Mic'd up moments: Freeman, Yeli, Belli, Lindor
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FOX's All-Star Game broadcast mic'd up several of the game's brightest stars during the 2019 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Here's some of the best moments from right in the thick of the action of the American League's 4-3 victory.
Freeman steps in against JV: Ever wonder how hitters feel when they have to face the positively nasty Justin Verlander? Braves star Freddie Freeman asked Verlander to groove him a fastball, but Verlander -- being the ultimate competitor he is -- had other ideas, spinning some filthy breaking balls to strike Freeman out.
Yeli and Belli: The home run race between National League MVP frontrunners Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger was one of the biggest stories of the first half, and their admiration for each other's games was on display while they were both mic'd up in the outfield with Clayton Kershaw on the mound.
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“He’s had an unbelievable year,” Yelich said of Bellinger, who was just a few dozen feet across the outfield. “We’ve become buddies over the year. You want to root for your friends. We had a great back and forth series last year in the postseason … Cody had to hit that homer there in Game 7 …”
“My bad,” Bellinger joked.
“But what are you going to do?” Yelich conceded. “It’s fun to watch.”
FOX play-by-play voice Joe Buck helpfully instructed the two stars and center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to go retrieve Michael Brantley's RBI double to the wall, but they were ultimately a step too late to nab Alex Bregman at home plate.
'Stros have some fun: How close-knit are the Astros? Well, Alex Bregman, George Springer and Michael Brantley helped Houston become the first team to collect each of its league's first three hits in an All-Star Game, with Brantley's RBI double giving the AL the early lead. Then, with all of the Astros mic'd up, they had some fun out in the field. Bregman playfully chided Springer for missing the cutoff man on a throw back to the infield, and then we heard just how loud an outfielder -- in this case Brantley -- has to be to call everyone else off on a pop fly.
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Lindor on the mic: The Cleveland stars brought the goods on a special night by Lake Erie. Indians pitcher Shane Bieber claimed the All-Star Game MVP after striking out the side in the fifth, and the team’s superstar, Francisco Lindor, had a fun chat with the FOX booth the following inning.
Buck posed an extremely tough question to Lindor: Who has the better hands on defense, he or Cubs star Javier Baez?
“He’s got a quicker tag than me,” Lindor said of Baez. “But I’ve got good hands too.”
Then, Lindor told A’s third baseman Matt Chapman he could cut in front of him on a grounder.
"If I run into him, I might be down for a while," Lindor joked.