Gilbert, Muñoz remember first All-Star experience
Josh Kirshenbaum
SEATTLE -- Logan Gilbert stands 6-foot-6. It makes him a looming figure on the mound. It helps him have the best extension of any pitcher in the Majors. And it means that he’s going to be in the back of any group photo he’s in -- even in a group of Major Leaguers.
On July 15 in Arlington, that’s where Gilbert was for the official American League All-Star team photograph. And he found himself next to another notably imposing star.
“I took the team picture next to [Aaron] Judge, and for a second there, I was like, ‘This is pretty crazy,’ just because of how good he is. … These really are some of the best players to ever play -- not just now, but ever. So being included in that is just kind of humbling, a big honor.”
Andrés Muñoz was in the second row of that photo, standing next to Tampa Bay’s Isaac Paredes. The pair, who started as youth teammates in Mexico and went through the same academy in Mexico City, had their own moment to take it all in on the field at All-Star Media Day.
“We were walking over there, and we were like, ‘What are we doing here? We’re with the best players of the year,’” Muñoz said. “We were really excited for that; we never imagined being there one time when we were kids.”
Both Gilbert and Muñoz were going through the All-Star routine for the first time. Neither ended up appearing in the Midsummer Classic, with Gilbert having started the Mariners’ first-half finale and Muñoz not getting called in.
But the two Seattle pitchers got to partake in all of the All-Star festivities, walked the red carpet, took in the Home Run Derby -- won by former Mariners teammate Teoscar Hernández. And they got to participate in the unofficial tradition of the Midsummer Classic: The work convention and skull session for the best arms in baseball.
“Everybody there is so good,” Gilbert said. “One, it’s just fun to be included in that group. Then also trying to figure out how everybody does their thing.
“I didn’t get too crazy. A few years ago if I went into something like that, I probably would [have] changed every single grip that I had. But it was fun picking their brains a little bit.”
Muñoz took advantage of the chance as well. For his part, he said he honed in on his fellow relievers in the AL bullpen, like New York’s Clay Holmes and Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase.
“It was a real learning [experience] for me, just being able to talk to other people, being able to talk with other great pitchers,” Muñoz said. “It was good for me, just to learn more things. I learned a lot these past few days.”
When asked if he picked up any new pitch grips over the course of the week, Muñoz only laughed and said “no comment.”
The Midsummer Classic is a long way from the days of Pete Rose bowling over Ray Fosse at home plate. But even with a more relaxed and fun environment in the middle of a season’s grind, both Mariners say they’ve noticed an increase in the amount of advice and support shared between pitchers of late.
“In a setting like that, it’s almost like a celebration a little bit, in a way,” Gilbert said. “Everybody’s in a good mood, just connecting with other players from other teams and willing to talk about whatever they need to.”
Gilbert, who led the Majors with 132 1/3 innings pitched in the first half, ended up getting a full eight days between starts due to the Mariners reslotting their rotation out of the break.
That left him in a weird spot in Texas, basically off of any sort of schedule or routine to keep at Globe Life Field.
At the All-Star Game, though, Gilbert had fewer qualms with the night off.
“I kept looking up at the scoreboard, and it’s like every single person there has a .950 OPS,” Gilbert said. “Usually you’re going against a team where maybe the No. 3 or 4 batter is like that, maybe. But the whole lineup was like that. It would have been a really fun challenge, but also those guys are doing so well it was less stressful being able to know I’m not pitching and take in the whole experience.”