Mariners Stars’ Smiles on Full Display in All Star Game

Two Mariners showed out at the All Star Game with their bats and their…phones? Robinson Cano took home the MVP Award.

The American League beat the National League 2-1 in the 88th All Star Game in Miami. Both of the Mariners representatives, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, got two at-bats each. Cruz went 0 for 2. Cano struck out in his first at-bat against Brad Hand in the 7th.

Cano came up again in the 10th in a tie game with a chance to make Mariners fans proud. He faced Wade Davis of the Cubs who has a 1.80 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 30 innings. Cano then sent a 1-1 pitch sailing over the right field wall, giving the AL a one-run lead. His bright smile beamed as he rounded the bases.

In fact, there were multiple shots by FOX showing Cruz and Cano smiling, beaming and having a grand old time. Those two may have the best smiles in all of baseball, even with few mentions of the fact they play for the Mariners. Because of Cano’s heroics, he won the All Star Game Most Valuable Player award and a beautiful Chevy Corvette in the process.

Nelson Cruz made a splash not so much with his bat, but with his phone. He walked up to the plate in his first at-bat in the sixth, pulled out his phone and asked catcher Yadier Molina to snap a photo of Cruz and well-known umpire Joe West. This caused a brief and humorous delay. This game was full of personality and everything good about the game of baseball (multi-color cleats, colorful sleeves and hair flips).

Cano became the third Mariners player to win All Star Game MVP. Ken Griffey Jr. won in San Diego in 1992 and Ichiro won the hardware in 2007 after his inside-the-park-home-run in San Francisco.

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The American League has now won five straight. However, this one did not count towards homefield advantage in the World Series.

This was Cano’s eighth All Star appearance, his third as a Mariner. In 10 plate appearances, that was just his second hit and first home run. He represented the Mariners well as the camera seemed to catch him on multiple occasions. It was nice to see him circling the bases in triumph with “Seattle” across his chest as the Mid-Summer Classic hero.

Next: Three Mariners Who Inspire Hope for the Second Half

You wouldn’t know that the AL MVP plays for the Mariners by some of the national coverage Cano got, but it’s nice to see Seattle represented well with its two All Stars this season