ARLINGTON — Kirby Yates’ children were too young to remember their dad’s first trip to the All-Star Game. His kids — Oaklee and Kove — were 2 and 1 when the Texas Rangers’ closer was named to the National League roster five seasons ago as a member of the San Diego Padres.
In hindsight? It worked out fine. They’ll remember the one that mattered more.
Yates, who did not pitch in that 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland, made his midsummer classic debut Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. He made it count, too.
Kirby Yates' only other All-Star appearance was in 2019. He didn't get to pitch in the game.
— SportsDay Rangers (@dmn_rangers) July 17, 2024
Yates made the most of the opportunity this time around in front of the home crowd. 🔥🔥🔥
(Via @Rangers)pic.twitter.com/l63tNlTbgv
The 37-year-old right-hander — who’s in the midst of a career revival after a number of injuries stalled it — pitched a perfect eighth inning and struck out two batters in the American League’s 5-3 win inside the Rangers’ home park.
He was one of three Rangers players who competed in Tuesday’s exhibition, joining second baseman Marcus Semien (a three-time All-Star) and shortstop Corey Seager (a five-time All-Star). Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and his assistants served as the AL’s coaching staff.
Yates struck out Washington shortstop C.J. Abrams on three pitches, including an 87.2 mph splitter that got the 23-year-old to whiff for strike three, and ran a 94.2 mph fastball past San Francisco outfielder Heliot Ramos in the next at-bat for his second strikeout. Los Angeles catcher Will Smith bounced out to third base on three pitches to end the inning.
“You’re always kind of going in there trying to do an immaculate inning, and I was off to a good start then messed that up,” said Yates, who walked off the field to a standing ovation from the home crowd. “You just don’t want to suck, let’s put it that way.”
He didn’t, and he hasn’t this season. Yates posted a 1.05 ERA, 46 strikeouts and went 16 for 16 in save opportunities for the Rangers in the first half. The Lihue, Hawaii native estimated that somewhere between 20 to 30 family members made the trip to Texas to watch him throw.
Their journey matched Yates’ own. He led the NL with 41 saves and had a 1.19 ERA in 2019, but an elbow injury derailed his 2020 season and he underwent Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2021 season. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves last year but never quite felt like himself.
He became an All-Star again this season. The whole family got in on the fun this time.
“It just didn’t involve me, right?” Yates said. “It involved my wife, it involved my kids. We made a decision to leave our home, go somewhere else to rehab, take all the necessary steps, put our kids in a school in a place we weren’t familiar with. Did all these things that we thought were right to help my career get back to where I needed to go, and it’s just rewarding and all of that.
“It wasn’t just me, there was a village that was behind this.”
Yates, like many, grew up a Ken Griffey Jr. fan. He and his kids took a photo with Griffey on Monday night during the Home Run Derby. Both accompanied Yates and his wife, Ashlee, down the red carpet prior to Tuesday’s game.
“I know they were really nervous walking down the red carpet,” Yates said. “But I think once they got going, they kind of relaxed a little bit. My daughter loved it. It’s just neat to be able to spend it with them, because I hope it’s something they remember, too.”
Seager — who replaced Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson at shortstop prior to the fifth inning — nearly gave the AL a lead in the ballpark in which he’s hit so many memorable home runs. In a six-pitch at-bat vs. Cincinnati fireballer Hunter Greene, Seager drilled a slider just outside of the right field foul pole, then sent a 96.3 mph fastball deep into center field immediately after. Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Teoscar Hernández chased it down at the warning track.
The 102.9 mph, 402-foot flyout would have been a home run in 17 ballparks, according to Baseball Savant. Just not at Globe Life Field, where the Rangers’ home run song (the theme from The Natural) briefly played after Hernández’s grab.
“Did it really?” Seager asked. “Oh no, that’s bad mojo right there.”
And, on the topic of possibly weird mojo, Seager did not bat directly behind his double-play partner Semien as he usually does for the Rangers. Semien — Texas’ leadoff hitter — started at second base and hit ninth for the AL. He went 1 for 2 with a single and a run scored off of San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb as part of a three-run third inning.
“It was weird not playing up the middle with him, too,” Semien said. “Gunnar is a big shortstop, similar build [to Seager]. He made a nice play out there. Corey and I, our goal is to be playing up the middle in these things.”
Semien, a finalist to start at second base, replaced Houston’s Jose Altuve on the roster when the latter pulled out to rest a sore hand that was hit by a pitch on July 5. Seager had a significantly shorter runway. He learned at around 6:45 p.m. Sunday that he’d been called upon to replace Minnesota shortstop Carlos Correa (plantar fasciitis) on the roster.
He and his wife, Madisyn, even had to cancel vacation plans.
“I don’t want to say we were panicked, but we were a little panicked,” Seager said. “[The red carpet] is intimidating if you don’t have time to plan for it, but she looked amazing and we had a great time.”
So did the eldest of the trio.
“It’s all surreal, I won’t ever forget this,” Yates said. “The fans were awesome, it was great, and I’m very appreciative.”
Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn
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