Ohtani, Guerrero shine as AL’s reign continues
DENVER — A Sho-case of an MLB All-Star Game turned out to be a grand stage for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as well.
The first player in Major League Baseball history selected for the All-Star game as a pitcher and at another position, the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani unleashed his 100 mph heat while pitching a perfect inning for the win. Meanwhile, Guerrero, a 22-year-old first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, rocked Coors Field with a 468-foot home run as the American League breezed to its eighth straight victory in the Midsummer Classic, 5-2 on Tuesday night in a National League ballpark.
Guerrero became the youngest MVP in All-Star Game history, but near and far, the focus was on Ohtani from the very start in this All-Star Game. Players on both teams climbed to the dugout rails at the home of the Colorado Rockies to watch him bat, and the 27-year-old Japanese sensation went 0-for2, grounding out twice as the AL’s designated hitter in the leadoff spot.
Mike Zunino of the Tampa Bay Rays also homered for the AL as it improved to 46-43-2 overall in the series. Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto went deep for the NL on a mile-high night at Coors, baseball’s ultimate launch pad.
Ohtani has dazzled in his fourth MLB season. He leads the majors with 33 homers and is 4-1 in 13 starts as a pitcher, a twoway performance not seen since Babe Ruth in 1919-20, before the Bambino largely gave up the mound to play the field as his power hitting took off.
“This has been the best experience, most memorable,” Ohtani said through a translator. “Obviously, I’ve never played in the playoffs or World Series, so once I do that, that’s probably going to surpass it. But this has been the most memorable.”
Ohtani was a double triple-digit threat in Denver, hitting a 513-foot drive during Monday night’s Home Run Derby and throwing a 100.2 mph pitch to St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado on Tuesday.
“He was as good as advertised,” said Arenado, who played for the Rockies from 2013 to 2020 and was a fan favorite in Denver. “His fastball had a little cut, and he’s a really good player. Just incredible.”
Ohtani retired Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arenado in order in the bottom of the first inning, throwing 10 of 14 pitches for strikes. Major League Baseball made a special rules tweak for Ohtani, allowing him to be replaced as a pitcher and to remain in the game as the DH.
Guerrero’s third-inning homer against Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes was a jaw-dropping drive even before Statcast revealed it went 468 feet, the longest since All-Star Games were wired in 2015.
As the ball landed at the top of the left-field seats under the huge video board, Tatis — the NL starting shortstop and one of a record 42 first-time All-Stars, he and Guerrero are tied for second in the majors with 28 homers behind Ohtani — turned slowly and put both hands over his head.
“It was a moonshot,” Tatis said. “He’s been doing it all year. Why not show it off here?”
Guerrero’s father, a nine-time All-Star who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, homered in the 2006 game. The Guerreros joined Bobby Bonds (1973) and Barry Bonds (1998 at Coors) and Ken Griffey Sr. (1980) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1992) as the only father-son duos with All-Star homers.
“Dreams do come true,” Vlad Jr. said through a translator. “Ever since I was a kid I’ve been thinking about this moment.”