There’s nothing I love more than the pomp and circumstance of an All-Star game, and this year’s game was no different. The game, the Home Run Derby, the induction of Rollie Fingers into the Cal League Hall of Fame, and the Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead giveaway, brought all the fans to the yard. And early.
Just got to San Manuel Stadium for today's @CalLeague1 All-Star festivities and there's already a line forming at 8:30 am. Going to be busy and great day.
— Steve Wendt (@steve_wendt) June 18, 2019
The Home Run Derby
In this year’s Derby, the Cal League hitters were paired with youth league hitters. Their combined totals would determine if the teams advanced to the next round. In the North division, Cam Duzenack’s team and Lazaro Armenteros’ team tied, so there was a tie-breaking round. Duzenack’s team won, and they advanced to the final round. In the South, Casey Golden hit 7 to set the bar pretty high. Connor Wong followed with two, and the Cal League home run leader, Luis Castro, didn’t hit any out. Golden’s team won and advanced to the final round to meet Duzenack’s team.
Lancaster OF Casey Golden (Rockies) is the 2019 California League HR Derby champion. Here is the winning blast pic.twitter.com/DtX5pU3smL
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) June 19, 2019
In the final, Duzenack and his partner combined to hit 11 home runs. Golden’s partner hit first and got five homers. Golden’s work was cut out for him, but he was up for the task. Golden hit seven again to claim the Championship!
The All-Star Game
The game was won by the North 7-1 and the MVP was the Rawhide’s Mark Karaviotis who ended the game 3-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Karaviotis drove in the game’s first run, plating Giants’ #2 prospect Heliot Ramos with a second-inning single up the middle. Jameson Hannah (Stockton) then scored Karaviotis and Stockton teammate Lazaro Armenteros with a two-out triple to left. In the seventh, Karaviotis singled again and scored on an RBI ground out by Jancarlos Cintron (Visalia). The North scored two more in the 8th, courtesy of Karaviotis and Hannah respectively, and one more in the ninth for good measure, off the bat of Visalia’s Camden Duzenack.
The South just couldn’t get anything going and couldn’t string together any hits. Their lone run came in the 6th inning off the bat of Lake Elsinore’s Esteury Ruiz. With nobody on and no outs, Ruiz jacked a home run to left center field off Camilo Doval who touched 100 mph a couple of times.
All in all, it was a fabulous event. The Inland Empire 66ers were fabulous hosts and the day went off without a hitch. Fans really seemed to enjoy the Griffey Jr. bobblehead giveaway the pre-game autograph session with the players. The players really seemed to enjoy signing for the fans as well. At the end of the night, we were all treated to post game fireworks. A great way to end a great day! With the second half in full swing, it will be great to watch these players, many of whom are likely to be promoted.
Notable players who had amazing first halves that were named to the team but weren’t able to play in the game were:
Edwin Uceta, P Dodgers
Elliot Ashbeck, P Padres
Ronald Bolanos, P Padres
MacKenzie Gore, P Padres
Evan Miller, P Padres
Robbie Podorsky, OF Padres
Andrew Wantz, P Angels
Torii Hunter, Jr, OF Angels
Carlos Herrera, INF Rockies
Luis Liberato, OF Mariners
Sam Delaplane, P Mariners
Frank Rubio, P Giants
Jose Caballero, INF Diamondbacks
Gail is Bay Area born and raised. She was conflicted on which side of the Bay to root for early on, but eventually sided with the A’s. Gail now lives in Southern California, loves all Southern California baseball, and enjoys travelling around the country watching as many baseball games as she can. Follow her on X @1baseball_gail and Instagram @baseball_gail.
-
Gail Verdericohttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/1baseballchick/
-
Gail Verdericohttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/1baseballchick/
-
Gail Verdericohttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/1baseballchick/
-
Gail Verdericohttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/1baseballchick/
Leave a Reply