Watch Brock Holt steal his big moment in the 2015 All-Star Game
When Angels outfielder Mike Trout retires, there will be a short list of players that have been his pinch runner.
Add Red Sox utilityman Brock Holt.
During the American League’s 6-3 victory in the 2015 All-Star Game on Tuesday, the Red Sox’s lone representative was tasked with filling in for the Angels’ speedster in the seventh inning. He didn’t disappoint.
With Manny Machado at-bat, Holt stole second base and then scored on a double to center field. The savvy baserunning gave the AL a 4-2 lead.
“I wasn’t planning on stealing the base,’’ Holt told the Sox’s website following the win. “I knew [Francisco Rodriguez] was probably going to go breaking balls in the dirt. I missed one dirt ball right before, so I wanted to be ready for the next one. And Yadi picked it, and luckily I was able to get in there.’’
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Holt took over in left field following the steal. In the ninth, he had an at-bat against Reds flamethrower Aroldis Chapman, who threw a dozen 100-plus mph pitches over the course of the night. Holt, who enters the second half of the season hitting .292 with a team-leading .372 OBP over 71 games, struck out swinging.
“As soon as I made the team, I kind of figured I would face Chapman, and I was trying to get mentally prepared for that about a week ago. But [that] still didn’t help me out,’’ Holt said. “I knew I’d probably get an at-bat late and he’d probably be throwing late. [It’s] just one of those things. He’s not fun to face, but you want to face the best, and he’s one of them. It was fun.’’
Forgotten Red Sox All-Stars
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