Yoenis' Final Vote resume gets another homer
SEATTLE -- Yoenis Cespedes could make a home run derby out of facing Mariners pitching. He'd settle for taking part in the All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile. The way Cespedes has swung the bat the last couple of nights at Safeco Field can't be hurting his 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote case at all -- in fact, he's in a close race, sitting third behind the Royals' Mike Moustakas and the Twins' Brian Dozier.
One night after hitting an estimated 411-foot drive to left-center field to start a go-ahead rally for the Tigers, Cespedes nearly matched it with a 409-foot shot to near straightaway center. The two-out solo homer in the eighth inning tied the game at 6. Unfortunately, Detroit fell, 7-6, in the 11th.
It was Cespedes' 83rd career Major League home run. Seventeen of those have come off Mariners pitching. The only other opponent off which Cespedes has even reached double-digit homers is Texas, with 10.
It's an odd combination, considering Cespedes is just a .227 (45-for-198) hitter against Seattle, his lowest batting average against any American League opponent. Better than a third of Cespedes' hits off Mariners pitching have left the yard, including half of his 14 hits at Safeco Field.
None of those had come off Mariners reliever Fernando Rodney, who had surrendered a couple of singles to Cespedes over the years but kept him in the park, until Tuesday.
Rodney had Cespedes set up for a strikeout with an 0-2 count after the slugger fouled off a 97-mph fastball down and in. Cespedes did not miss the 98-mph heater that followed, left just up enough for him to create some loft into the relatively warm Seattle air.
It was the 12th home run hit in the series. Eight have come from the Tigers, two more than they hit at Safeco Field in the previous three seasons combined.
"This is the first time that the ball's been flying out of the yard like it's been the last couple days," said Tigers catcher Alex Avila, who added an opposite-field homer in the fourth inning. "I mean, even if we weren't in Safeco, any park, there's been a lot of home runs hit in the last couple days. Twelve, that's a lot."
Combine Cespedes' heroics with Reds ace Johnny Cueto's two-hit shutout of the Nationals, and the Final Vote tandem that Detroit and Cincinnati have been cross-promoting made their statements on the field.
Voting is open now at MLB.com to select the final player for each league's 34-man roster via the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote. Fans can cast their votes from a list of five players from each League until 4 p.m. ET on Friday.
During the Midsummer Classic in Cincinnati on Tuesday, fans can once again visit MLB.com to submit their choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. Voting exclusively at MLB.com, online and via their mobile devices in the 2015 All-Star Game MVP Vote presented by Chevrolet, the fans' collective voice will represent 20 percent of the overall vote that determines the recipient of the Arch Ward Trophy.
MLB.TV Premium subscribers will be able to live stream the All-Star Game via MLB.TV through FOX's participating video providers. Access will be available across more than 400 supported MLB.TV platforms, including the award-winning MLB.com At Bat app. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of the All-Star Week festivities, including the 2015 Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders, part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday. The Derby will feature a new format with brackets and timed rounds and will be broadcast live by ESPN and MLB.com beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports (7 p.m. ET air time, 8:15 first pitch), in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.