KANSAS CITY — Randy Arozarena got counsel and advice in planning out much of his All-Star experience, including his three practice sessions for the Home Run Derby
But there were some impromptu moves as well.
That slick, black and white outfit he wore to the red carpet parade?
He saw it on a mannequin at the Louis Vuitton store in Scottsdale, Ariz., during the previous road trip and bought it all, from the shoes on up, walking out with four bags.
And the bold decision to wear personalized cowboy boots for the derby introductions?
“Probably about 30 minutes before (it started) because a friend gave them to me,” he said, via team interpreter Manny Navarro.
Overall, Arozarena said the whirlwind trip to Seattle for his first All-Star Game could not have been much more fun. “The whole experience was great,” he said.
And certainly eventful.
In Monday’s derby, Arozarena delivered a smashing performance, and a dramatic and surprising run to the final round, losing 25-23 to Toronto’s Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Arozarena, who hit 82 homers overall in the three rounds off Rays field coordinator Tomas Francisco, is still confident he would have won had he gotten the additional 30-second bonus Guerrero did for two blasts of at least 440 feet.
On Tuesday’s red carpet walk, Arozarena did an extended interview with MLB Network, striking a countless number of his arms-crossed poses.
And in the game, he started in leftfield and made a running and leaping catch in the top of the first inning, then singled for the game’s first hit — and got caught stealing — in the bottom of the inning. He also got to talk with a number of other stars, notably Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, he said.
The best part?
“Just everything,” Arozarena said. “From the Home Run Derby to the game and my last inning I played, it was a great experience.”
Wander and The Kid
Wander Franco, the Rays’ 22-year-old rising star, had reason to be happy with his first All-Star Game performance.
He enjoyed providing support for Arozarena in the derby, felt pride seeing his name on a clubhouse locker among the other stars, and relished the practice time on the field with the group.
Franco played the final three innings of Tuesday’s game at shortstop, and he came up just a few feet short of a tying homer leading off the ninth. He battled through eight pitches, including four two-strike fouls, off Craig Kimbrel before flying out to the warning track in rightfield.
“I didn’t think I got it right away, I got jammed a little bit,” he said Saturday, via Navarro. “I just loved that at-bat though.”
But the real highlight was a conversation he had with Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who happened to sit next to him on the field during the derby.
“I was able to talk with him a little bit, got to ask him questions, got to just talk about the game,” Franco said. “It was really good to talk to a legend. … I definitely am a fan of him.”
Diaz going deep
Yandy Diaz, who started at first base, had the most impact on the game, his second-inning homer off Mitch Keller starting the scoring and giving the American League team a 1-0 lead. He joined Carl Crawford (2007) and Mike Zunino (2021) as the only Rays to hit All-Star homers.
Diaz, also a first-time All-Star, came up in the fourth inning with the score 1-1 and Shohei Ohtani on third, and laced a 104.2-mph grounder. But it was snared by Freddie Freeman for the third out.
“He hit the big home run, and he’s another hit away from putting himself in the MVP category for the game,” manager Kevin Cash said.
And none of that was the most eventful part of his week, as he flew back to Tampa overnight to be with wife Mayisledis for the birth of their first son, Yandy. Diaz was placed on the paternity list and is expected to join the Rays in the next few days.
“Pretty hectic, the whole All-Star experience,” Cash said.
McClanahan got to chill out
Going to the All-Star Game and getting to be the starting pitcher last year was incredibly exciting for Rays lefty Shane McClanahan
Returning this year knowing he wouldn’t pitch due to being on the injured list (back tightness) was a lot more fun.
“Definitely a little less nerve-wracking than last year,” he said. “I didn’t have to do anything — no (starting pitcher) press conferences. no social media. Just got to go out there and hang out — it was just awesome. Everyone was jealous.”
McClanahan provided support — towels, sports drinks, encouragement — for Arozarena in Monday’s derby. Afterwards, he was having a drink at his locker — “nothing crazy, water with a splash of Gatorade” — when a half-dozen other stars gathered for what turned into a memorable conversation.
“They all pulled their chairs over and were just kind of hanging out in my locker, just enjoying each other’s company and just kind of appreciating how special of a moment this was for all of us,” he said. “It was definitely a lot of fun. We got to talk about people we played with and share jokes, share stories, and so it was a good time.”
Tuesday, McClanahan enjoyed strolling the red carpet set up at picturesque Pike Place market — styled, quite comfortably, he said, by the Greiners Fine Men’s Clothing shop in downtown Tampa. “They do such a great job there,” he said. And, McClanahan joked, he doesn’t have the tenure or status of Toronto’s Bo Bichette, the area resident who did a shoutout to St. Petersburg-based Diamonds Direct for hooking him up with earrings and a necklace.
Come game time, McClanahan said his biggest goal was to make the jog in from centerfield for the pre-game introductions — which got messed up by Fox TV anyway as they skipped announcing McClanahan and Franco — uneventfully.
“I’m running and I’m like, ‘Don’t trip, don’t fall.’ he said. “So I got in, I was ecstatic.”
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