Brian Dozier receives standing ovation after being named All-Star replacement
Good things come to those who wait.
After being left off the original American League All-Star roster and losing the Final Vote to Mike Moustakas, all Brian Dozier could do was thank the fans for their support and wait, hoping that another opportunity came along.
It turns out he didn’t have to wait long at all.
The opportunity came Saturday, when Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista pulled out of Tuesday’s All-Star game in Cincinnati to rest his ailing shoulder. Within minutes of Bautista’s decision, it was decided that Dozier would be his replacement.
All the while this was going on, Dozier and the Twins were hosting the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. He’d had no idea that Bautista was out, or that he was in. Then the announcement was made to the 32,365 fans in attendance at Target Field, which led to a moment that made all the waiting worthwhile.
For all the discontent and outright anger that stemmed from Brian Dozier being left off the roster, the end result really could not have played out any better. Not only will Minnesota’s deserving second baseman make his first All-Star appearance, he got this priceless moment with his home fans.
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It doesn’t get any better than that.
Dozier heads to Cincinnati on an absolute roll right now too. In Friday’s epic seven-run ninth-inning against Detroit, Dozier capped it with his second walk-off home run in five days.
That’s called rising to the occasion and solidifying one’s All-Star status, which is something Dozier has done all season. Entering play on Saturday, he was hitting .259/.331/.521 with 19 home runs, 49 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
The fans voted Houston’s Jose Altuve as the AL starter while Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis was selected as his backup. If would be difficult to argue against either being there. Especially Kipnis, who has been tearing up the AL all season. But justice was served on Saturday, and it will be cool to see Dozier take his place along the baseline on Tuesday.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
