The Los Angeles Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball at 61-29, were well represented at the 2017 MLB All-Star Game despite not having any starters. A foursome of Cody Bellinger, Kenley Jansen, Clayton Kershaw and Corey Seager were named to the initial National League roster.
Shortly after, Justin Turner won the Final Vote by receiving a record 20.8 million votes, and Alex Wood was named a replacement for Kershaw. For Turner and Wood it was their first All-Star selection.
Turner played an inning at third base and got one at-bat in the game, popping up to second base. Wood was the victim of bad luck as back-to-back hits in the fifth inning allowed the American League to take a 1-0 lead.
They went on for a 2-1 victory, propelled by Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano’s solo home run off Chicago Cubs closer Wade Davis in the 10th inning.
While the NL lost a fifth consecutive All-Star Game, Turner nonetheless had a memorable experience at Marlins Park in Miami, via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:
“I think everyone in here would have rather have come up on the winning side,” Turner said. “But at the same time, it was a good game. A lot of good pitching and a couple good swings. It was fun. It was fun to sit in the dugout and watch the greatest players in baseball go at it.”
Despite the defense behind him not making plays to keep the AL off the board, Wood shared the same sentiment:
Afterward, they all echoed Turner in saying, “I would sign up for it again in a heartbeat.” Wood called the experience “awesome.”
Wood didn’t factor into the decision, and he heads into the second half of the regular season 10-0 with a 1.67 ERA. He’s scheduled to take the mound Saturday in the second of a three-game road series against the Marlins.
Turner heads into the second half batting .377/.473/.583 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 37 RBI. The Dodgers hold a 7.5-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West standings and have won 26 of their last 30 games.
