The Big Stage

Ordinarily, I don’t care about the All-Star Game, outside of the American League winning. And they did that last night in Philadelphia, 4-0 on a three-hitter by more pitchers than I have fingers. What stood out, though, was Miguel Vargas of the White Sox; he did two things of note. First, he appeared on the red carpet with his parents alongside him. Classy move, that. Then, the native of Havana, Cuba, hit like the game mattered. In the top of the fifth inning, center fielder Andy Pages robbed Vargas of a sure double with a running catch in right-center field. Which set up the eighth inning. Vargas took a slider down and in from former minor-league Dodgers’ teammate Justin Wrobleski and deposited it 433 feet into the second deck at Citizens Bank Park. A giant-sized shot from a regular-sized player (6’2”, 225 pounds) by current baseball standards. Oh, if only that line drive had fallen in. Vargas and not Cody Bellinger, with a two-run single in the first, could’ve been named MVP. Oh, well. What stands out here is both Vargas’ humility and intensity. Both bode well for the White Sox in the second half of the season, starting Friday in Toronto. I can’t wait.