The All-Star Game is coming; in doubt, participation of Mexicans

Very few Mexicans have had the fortune to participate in the so-called Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, that is, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which in 2023 will be held at T-Mobile Park in The Seattle Mariners, next July 11 of the present.

Right now there is no certainty as to whether any member of the Aztec legion will reach the numbers, but above all the notoriety, to be able to powerfully attract the attention of those who are in charge of choosing the prominent participants, although one would have to bet all the marbles to the recently naturalized Randy Arozarena, who continues to pull the spotlight with his excellent performance both in the outfield and with the bat and perhaps his reward will be the long-awaited call.

From the outset, it should be noted that the call is almost a gamble, since we have had pleasant surprises, such as last year the call of Baja Californian Alejandro Kirk, the Toronto Blue Jays catcher, who was unexpectedly called to participate in the 2022 edition of In this duel, which I was already saying, only the best players in their position from both Leagues are called.

Kirk joined a select group of Mexicans who have achieved that privilege, which by the way, is still denied to the outstanding pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Julio Urías, who has never been in an All-Star Game.

The year before, it was practically given as a fact that he would receive the call after his extraordinary and fundamental participation in the conquest of the world title for the Los Angeles team and the excellent moment that he lived in the Major League campaign, where he marched as the leader of victories with 11 games won, but the manager of the Angelenos, Dave Roberts, who was the same one who took the helm to lead the National League team, refused to call him as it was considered an injustice, since he could have promoted the presence of the Mexican in the traditional midseason baseball party and did not.

Roberto Osuna from Sinaloa is one of the lucky few to participate in the All-Star Game; he did it in the 2017 campaign, being practically a rookie, since he was just playing his third season in MLB. The then closing pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays had had a great first half of the season, with 22 saves, and that year he had also won two victories and in 37 games in which he had seen action he had struck out 47 batters. In his first All-Star Game, he helped win the American League after registering nine pitches and one hit.

The first Mexican to have a presence in an All-Star Game was the Veracruz baseball player Beto Ávila in 1952, 1954 and 1955; They followed him: Jorge Orta (1975 and 1980); Isidro Monge (1980); Fernando Valenzuela (1981-1986); Aurelio Lopez (1983); Vinicio Castilla (1995 and 1998); Esteban Loaiza (2003 and 2004); Joakim Soria (2008); Adrián González (2008-2011 and 2015); Yovanni Gallardo (2010); Sergio; Blunt (2013); Marco Estrada (2016); Roberto Osuna (2017) and Anthony Michael Rendon (2019), the most recent being Alejandro Kirk.

The fact of having been summoned six times in a row, catapults the “Bull of Etchohuaquila”, Fernando Valenzuela, as the Mexican with the most calls to the All-Star Game, a record that is undoubtedly very difficult to equal and even more difficult to overcome.

For now, Randy has the favorable stats to be the AL’s starting left fielder, being the best player at the position in virtually every fundamental record. He is also fifth in RBIs, ninth in home runs, fifth in hits, fourth in batting average, second in on-base average, fifth in slugging percentage and fourth in OPS.

Hopefully it will reach you so that the longed-for call arrives.

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@salvadorcosio1