MIAMI (AP) – The new All-Star Game rules were picture-perfect for Nelson Cruz.
Yadier Molina didn’t mind them, either.
And come Game 1 of the World Series in October, no one will be harkening back to how a play here or there at the Midsummer Classic might have ultimately played a role in deciding baseball’s champion for 2017.
World Series home-field advantage is now decided by winning percentage and no longer by the result of the All-Star Game – and not coincidentally there were no shortage of hijinks at Marlins Park on Tuesday night. Cruz got a photo with plate umpire Joe West before an at-bat, Molina was high-fiving opponents after a home run and someone stuck a used piece of chewing gum on the hat of unsuspecting American League manager Brad Mills.
“I tried to do it in 2013 but I couldn’t do it,” said Cruz, who planned the stunt pregame. “This time, if I had to take a picture with someone it was Joe West. He’s the legend.”