Judge, Sevy shine in action packed All-Star Game

The New York Yankees future is indeed so bright we gotta wear shades.  In what was one of the most entertaining All-Star games, Aaron Judge and Luis Severino found a way to shine and make their team proud.  Unfortunately, Gleyber Torres and Aroldis Chapman did not get into the game due to their lingering injuries prior to the All-Star break.  I know for a fact that Gleyber was taking it all in.

With Torres filming his teammate, Judge ripped a Max Scherzer fastball into the left field stands over the bullpen.  Judge wound up going 1-2 with a walk and that mammoth home run.  It’s his first home run in an All-Star game and yet another showcase of the young star’s talent.

Luis Severino also came into the game as a 2-time All Star.  He didn’t start off as well as Judge did, but wound up with a good result nonetheless.  Severino gave up a leadoff double to Matt Kemp but was able to get out of the inning with two strikeouts, including an absolutely nasty curveball on Bryce Harper.

The All-Star game itself was extremely entertaining, with lead changes left and right and a total of ten home runs between the two teams.  Jean Segura gave the AL the lead with a three run home run in the 8th inning, but Christian Yelich and Scooter Gennett were able to tie it back up in the bottom half of the 8th and 9th.

The home run barrage continued as Alex Bregman and George Springer went back to back off of Dodger’s pitcher Ross Stripling to give the American League a 7-5 lead.  A sac fly later made it 8-5.  The Astros-Dodgers dynamic was great for baseball and a bit of deja vu as Springer previously launched five home runs in the World Series en route to becoming Series MVP.

The National League was very close to tying it up after a Joey Votto home run off J.A. Happ, but Happ was able to shut down the rest of the NL and get the first save of his career.   Look for Happ to be a player of great interest in the next few weeks leading up to the trade deadline.

It was a great day for the New York Yankees, a great day for the American League, and a great day for baseball.  When you have young starts like Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and George Springer all on one team, it’s bound to be fireworks.  Let’s hope Judge and Sevy can carry this momentum into the second half.