A’s Liam Hendriks has eventful inning as AL AllStars win.
A’s: Hendriks’ highlights cap his return to major leagues
CLEVELAND — Liam Hendriks definitely kept things interesting in the one inning he pitched in Tuesday night’s AllStar Game.
The A’s reliever used what he calls his “hitch pitch” on one delivery, sailed another pitch to the backstop and gave up a 384foot home run to Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon.
Around those events, he struck out three.
“Probably be on ‘SportsCenter’ doing something,” Hendriks said with a smile before he wandered through the AL clubhouse, hoping to get everyone who pitched in the game to sign a baseball for him.
The American League won the game 43, extending its winning streak to seven. Hendriks’ inning wasn’t terribly consequential to the final score, but it made for a memorable first AllStar Game appearance. And it took place 13 months after he had been designated for assignment and
wound up in TripleA when no one claimed him.
Hendriks and A’s third baseman Matt Chapman entered the game in the top of the sixth with the AL leading 20. Chapman replaced Alex Bregman, and Hendriks became the sixth AL pitcher of the night.
Hendriks started by getting Kris Bryant to strike out looking. Hendriks then had people thinking he had stumbled while delivering a curveball, but explained it was not a mistake.
“It’s called a ‘hitch pitch,’ ” said the affable Australian, who was born in Perth. “It was intentional. I did it a couple of times in the big leagues and I did it at TripleA when I was down there as well. Just trying to throw off timing.
“Guys do the shimmy and all that, and I’ve got that.”
He missed outside on that pitch — he said if he throws a strike, the hitter usually freezes — and, typical to his routine, he followed with a fastball. Except it sailed over everyone’s head to the wall behind the plate.
“I tried to throw it a little too hard and got under it,” he said. “I’m sure there was a little bit of something (nerves) in there. But I had a good time, which is all that matters.”
The pitch led Francisco Lindor, wired for sound at shortstop for the Fox telecast, to kid Hendriks that he had found a good way to get on the highlights. Hendriks responded with a smirk.
“I heard him yelling at me, but I didn’t realize he was miked up at the time,” Hendriks said. “I’m interested to see that when it comes out.”
The one hit he gave up was a big one, as Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon turned on a fastball and drove it 384 feet to rightcenter to give the NL its first run and cut the AL lead to 21.
“I didn’t quite think he got it, but then it kept going so …” Hendriks said, “it counts on the scoreboard.”
The home run itself was an oddity. Hendriks had given up one home run in 502⁄3 innings this season — a ratio of 0.18 per nine innings. That’s the lowest in baseball (minimum 50 innings pitched).
Hendriks’ inning: One hit, one run, no walks, three strikeouts. Nineteen pitches, 13 strikes.
“Thirteen months ago, I was sitting down in TripleA, hanging out,” he said. “It’s been an interesting ride, but I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
Chapman and Giants reliever Will Smith also were responsible for runs, both for the American League.
Chapman walked to lead off the seventh, advanced to third on James McCann’s single and scored the AL’s third run on a doubleplay grounder.
Smith relieved Brandon Woodruff with two outs in the seventh to get a leftylefty matchup with Texas’ Joey Gallo. But Gallo turned Smith’s first pitch into a home run to right that traveled 397 feet and got out in a hurry with an exit velocity of 112 mph.