Kimbrel: Venerable All-Star vet at 29
MIAMI — You’ll notice a “6” patch on Craig Kimbrel’s uniform when the Red Sox closer takes the field at tonight’s All-Star Game.
With all respect, it’s not in honor of the late Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky, who famously wore No. 6.
Kimbrel, who played one season in San Diego, isn’t wearing it as a nod to Steve Garvey, whose No. 6 has been retired by the Padres.
And the former Atlanta Braves reliever isn’t wearing it to remember any of the various Lonnie Smiths, Stan Lopatas and Vince DiMaggios who have worn No. 6 over the years for the Atlanta/Milwaukee/Boston Braves.
It’s a ranking thing: Players in this year’s All-Star Game get a shoulder patch indicating how many editions of the Midsummer Classic they’ve been in. And as the American League and National League All-Stars paraded around in their uniforms during yesterday’s media availability, the consensus was that Kimbrel’s “6” stood out the most.
Who would have thought that a player still in his 20s could be appearing in his sixth All-Star Game?
Yet it’s true. Kimbrel, who turned 29 in May, was a four-time NL All-Star during his Braves days and has been an AL All-Star in each of his two seasons with the Red Sox.
But while his age is the main reason Kimbrel’s All-Star resume may surprise people, he has something else going for him: He does not look, sound, act, strut or otherwise carry himself like a veteran big leaguer. To hear him tell it, this is still all new and shiny to him.
“It’s a fun time to go out there and try to show off your best stuff, even if it’s an exhibition,” Kimbrel said. “I still feel young. I always joke around that I’m not 30 yet, so I have that going for me. I still have another year. Still young. Still feel good. “But, yes, it is kind of odd to see the ‘6’ on my jersey, this being my seventh (full) year in the big leagues. It’s flown by. But sometimes I feel like it’s been a while.”
Do the younger All-Stars treat him any differently?
“Nah, I don’t think so,” he said. “OK, maybe here and there, when they say, ‘ Wow, you were born in the ’80s?’ Because they’re all born in the ’90s nowadays, or seems like it. But I don’t act like that guy, so I don’t think anyone’s going to look at me as a salty vet or anything like that.”
But Kimbrel knows how to answer questions like a salty vet. Asked what it means to be a sixtime All-Star, he replied, “It means I’ve had six good years.”