game)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he hit in the lineup.
when Michael bat leadoff in the 2018 All Star Game, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 RBI
1 sac fly
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 left on base
1 putout
5 innings, 1 game
2018 All Star Game batting average in the leadoff spot: .500 (1-2) (1 game)
when Michael bat leadoff and played left field in the 2018 All Star Game, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 RBI
1 sac fly
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 left on base
1 putout
5 innings, 1 game
2018 All Star Game batting average in the leadoff spot while playing left field: .500 (1-2) (1 game)
when Michael played the outfield in the 2018 All Star Game, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 RBI
1 sac fly
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 left on base
1 putout
5 innings, 1 game
2018 All Star Game batting average while playing the outfield: .500 (1-2) (1 game)
now let's break down his numbers based on where he played in the outfield.
when Michael played left field in the 2018 All Star Game, he had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats. breaking down the numbers are as follows:
1 hit
1 single
1 RBI
1 sac fly
1 first at bat hit
1 total base
1 left on base
1 putout
5 innings, 1 game
2018 All Star Game batting average while playing left field: .500 (1-2) (1 game)
overall 2018 All Star Game #s while playing left field: 1 putout, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (5 innings, 1 game)
overall 2018 All Star Game #s while playing the outfield: 1 putout, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1.000 fielding percentage (5 innings, 1 game)
now my All Star Game numbers and notes.
2018 All Star Game, July 17: 1-2, single (first at bat), RBI sac fly. AVG: .500
[leadoff/LF: B6-B10/6-GF(10)]
^^Michael came into the game as a defensive substitution in left field in the bottom of the 6th inning and stayed in for the remainder of the game, playing 5 total innings. (the game went 10 innings.)^^
in the 2018 All Star Game, Michael had a total of 3 plate appearances and 2 at bats in 1 game (5 innings). in total, he had 1 hit, 1 single, 1 RBI, 1 sac fly, 1 first at bat hit, 1 total base, 1 left on base, and 1 putout.
just like last year, i also wrote a blog containing Michael's career numbers from all three of the All Star Games he's appeared in thus far (2014, 2017, and 2018): Brantley's Career All Star Game #s (Through 2018).
want a spoiler?😉
Brantley's Career All Star Game batting average: .400 (2-5)
OBP: .333
SLG: .400
OPS: .733
and ICYMI: Brantley Named to MLB's 2018 AL All Star Team!
when baseball resumes, i will continue to live tweet Michael's at bats and retweet all the news i discover, so keep following me on twitter @clevelandgirl23 so you don't miss anything. you especially don't want to miss my #CelebratingMichaelBrantley series! i've been posting special moments from Michael's career with the Indians every Monday, as well as some bonus "anniversary" dates, too. everything is in one long thread, so you can browse through all the stuff i've spotlighted so far by searching the hashtag. feel free to add your own favorite memories during Michael's 10 years in Cleveland also!🎉
thank you for reading! i'll have something new for you sooner than later, and if you want to be notified when that goes up, you can join my subscription list. just enter your email address in the box underneath the Blog Archive sidebar over on the upper right side of this page and you'll be all set!📧
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