Share this Story: Blue Jays' J.A. Happ gets save in homer-happy MLB all-star game Blue Jays' J.A. Happ gets save in homer-happy MLB all-star game Article content WASHINGTON, D.C. – As ball after ball soared over him and to his left and right in the centre field bullpen, J.A. Happ had a strange feeling that there would be a wild ending to his first all-star game. And the Blue Jays left-hander had this hunch that somehow he would be involved as a central character. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Blue Jays' J.A. Happ gets save in homer-happy MLB all-star game Back to video Indeed he was. In a Midsummer Classic that set a record with 10 combined home runs, the big, personable Happ got the first save of his professional career as the American League prevailed 8-6 over the National League in 10 innings. “You can’t even think these things up, it’s just crazy,” said Happ, who at the end of a wild night in the U.S. capital became the first Jays pitcher to earn a save at an all-star game. “This game is awesome that way. I had a weird feeling all game that I was going to get in.” In 272 @MLB games, J.A. Happ had NEVER recorded a save. That changed in his 1st @AllStarGame!#AllStarGame | #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/flAfLY3BgS — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 18, 2018 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content There was so much that took place at Nationals Park to get to Happ and the 10th inning, especially from the seventh inning onward when 11 of the game’s runs were scored. All but one of the 14 to cross the plate came off of the long ball, a barrage that began with a second-inning solo shot by 2017 Home Run Derby champ Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. Much deeper into the D.C. night it seemed as though the AL squad was going to sneak out with a win in nine innings, and then the Reds Scooter Gennett struck with a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning and the craziness continued. On to extra innings it went. Back-to-back home runs by World Series champion and Houston Astros teammates Alex Bregman and George Springer, plus another run scored on a sac fly later in the top half of the 10th inning, gave the AL an 8-5 lead. Thank you to the Royal Canadian Air Force for a beautiful rendition of our anthem. 🇨🇦#AllStarGame | #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/KDVbPOd6Nl — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 18, 2018 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Running out of arms at that point, AL manager A.J. Hinch went to Happ — his ninth pitcher of the night. And even then the craziness wasn’t done. The very first pitch Happ threw as an all-star was knocked out of the park by none other than Canadian Joey Votto, who has had huge success against the Jays starter in his career. Happ composed himself and got the next three outs to earn the save, his first as a professional and first of any kind since 2002 when he was a freshman at Northwestern University. “That was awesome,” said the 35-year-old Illinois native. “It was nerve-wracking for me out there but it was fun. What a great game.” And what a slugfest. The homer roll went like this: Judge, Mike Trout, Willson Contreras, Trevor Story, Jean Segura, Christian Yelech, Gennett, game MVP Bregman, Springer, and Votto. And at times, it felt like it would never end. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content It was a dizzying display, really, and one reflective of the trends in today’s game where the long ball means so much and home run hitters tend to dominate. “That’s the way it seems to be, just like the regular season, where home runs count for everything,” Happ said. Happer lookin' dapper on the red carpet. 👌😎#AllStarGame| #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/7l1Ao3bZtq — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 17, 2018 Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Six of the homers were of the solo variety, the first time that has happened in the all-star game. The Bregman-Springer back-to-backs were the first by teammates since Steve Garvey and Jimmy Wynn of the Dodgers did so in 1975. The ending wasn’t necessarily the way that anyone had drawn it up, and there was a deflating feeling for Hinch when his team gave up the tying runs in the ninth to force extras. With that, however, came the opportunity for Hinch to give a veteran pitcher a chance for a moment he’ll never forget, making Happ a worthy sidebar to the homer-happy batters that had so much success throughout the night. “It didn’t make me happy we were going into extra innings,” Hinch said afterwards. “But I was thrilled for a veteran like J.A. Happ, who has waited a long time for this stage. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “To get into the game is one thing, but to get the last out was pretty meaningful for him.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or HAPP GETS RESPECT If Happ was nervous about his first trip to the MLB all star game, Justin Verlander and some of his World Series champion Houston Astros teammates eased some of that on Tuesday. A handful of Astros were chatting with the Blue Jays starter and applauded him for being a trend-setter in the game. Specifically, Verlander and company were impressed with Happ’s mastery of the high fastball, a growing trend in the game today. “They were like ‘you were ahead of the curve with the fastball in the top of the zone stuff,’ ” Happ said. “I wish that was something that I maybe would have recognized earlier in my career that it was a strength of mine. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “Instead, I spent years fighting that at times and now I’m trying to use it more as a weapon. There is a trend that way in baseball as far as I’m concerned. It’s fun to have confidence in it instead of trying to fight it.” Happ spent most of the night stapled to the bench in the AL bullpen but started warming in the ninth to come in for the successful save opportunity. EXPANDED HORIZONS It gets tiring at times, the inevitable questions regarding potential future expansion whenever MLB commissioner Rob Manfred speaks publicly. But there was certainly reason to take notice on Tuesday when Manfred said he favoured eight four-team divisions. “Once (stadium issues in Tampa and Oakland) are resolved, I would love to get to 32 teams,” Manfred said. “There are a number of cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States that want Major League Baseball. That’s great for our sport.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Manfred went a step further citing both Montreal “and maybe someplace else in Canada.” Before getting too excited — we see you Montreal — note that in various interviews as Manfred made the rounds on Tuesday he talked about Nashville, Portland and Las Vegas all being possibilities for expansion. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or COMMISH ON OSUNA When asked about Jays closer Roberto Osuna returning to the team before his court case regarding charges he assaulted a woman in Toronto back in May is settled, Manfred stood by the league’s domestic violence policy. Considering the policy was formed jointly with the players association and Osuna agreed to waive the right to appeal, this is no surprise. “We negotiated a domestic violence policy that has proved to be extraordinarily effective across a wide variety of circumstances,” Manfred at the annual BBWA luncheon. “If the application of that policy results in Roberto coming back to work after a very long suspension while there are still unresolved criminal proceedings, I can live with that because that’s the policy we negotiated.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Jays general manager Ross Atkins said recently that the team will welcome Osuna back as its closer when his 75-game suspension ends on Aug. 4. In fact, the 23-year-old native of Mexico is already active in a rehab assignment pitching one scoreless inning on Tuesday morning in the Dunedin Blue Jays 4-0 win over the Florida Fire Frogs. Osuna has been out of action since he was charged by police on May 9. AROUND THE BASES With speculation that he is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers as early as tomorrow, Orioles star Manny Machado did nothing to dispel the rumours when he left Nationals Park in the seventh inning without talking to the media … Tuesday’s game was the fifth time the Midsummer Classic was played in Washington but the first since 1969 when it was contested at RFK Stadium … After the first 88 editions of the all star game, the all-time record was knotted at 43-43-2 … The AL entered this year’s 89th edition on a five-game winning streak …This is the third game-tying home run in the ninth inning or later in ASG history, along with Ralph Kiner in 1950 and Fred McGriff in 1994. rlongley@postmedia.com Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Toronto Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of The Toronto Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>WASHINGTON -- Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ is a stranger to the All-Star Game. He was selected to the All-Star Game this season for the first time in his 12-year big league career. Happ is not, however, a stranger to trade rumors. Toronto is expected to unload the veteran southpaw at the trade deadline because he is an impending free agent, and losing him for nothing after the season is a non-option. Happ is a trade chip the Blue Jays will cash in. "That will all take care of itself," said Happ on Monday. "I just worry about the day-to-day and every five days go out there and do what I can do." J.A. Happ is new to the All-Star Game but no stranger to trade rumors. USATSI Truth be told, Happ does not have All-Star numbers. A brutal five-start stretch to close out the first half -- Happ has allowed 25 runs in 26 1/3 innings in those five starts -- sent him into the All-Star break with a 4.29 ERA (98 ERA+) in 109 innings. Despite that, pitching is always in demand at the trade deadline, and Happ's track record is strong enough that the Blue Jays still figure to receive a quality prospect in return. The Yankees, Brewers, Phillies, and Mariners are all said to be in the mix. When he's traded -- and it really is "when" at this point, not "if" -- it will be the fourth time Happ has been moved at the deadline in his career. His three prior trade deadline trades: Being traded at the deadline three prior times doesn't make the impending fourth deadline deal any easier, of course. Having to relocate and move your family on the fly is never easy. "There's a little anxiety that comes with that," said Happ. "We've got a couple more weeks to go and we'll see where it ends up."<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: J.A. Happ #33 of the Toronto Blue Jays and the American League pitches in the tenth inning against the National League during the 89th MLB All-Star Game, presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park on July 17, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson and Vlad Guerrero Jr can, and might co-exist next season Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson and Vlad Guerrero Jr can, and might co-exist next season by Chris Henderson Toronto Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ was relegated to the bullpen as the extra-inning reinforcement in the event of an All-Star Game tie by manager A.J. Hinch at the start of the mid-summer classic. The move paid off as J.A. Happ earned his first professional save working the 10th inning and securing an 8-6 victory for the American League squad. The All-Star was a back and forth affair that saw the two teams combine for a record ten home runs in the contest. The game was sent to extras after a pinch-hit 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning from Scooter Gennett off Mariners closer Edwin Diaz. The AL contingent would put up a three-spot in the top of the tenth capped by back-to-back homers from teammates Alex Bregman and George Springer. Happ would enter the game in the bottom of the tenth with an 8-5 cushion. Bregman would later be awarded the MVP award for his efforts during the contest. The southpaws first pitch was a get me over strike and it was slugged over the right-field fence by Canadian Joey Votto. Happ would settle in and retire Christian Yelich via the strikeout for the first out in the inning. Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon would ground out weakly to first base before Lorenzo Cain would fly out to right field to end the game and earn Happ the save. In 272 MLB games, the 35-year old veteran has never recorded a save even though he has 25 career relief appearances under his belt. Happ has been the subject of constant trade rumors as he is poised to test free agency at the conclusion of the season and the Jays are on the cusp of a rebuild. This marked Happ’s first All-Star game appearance in his 12-year career and he was the lone Blue Jays representative for the 2018 Classic. You could not ask for much more in an All-Star Game as the slugfest was one of the more entertaining games in recent memory with the good guys coming out on top once again.