The Red Sox third baseman watched a curveball, two fastballs, and a slider go by before trotting to first base. It was Devers’s first walk off a lefthanded pitcher in a month.
So now he’s patient?
“I don’t know about that,” said Devers, who was smiling widely after leaving the game, a 3-2 victory for the American League. “But at least I know I had a lot of fun, especially catching up with old teammates like Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi, and even guys like Manny Machado, who is someone that I’ve always looked up to and have a lot of friends with. So it’s been a good experience.”
Betts singled in a run in the first inning in his lone plate appearance. He had what was perhaps a more memorable moment just before first pitch when he took the mic and led the crowd in wishing a happy 100th birthday to Rachel Robinson, the widow of Jackie Robinson.
“That’s why I admire him. He’s someone that is such a special player on the field but even more so off the field,” Devers said. “He’s someone that when it comes to things like that, he’s great at it. I’m glad to have seen it.”
It was the second All-Star Game for Devers, who is 25.
“It’s great. It’s just a ‘Wow’ experience,” he said. “I’m looking at my jersey and it says No 2 [on the sleeve]. Last year it said No. 1. I looked to the side of me and Aaron Judge has four, and then guys like Clayton Kershaw and [Paul] Goldschmidt have nine.
“Seeing those guys do it for as long as they have, it’s like OK, I can do this, too.”
Red Sox fans hope that’s in Boston. Devers will be a free agent after the 2023 season.
Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts entered the game in the fourth inning. He struck out swinging facing Joe Mantiply of the Diamondbacks in his only plate appearance. He is 3 for 7 in four All-Star Games.
“Glad we won,” said Bogaerts, who came out of the game after the sixth inning but stuck around until the end. “I liked being able to talk to the guys and my former teammates. I’ll try and get a couple of days of rest now.”
A third Red Sox player, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, pinch hit in the seventh inning for one of his mentors, Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera. He struck out facing Milwaukee righthander Devin Williams.
Martinez came up again in the ninth inning with a runner on second and grounded out to third base facing David Bednar of the Pirates. That left Martinez 1 for 9 with five strikeouts in five All-Star Games.
“I had fun,” he said. “It’s hard when you go up there and you haven’t prepared for the pitcher, but for me it’s great being in the game. Glad we won and I played with my teammates.”
The National League took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by Goldschmidt off Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan.
The American League came back with three runs in the fourth. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit a long two-run homer to left field off Dodgers righthander Tony Gonsolin. Byron Buxton of the Twins followed three pitches later with a home run, also to left field.
Stanton was awarded the Ted Williams Trophy as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Benintendi, another member of the Sox’ 2018 championship team, was 0 for 2 in his first All-Star game. Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who played for the Sox last season, was 0 for 2.
It was the lowest-scoring game since the American League’s 2-1 victory in 2017. Twenty pitchers combined to strike out 22 and allow only four extra-base hits. The National League had only one hit after the first inning.
Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase struck out the side in the ninth for the save.
“It was great,” Bogaerts said. “We grind every day in the clubhouse, in the game, in the cage. It was fun to be at the All-Star Game and hang out with each other.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism