Left-hander Happ to represent Jays at all-star game, calls his selection ‘a dream come true’
As a boy, J.A. Happ was a big collector of baseball cards, the all-star versions being no exception.
On Sunday, the worst kept secret at the Rogers Centre was made public as the southpaw starter was announced as the Blue Jays’ representative for next week’s all-star game. To the kid inside, the one who fawned over the game’s greats year after year, and to the 35-year-old veteran he is now, it was fantasy fulfilled.
“It was kind of a surreal moment today when I found out,” Happ said. “(I) certainly was hoping there was a chance but (this is) just a dream come true.”
Participating in the all-star game, to be held next Tuesday in Washington, will be a first for the native of Illinois, who is two-and-a-half seasons into his second stint the Blue Jays. He also spent 2013 and 2014 with the organization.
Happ has been Toronto’s most reliable starter this year, with a 10-5 record in 18 outings and a 4.44 ERA. He is the oldest member of the Blue Jays rotation and the only one to stay injury-free from the beginning of the season.
Durable is a word John Gibbons uses to describe Happ. A guy you can count on. The utmost professional.
And while the manager always roots for his players, there’s something special about Happ.
“He’s earned it,” Gibbons said. “He hasn’t had anything given to him. I think he’ll be a great representative of the organization.”
It was a special moment for both Gibbons and Happ when the manager announced the news during a team meeting in the clubhouse Sunday. Happ’s first text went to his wife, Morgan. It wasn’t lost on Happ that they had just recently talked about what a good decision it was to re-sign with Toronto ahead of the 2016 season.
“This is a special place, will always be for my family and I,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you never know how it’s going to work out but we talked about how glad we were to make that decision to sign and to come back to Toronto.”
How long Happ will be with the club remains to be seen, as he is considered a top candidate to be traded ahead of the deadline.
Happ wasn’t focused on trade talk on Sunday, but becoming an all-star did lessen the sting of back-to-back tough outings, in which he gave up an uncharacteristic 13 runs and 14 hits over 81⁄ 3 innings.
“I have gotten better about handling tough outings but the last couple have hurt, so this is nice,” Happ said.
“It kind of helps you turn the page and look forward to my next outing and then the allstar game.”
As for what he’s most looking forward to when the festivities roll around, Happ said he will try his best to take it all in.
“See the best players on the planet play,” he said. “That’s pretty cool.”
Happ will be joined on the American League staff by the Yankees’ Luis Severino and Aroldis Chapman, Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber; Boston’s Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale, Houston’s Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander; Minnesota’s Jose Berrios, Seattle’s Edwin Diaz, Detroit’s Joe Jimenez and Oakland’s Blake Treinen.
Boston outfielder Mookie Betts and designated hitter J.D. Martinez headline the AL’s starters, which include Tampa Bay catcher Wilson Ramos, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, Houston second baseman Jose Altuve, Baltimore shortstop Manny Machado, Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez, and the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge in the outfield.
The NL starters include Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras and second baseman Javier Baez, Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Nick Markakis, San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford, Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Washington outfielder Bryce Harper.
The NL staff consists of Washington’s Max Scherzer and Sean Doolittle, Arizona’s Patrick Corbin, the Mets’ Jacob deGrom, Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz, Milwaukee’s Josh Hader, San Diego’s Brad Hand, the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen, the Cubs’ Jon Lester; St. Louis’s Miles Mikolas, Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola and Pittsburgh’s Felipe Vazquez.