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The Morning After: Byrd's Big All-Star Debut

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 14, 2010 3:00PM

It was quite an All-Star Game last night for Major League Baseball as the National League defeated the American League 3-1, the NL's first win in the Midsummer Classic since 1996 (and including that tie in 2002). And both a Cub and White Sox (White Sock?) figured in the decision. After the round-about way he made it onto the roster, the Sox' Paul Konerko was largely silent, entering the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and going 0-for-2. But the not, at least from a local stand-point, belonged to the Cubs' Marlon Byrd and (in a more unfortunate way) the Sox' Matt Thornton. With two on and one out in the NL top of the seventh, Thornton was brought in, recorded an out, and then faced Byrd. Byrd fell behind 0-2, battled back to 3-2, fought off a pair of fouls, and then drew the walk to load the bases. The next batter, Brian McCann, doubled off of Thornton, knocking in all three runners and putting the NL down the road to their first victory in 14 years.

But Byrd wasn't done.

In the AL half of the ninth, with one on and one out, a bloop single fell in front of Byrd who spun around and fired the ball into second based, just ahead of the sluggish David Ortiz for the force-out, the first outfield force-out in an All Star Game in 53 years. (In 1957, Eddie Mathews hit a ball to right fielder Al Kaline who threw out Frank Robinson at second base.) Said Byrd of his All Star experience (and, let's not kid ourselves, one of the better Cubs-related highlights all year): "It's very humbling. You always believe as a player that you can play. You have to have that confidence and that swagger. But at the same time, I'm a couple [lockers] down from Albert Pujols. I'm looking over at Chris Carpenter, Roy Halladay and then a guy who's 15-1, Ubaldo Jimenez. You realize that you're among the greats in the game."

And now we're on to the second half of the season after tonight's off-night. The Surging Sox, currently in first place in the AL Central and riding an eight-game winning streak, head to Minnesota for a four-game weekend series while the Cubs, 11 games under .500 and fourth place in their division, open up at home with a four-game set against the Phillies. Benjy and I will each take a mid-season look at our respective teams tomorrow as we kick off the second half.