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Padres Press Clips Tuesday, July 12, 2016 Article Source Author Page Myers tabbed for first All-Star start MLB.com Collazo 2 Myers’ 10 homers not enough in Derby MLB.com Cassavell 4 Hoffman enjoying All-Star moments in S.D. MLB.com Bloom 6 It’s All-Star Game Day San Diego Padres.com Center 8 Pitchers sharp in Padres system Monday Padres.com Center 10 Myers ready to hang with baseball’s biggest stars? UT San Diego Miller 12 This All-Star game infused with San Diego flavor UT San Diego Acee 15 Wil Myers’ brother plunks him during Home Run Derby UT San Diego Crader 19 Pomeranz seized opportunity, became All-Star UT San Diego Lin 20 Former Padres closer Fernando Rodney returns UT San Diego Sanders 24 Padres’ Myers named All-Star starter UT San Diego Posner 26 Wil Myers earns All-Star start NBC San Diego Togerson 28 Home Run Derby is a family affair for Wil Myers Baseball America Glaser 30 Padres will feel at home even though NL is visiting team Associated Press AP 32 2016 MLB All-Star Game: Two Padres get to stay home for experience CBS Sports Snyder 34

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Myers tabbed for first All-Star start NL manager Terry Collins calls Padres 1B 'deserving'

By Carlos Collazo / MLB.com | 1:17 AM ET

SAN DIEGO -- Wil Myers can add "starter" to an All-Star resume that includes ambassador and T-

Mobile Home Run Derby participant after National League manager Terry Collins announced Monday

that Myers would start as the team's designated hitter and bat fourth in today's All-Star Game

presented by MasterCard.

Myers -- who will be joined by teammate Drew Pomeranz on the All-Star team -- becomes just the

second Padre player to hit cleanup in the Midsummer Classic, along with Fred McGriff, who did so

during the 1992 All-Star Game, which also took place in San Diego.

"I'm very excited about that opportunity," Myers said. "I'm very excited to be introduced into the starting

lineup in front of the home crowd. It's going to be a cool moment for me, and it's going to be a cool

moment for San Diego."

Myers will have his named called soon after 4:30 p.m. PT today, when All-Star Game coverage begins on

FOX.

Myers cemented his spot in the All-Star Game after hitting .319 with a 1.089 OPS in 36 games since the

start of June 1. His 3.5 WAR (according to FanGraphs) during the first half of the season is tied

with Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs for the best mark in the Majors by a first baseman.

"Wil's a deserving guy," Collins said. "He's had a tremendous first half, and we're excited that he gets to

start this game in front of his hometown."

The 25-year-old said he found out he would be starting when he checked Twitter in one of the few

minutes of downtime he's had since waking up Monday.

"It's been nonstop since 7:40 this morning, but I'm enjoying it I'm trying to soak it all in, take it all in,"

Myers said. "Obviously, it gets tiring a little bit, but this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,

so I just want to enjoy every bit of it ...

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"Just being here, coming back from the injuries and being able to be here my first, really, full season in

the big leagues is a big deal to me. Very proud of myself for being able to overcome those, I've had a lot

of people help me. I couldn't be here without those people."

Myers will be able to go through the first-year All-Star experience along with Pomeranz, who is

replacing Noah Syndergaard of the Mets (arm fatigue). Pomeranz will also be making his first All-Star

Game.

Pomeranz posted a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts while striking out 115 batters and holding opponents to a .184

batting average -- the third-best mark in the Majors.

"[Padres manager Andy Green] really just gave me a chance," Pomeranz said of his breakout season. "A

chance to prove myself and leave me in some of those situations normally you get pulled out of, and I

think those are the things that make you a better pitcher."

With the late notice of making the National League roster, Pomeranz was forced to cancel some otherwise

important plans over the break.

"My fiancé and I were supposed to go to Hawaii to plan our wedding, but ... whatever," he said, laughing.

"It was a good excuse."

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Myers' 10 homers not enough in Derby Padres first baseman falls to Reds' Adam Duvall in first round

By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- The hometown hero exited the T-Mobile Home Run Derby rather unceremoniously

Monday night. But Wil Myers left with a night he and his family will be talking about for years to come.

The Padres' 25-year-old first baseman launched 10 home runs in the first round of baseball's annual

slugfest. But he was outdone by Cincinnati's Adam Duvall, who hit 11. Giancarlo Stanton would later

steal the show with a record 61 home runs over three rounds en route to his first Derby title.

Of course, Myers had stressed all along that he'd simply try to enjoy the moment, regardless of the result.

His brother, Beau, was on the mound pitching to him, and his parents, Pam and Eric, flew in Monday

morning and watched the Derby from behind home plate.

"It could be a once-in-a lifetime opportunity for me, just being in the Home Run Derby and starting an

All-Star Game," Myers said earlier in the day. "I'm just going to soak up every minute of it. I'm not going

to take any of it for granted. I'm going to enjoy every second."

Halfway through the first round, Beau gave Wil a moment the two will most likely laughing about

for years. Shortly after Wil had launched a pair of home runs on his first two swings, Beau came

high and tight -- plunking Wil on his left arm. Wil shrugged it off with a laugh and kept swinging

for the fences.

"He laughed about it, I laughed about it. ... [I] honestly thought it was kind of funny," Myers said.

"I'm honestly glad it happened. That was great. A memory we'll never forget."

Myers was introduced to a raucous ovation at Petco Park, and the roar only grew louder when

his first two hacks left the yard.

But Myers couldn't quite develop a rhythm after that. The hang time on a number of his outs

proved costly, as he only took 19 hacks in his four minutes. (Batters are not allowed to take their

next cut until the previous baseball lands.)

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"I didn't hit as many as I'd like to, but my brother and I had a perfect time," Myers said. "…

Honestly, I thought it was a perfect way to do it. I was not mad at all that I got out in the first

round."

Myers' longest big fly traveled 431 feet -- meaning he wouldn't receive the bonus of 30 seconds

for hitting two blasts farther than 440.

Still, seeing Beau and Wil take center stage at one of baseball's signature events was a proud

moment for the Myers parents.

"I don't know that I really grasp the big-ness of it," Pam Myers said before the Derby began.

"When we look at them, we still just see Wil and Beau -- not Wil, the All-Star. ... [Baseball] was

just something that, at a young age, Wil really got into it. We could see he had some talent, and

Beau just kind of followed along with it."

Myers was eliminated when Duvall's 11th blast landed in the left-field seats. But he'll get another

chance to represent the host city in tonight's All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at 4:30

p.m. PT on Fox.

Myers -- who is joined on the National League team by Padres left-hander Drew Pomeranz -- will

start as the designated hitter. He'll bat fourth, making him the first Padre to start an All-Star

Game in the cleanup spot since Fred McGriff did so in 1992, the last time San Diego played

host.

"I'm very excited about that opportunity," Myers said. "I'm very excited to be introduced into the

starting lineup in front of the home crowd. It's going to be a cool moment for me, and it's going to

be a cool moment for San Diego."

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Hoffman enjoying All-Star moments in S.D. By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- Trevor Hoffman never played in an All-Star Game here. The top closer in National

League history, with 601 saves -- 552 of them for San Diego -- was named to eight NL squads, but in

1992, the last time the event was held in what was then called Jack Murphy Stadium, Hoffman was still

about a year away from joining the Padres.

That was Tony Gwynn's All-Star Game. The eight-time NL batting champ, who passed away just two

years ago, was one of five Padres representatives.

But Hoffman has been all over the 87th edition of the All-Star Game, presented by MasterCard, at 5 p.m.

PT on Tuesday, with coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. Along with Hall of Famer Dave Winfield

and current San Diego first baseman Wil Myers, Hoffman has been an All-Star ambassador, representing

the Padres around town at various events. Myers and left-hander Drew Pomeranz are representing the

club in the game.

On Sunday, Hoffman managed the U.S. Team in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game against

counterpart Moises Alou on the World side.

"I've been pretty busy," Hoffman told MLB.com in an exclusive interview before Sunday's festivities.

"Not just because of the basic commitments to FanFest, but things going on around the ballpark.

"The one thing I will take away from all this is just walking around town, there is such an energy again

here in San Diego. I don't think everyone really understood the magnitude that this stage really is."

After pitching nearly 16 of his 18 big league seasons for the Padres, Hoffman is a senior advisor in

baseball operations for the club under general manager A.J. Preller. His job is to coordinate the pitching

from the top of the organization down.

Hoffman's No. 51 is retired, and he's one of 11 members in the newly opened Padres Hall of Fame beyond

the ballpark's left-field corner. At the end of this year, he'll be on the National Baseball Hall of Fame

ballot for the second time. Hoffman is on the cusp, having missed by just 34 votes (67.3 percent) this past

year, but he isn't taking anything for granted.

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"It's a totally different process now. They eliminated a lot of voters," said Hoffman, noting that the

electorate had been trimmed to 440 voters from 549 in 2015. "You just never know how that's going to

play into it. I don't know if it's easier or harder to get in."

Hoffman, who never started a game, would be only the second pure reliever elected to the Hall, following

Bruce Sutter, who in 12 seasons saved 300 games without a start. Even Mariano Rivera, who's eligible in

2019, started 10 games for the Yankees during the 1995 season. Rivera has the regular-season saves

record, with 652, and made it clear earlier this year how he feels about the man he passed to set the all-

time mark.

"Everything has its time," Rivera said. "It's his time. I think he has to be there. He held the record for so

many years and did a tremendous job and did it with quality and dignity and respect for the game. That's

what you think when you see a guy like that, a guy who always tried to bring the best to his team. To do it

the way he did every day, day in and day out, he has my vote."

Hoffman broke Lee Smith's record of 478 saves on Sept. 24, 2006, against the Pirates right here at Petco

Park.

But Hoffman had never managed a game until Sunday. To that end, he said he relied heavily on bench

coach and former teammate Mark Loretta, first-base coach Fred McGriff, pitching coach Mark Prior,

third-base coach Garry Templeton, hitting coach Jim Thome and bullpen coach Kirk Champion.

That's a lot of talent.

But Hoffman did give the pregame clubhouse speech, and as an inspirational speaker, he's one of the best.

"I didn't know many of these kids," he said. "The one thing I wanted to impact on them was that they're

close to touching the big leagues. This is going to be very similar to what Tuesday's game is going to feel

like. You guys are really the next wave.

"You've developed over a time where the pyramid gets tighter and tighter the higher in the Minors you go.

The percentage of all those guys making the big leagues is actually pretty good. So pay attention to how

you treat people. Enjoy the process. Respect the fact that you came from the hometowns you did. A lot of

friends and family helped you get here. But go out and enjoy the moment."

Hoffman is certainly enjoying his.

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It's All-Star Game Day San Diego Follow players to Petco Park and 87th All-Star Game

By Bill Center / San Diego Padres

Tuesday is the day Padres fans have been awaiting for years.

The 87th All-Star Game is here. The game itself will start after ceremonies begin at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at

Petco Park.

But there is much more to Game Day than the Midsummer Classic itself.

Again, downtown San Diego will be alive throughout the game, and well after it in the Gaslamp Quarter -

- as was the case Monday night following the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, which was dominated by

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

One of the key events of the All-Star Game has become the All-Star Red Carpet Parade

presented by Chevrolet. The San Diego edition starts at noon Tuesday and will take the players

from the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel to Petco Park.

Here's the 14-block route, starting with the departure point.

From the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the parade will travel two blocks on Market Street before

turning right on Union. After one block on Union, the parade will turn left on Island for six blocks.

From there, it will turn right onto Fifth Avenue for two blocks, before turning left on K Street for

the final approach into Petco Park.

American League players will start arriving at Petco Park at 12:20 p.m. with the first of wave of

National League players arriving 20 minutes later.

Gates at Petco Park will open to the ticket-holding public at 1:30 p.m. The AL will take batting

practice from 1:30 p.m. to 2:25. Team photos for both teams will follow with the NL taking

batting practice from 2:55 p.m. to 3:50.

Those events will be followed by the 87th All-Star Game.

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But, again, there is more happening around the All-Star Game.

FanFest will be open for its final day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Convention Center, while the

All-Star Youth Classic and the MLB All-Star Week Pepsi Block Party continue.

The list of players involved in autograph sessions and photo opportunities today include Padres

first baseman Wil Myers, former Padres Ryan Klesko, Gaylord Perry, Rollie Fingers, Terry

Kennedy, Kevin Mitchell, Jesse Orosco and original Padres All-Star Chris Cannizzaro, plus

former Major Leaguers Tony Oliva and Orlando Cepeda.

FanFest tickets are discounted today at $30 for adults and $25 for senior citizens and kids 2-12.

FanFest features interactive exhibits -- skill areas for running, throwing and hitting -- as well as

displays from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Negro Leagues

Hall of Fame in Kansas City. The history of the San Diego Padres is also chronicled.

The MLB All-Star Week Block Party opens on J Street at noon and runs through 6 p.m.

The final rounds of youth baseball and softball games start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. at

Robb Field in Ocean Beach and at Play Ball Park in front of the Hilton Bayfront Hotel.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, officials of Major League Baseball and the Padres will dedicate the opening

of a new 7,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art career academy at the Monarch School on Newton

Avenue. Opened in 1988 as a one-room education center, the Monarch School has grown into a

K-12 school serving 450 San Diego students annually affected by homelessness.

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Pitchers sharp in Padres system Monday Urias stars in return to Single-A Lake Elsinore

By Bill Center / San Diego Padres

Right-hander Brett Kennedy and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout for high Single-A Lake Elsinore Monday night,

and three other starting pitchers in the Padres' system had strong outings.

Kennedy, 21, the Padres' 11th-round pick in the 2015 draft, allowed four hits with nine strikeouts over seven scoreless innings

to improve to 3-6 and lower his ERA to 3.77 as the Storm scored a 5-0 win at Modesto. Kennedy didn't issue a walk.

Right-hander Phil Maton (0.55 ERA) followed Kennedy and had a strikeout in a perfect eighth. Right-hander Gerardo

Reyes (0.00) allowed a hit with a strikeout in the ninth to complete the shutout.

Catcher A.J. Kennedy led the Lake Elsinore (42-47 overall, 10-9 in the second half) offense with two doubles in four at-bats

with a RBI and two runs scored.

Second baseman Luis Urias, 19, returned to Lake Elsinore after spending three games with Triple-A El Paso, where he was 4-

for-9 with a home run, and went 1-for-3 with two walks and a RBI to raise his batting average to .324.

First baseman Ricardo Valenzuela (.275) had a two-run double in three at-bats and scored a run. Right fielder Franmil Reyes

(.243) was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. Designated hitter Ty France (.313) was 1-for-2 with a run scored. France

was also hit by two pitches.

Right-hander Jake Nix, 20, the Padres' third-round pick in 2015, allowed one run on five hits with four strikeouts in five

innings for low Single-A Fort Wayne. He has a 4.18 ERA.

Right-hander Dauris Valdez (4.84 ERA), allowed two hits with eight strikeouts and no walks over six scoreless innings for the

Dominican Summer League Padres. Left-hander Joseph Lucchesi, the Padres' fourth-round pick in June, allowed a hit with two

strikeouts and no walks over three scoreless innings for short-season Single-A Tri-City.

Meanwhile, three Double-A relievers -- Kyle McGrath, Adam Cimber and Rafael DePaula -- all worked two hitless innings in

a 12-inning Missions win.

In addition to Urias returning to Lake Elsinore, the Padres returned left fielder Nick Torres to Double-A San Antonio Monday.

Both Torres and Urias were with El Paso as replacements for outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot and second

baseman Carlos Asuaje, who were in San Diego Sunday playing in the Futures Game at Petco Park.

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AROUND THE FARM:

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (53-37): The Pacific Coast League is off for its All-Star break.

DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (8-10, 30-58) - Missions 8, Springfield 3 (12 innings): 1B Taylor Lindsey (.219) was 2-for-5

with a double and a homer for four RBIs and two runs scored. SSJose Rondon (.284) was 3-for-7 with two doubles and two

runs scored. CF Franchy Cordero (.352) was 3-for-7 with a stolen base and a RBI. 2B Nelson Ward (.232) was 2-for-7.

Starting RHP Seth Simmons (3.21 ERA) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk with a strikeout over six innings. LHP

McGrath (1.24) struck out three in two perfect innings. RHP Cimber (1.98) issued a walk with a strikeout in his two hitless

innings. RHP De Paula (4-2, 2.52) also had three strikeouts in two perfect innings to get the win.

LOW SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (8-11, 44-45) - TinCaps 4, WEST MICHIGAN 3 (13 innings): 1B Brad Zunica (.256) hit

his 10th homer in the top of the 13th to give Fort Wayne the win. Zunica was 1-for-6 with two RBIs. C Austin Allen (.303) was

3-for-3 with his seventh homer and a walk. 2B Peter Van Gansen (.225) was 4-for-5. LF Jose Carlos Urena (.174) homered in

six at-bats. RHP Blake Rogers (4.61) followed Nix and allowed a run on three hits and a walk with a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.

LHP Nathan Foriest (4.24) allowed a run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings. RHP Nick Monroe (3-2,

5.40) allowed four hits and a walk with two strikeouts over three scoreless innings to get the win. RHP Louis Distacio (4.15)

allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to get his second save.

SHORT SEASON SINGLE-A TRI-CITY (14-11) - Dust Devils 4, VANCOUVER 1: 2B Nate Easley (.278) was 1-for-2

with two walks, a RBI and two runs scored. CF Aldemar Burgos (.186) was 1-for-3 with a run scored. C Kyle Overstreet (.225)

had a double in three at-bats with a walk. RHP Evan Miller (1-0, 0.00 ERA) followed Lucchesi and allowed a hit with three

strikeouts in two innings. RHP Chasen Ford (3.24) allowed two hits and a walk with a strikeout in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. RHP

Mark Zimmerman (1.50) had four strikeouts in 1 2/3 perfect innings. RHP Will Stillman (1.04) allowed a run on a hit and three

walks in two-thirds of an inning. RHP David Bednar (0.00) struck out the only hitter he faced for his second save.

ARIZONA ROOKIE PADRES (9-8) - The Arizona Padres were off Monday.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE PADRES (12-19) - Padres 2, White Sox 1: LF Danny Tovar (.244) was 2-for-3 with a

RBI. 2B Luis Guzman (.262) was 2-for-3 with a steal and a run scored. CF Edward Burgos (.389) was 2-for-4 with a run

scored. LHP Adolfo Hernandez (1.93 ERA) followed Valdez and allowed a run on two hits and a walk with a strikeout in an

inning. RHP Oliber Guzman (2-0, 4.15) had a strikeout in two perfect innings to get the win.

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Myers ready to hang with baseball's biggest stars? Padres All-Star laughs off brotherly plunking in Derby as spotlight tightens on soaring talent By Bryce Miller | 8:49 p.m. July 11, 2016

What sort of unearthly, too-much-to-consider rush must be rocketing through the

brain and adrenaline-soaked bloodstream of Wil Myers?

How do you process being a first-time All-Star … a newly-named starter … hitting

cleanup at the heart of the National League lineup … a day after putting the word

“home” in Home Run Derby?

How do you ponder all it if you’re from Thomasville, N.C., a cozy town of 27,000 with

an online community calendar scrolling notices for advanced line dancing classes at

the exact moment you mug for millions on ESPN?

Myers is a guy who looks like he’s lost his comb, chews gum as if the two harbor an

old grudge and learns he’s the designated hitter for one of the best lineups in baseball

— not Bryce Harper, not Anthony Rizzo, him — on Twitter.

“It’s not overload,” Myers said. “This is an experience that could be my last. It could

be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, just being in the Home Run Derby and

starting in an All-Star Game. So I’m just going to soak up every minute of it.

“I’m not going to take any of it for granted.”

Part of all this crazy, unpredictable, avalanche of events was kind enough to offer

some warning and let Myers prepare. He knew he’d be in the Derby, whacking away at

pitches from his 19-year-old brother, Beau.

The Petco Park crowd roared when the day-job first baseman deposited the first pitch

into the center field bullpen. They boomed when he hammered the second pitch into

the left field seats. The groaned, part surprise and part smile, when Beau parked a

throw on his shoulder.

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Hit-by-pitch totals for Myers this season: Family, 1. Major League pitchers, 0.

“He laughed about it, I laughed about it,” Myers said. “I honestly thought it was kind

of funny. I’m honestly glad it happened. That was great. A memory we’ll never forget.”

Myers fell in the first round to Cincinnati’s Adam Duvall, 11-10. No matter. It’s a

coming-out-party audition for Myers, a mid-market story tucked in the southwest

corner of the country and the bottom of the N.L. West standings.

He’s a 25-year-old who shook off questions about an injured wrist in the spring and

sprayed baseball’s better than anyone in the game by June. He’s a sweet-swinging,

refreshing blast of air along the California coast.

“Once he got his hand healthy, it’s just completely changed for him,” said MLB

Network’s Peter Gammons. “People underestimate how important hand and wrist

injuries can be. He had two years where he was injured, so they never saw what they

thought they saw in the minor leagues.”

How good can Myers be? Next-level good?

“Absolutely,” Gammons said. “He can be a 35 home-run hitter, no question.”

Come to think of it, there is a way to quantify the haze of things swirling around

Myers.

A Padres spokesperson said the FanFest at the neighboring convention center ran out

of “4’s” and “E’s” — as in his number and part of his name — at the station

personalizing Home Run Derby jerseys. On Saturday.

This weekend, Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard crashed at Myers’ downtown pad.

Myers became the fifth Padres player to compete in a Derby, joining names like

Garvey, McGriff, Sheffield and Adrian Gonzalez. Heck, even the winningest pitcher in

baseball digs his understated style.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for guys who don’t wear batting gloves,” said Chris Sale, the

14-game winner for the White Sox and Tuesday’s A.L. starter. “I enjoy watching guys

who have old-school mentalities and play the old, gritty way.

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“I don’t think this will be his last run at a Home Run Derby or an All-Star Game.”

Myers even carved out time to re-ignite one of those 20-minute Internet dust-ups

during a press conference, explaining his East Coast palate still prefers the Mexican

food of home. My initial thought: How’d he fit it into the schedule?

Home-town feathers, we learn, ruffle far too easily sometimes. Everyone should worry

a little more — wait, a whole lot more — about what’s he doing on the field with a

Padres jersey on his back.

Right now, Myers is doing a bit of everything. He’s in baseball’s top 20 in RBI (60,

15th) and homers (19, T-9th), while sitting in a logjam for ninth in steals (15). His

next error at first base, his new full-time position, will be his first.

Points to Mets Manager Terry Collins for deciding to start Myers in an All-Star Game

along the Padres portion of the Pacific. These games only come around every 24 years

or so, after all.

“It decides Game 7 of the World Series,” Myers said after Monday’s Derby, “so you

can’t take it lightly.”

Collins offered that more factored into the decision, though.

“Wil’s a deserving guy. He’s had a tremendous first half,” said Collins, explaining that

coaches considered two others before picking Myers as DH. “… One of the things, he’s

used to playing there, more than anybody else.

“We thought with his ability to drive in some runs, if we get some guys on we think

he’s capable of putting runs on the board for us. And against Chris (Sale) it’s no fun

task. So we just thought Wil might be the guy.”

These days, more and more people are saying exactly the same thing.

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This All-Star game infused with San Diego flavor Total of 10 players in Tuesday’s game have ties to Padres, local high schools, colleges By Kevin Acee | 6:16 p.m. July 11, 2016 | Updated, 6:16 p.m.

What a San Diego All-Star game.

Only because we grow baseball players like we have sunny days and ocean waves are

we spoiled enough to be left wincing over how close we were to this Midsummer

Classic in our town being even more about the players from our town.

The only way this could have been more perfect – besides Tony Gwynn being here to

be de facto mayor for these couple days – would have been for Stephen Strasburg to

have not been on the shelf in June and Cole Hamels to have had a better July.

The Washington Nationals wanted to protect Strasburg, whose 12-0 record is the best

start to a season by a National League pitcher in 104 years but who is also just two

starts removed from the disabled list, so he is not participating. And Hamels’ ERA was

greatly inflated by the 10 runs he allowed in his past two starts. Otherwise, we

might’ve had two local high school products as the game’s starting pitchers.

It’s the All-Star game’s first time at Petco Park and first time in San Diego in 24 years.

But the All-Star game – almost any one of them in recent memory, for sure – wouldn’t

have been as bright without our town.

You don’t have to go back to Hoover High’s Ted Williams, but you can. You don’t have

to bring Gwynn into the conversation, even if it is requisite to pay deference to Mr.

Padre when talking baseball in these parts.

Fact is, there has not been an All-Star game played since 2005 in which at least one

alumnus of a San Diego high school was not a participant.

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Adam Jones (Morse), Adrian Gonzalez (Eastlake), Hamels (Rancho Bernardo) and

Strasburg (West Hills) of late. Barry Zito (USDHS) and Troy Glaus (Carlsbad) before

them.

And that’s just since ‘05. Reaching back just a little further to consider San Diego All-

Stars in this millennium we can claim Rancho Bernardo’s Hank Blalock, Christian’s

Tony Clark, Granite Hills’ Brian Giles, USD High’s Mark Prior and Point Loma’s

David Wells.

“If you’re getting the right type of coaching and you’re playing year-round, you’re

going to get better,” said Hamels, who is an All-Star for the fourth time. “It’s just kind

of that hotbed of being available to play year-round. When you have that access,

you’re going to get better. And when you go up against best, you’re going to get better.

Excellence breeds excellence.”

Strasburg also played at San Diego State, so he joins the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant,

who played at the University of San Diego, as former local collegians here this week.

Add in current Padres Wil Myers and Drew Pomeranz, former Padres Brad Brach,

Craig Kimbrel, Anthony Rizzo and Fernando Rodney plus former Padre minor-leaguer

Corey Kluber, and it’s difficult to imagine too many All-Star games that have had a

more well-rounded local flavor.

“Really?” a wide-eyed Brach said when informed of the preponderance of local

infusion. “That’s a lot. That’s crazy.”

It’s awesome. And a little sad.

Certainly, this circumstance brings to mind both the overwhelming talent and the lack

of triumph in these parts.

But lamentations about our major-league team having been to the playoffs five times

in 47 seasons and neither of our two Division I programs having been to the College

World Series are well-worn and can be set aside for now. This is a time to celebrate

what we bring to this game.

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That San Diegans have been All-Star staples for so long is almost a natural derivative.

La Costa Canyon’s Mickey Moniak last month became the fifth product of a San Diego

County high school to be the No.1 selection in the amateur draft in the past 17 years.

No other county in the nation has had more than one player go first overall in that

span. The rest of California had a total of three. Georgia had two.

“It is a special area,” said Hamels, who is in his fourth All-Star game. “… The

competition (youth players) always face in San Diego is very similar to minor-league

competition and eventually big-league competition. You know a guy is going to go up

the ranks very quickly because he’s already started at 15-, 16-, 17-years-old.”

Still, we can’t deny that as good as San Diego is at nurturing amateur ballplayers, it

has been negligent with those it acquires as professionals.

That Brach, Kimbrel, Rizzo and Rodney are All-Stars post-Padre doesn’t prove you

must leave San Diego to blossom. But neither does it do anything to refute that

familiar dirge of Padres fans.

The four former Padres here as members of other teams is surpassed only by the

seven former Oakland A’s, five former Boston Red Sox and five former Tampa Bay

Rays.

That number doesn’t include Kluber, a member of the Padres Double-A team when he

was sent to Cleveland as part of the three-team trade that brought Ryan Ludwick to

the Padres at the trade deadline in 2010. Kluber won 18 games and the American

League Cy Young award in 2014. Ludwick batted .228 in the 160 games he played for

the Padres.

Brach learned how to be a pro here before being traded in 2013. He has flourished as

an Oriole.

“I played my first five or six years here,” he said. “Maybe the same eyes didn’t see

things. … It’s having new eyes on you.”

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Kimbrel, who instead of coming to San Diego underwent knee surgery on Monday,

was part of the Padres’ rent-a-contender foray last season. He brought in a haul of

prospects over the winter via trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Rodney was a 2016 experiment that paid off when the Padres got one of the Miami

Marlins’ top pitching prospects in a trade last month.

Then there is Rizzo. Even if Andrew Cashner ever becomes what we briefly thought he

would – and that appears unlikely – the 2012 swap that sent Rizzo to the Chicago

Cubs, for whom he is playing in his third All-Star game, will be forever bemoaned by

Padres fans.

Rizzo joked with Bryant as they rode from the airport here on Sunday that he might

still call San Diego home if he’d hit better in his short time here.

“Obviously, I didn’t do as well as I’d like,” Rizzo, who batted .141 (.173 at Petco Park)

with one home run in 153 plate appearances with the Padres in 2011, said Monday.

“But looking back, being where I am now, it couldn’t have worked out any better. …

I’m really happy with where I’m at, and I couldn’t be any more thankful.”

For a night, for this game in this place with these players, we can be happy how it’s

worked out as well.

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Wil Myers' brother plunks him during Home Run Derby The Padres All-Star laughed off the HBP from his 19-year-old brother By Rachel Crader | 6:57 p.m. July 11, 2016

You have to figure 19-year-old Beau Myers was pretty nervous when he stepped onto

the Petco Park field to pitch to his brother during Monday night's MLB Home Run

Derby.

Those nerves resulted in a funny moment when he plunked his big bro during the first

round. Take a look:

Wil Myers still managed to hit 10 homers in the round, but that wasn't enough. He

was eliminated by Cincinnati's Adam Duvall, who hit 11 homers with plenty of time

left to spare. After the event Myers said he was upset about not advancing and call the

beanball "a memory we'll never forget."

"He laughed about it, I laughed about it," Myers said.

Myers will get another chance to impress All-Star crowds at Petco tomorrow when he

bats clean-up for the National League. But, first, more newspaper reading with new

roommate Noah Syndergaard?

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Pomeranz seized opportunity, became All-Star By Dennis Lin | 4:44 p.m. July 11, 2016 | Updated, 8:29 a.m. | July 12, 2016

The son of a college infielder, the brother of a second-round draft selection, Drew

Pomeranz arrived in Peoria, Ariz., this spring absent the notion that anything would

be handed to him. Instead, the seemingly mild-mannered 27-year-old created his own

opportunity.

Pomeranz, whom the Padres acquired from Oakland in December, had spoken on the

phone with Manager Andy Green in the offseason, and at that juncture, Pomeranz's

job description seemed open-ended. In late October, he'd undergone arthroscopic

surgery on his throwing shoulder.

"I was feeling pretty (crummy) from my surgery, and Andy’s like, 'We’ll find a good

spot in the bullpen or starting, whatever you need,'" Pomeranz said, recalling that

initial conversation. "And I just told him, 'Whatever you guys need me to do, I can do

it.'"

Not long after arriving at the Padres' spring-training complex, Pomeranz discovered

the early portion of his Cactus League schedule. He would debut with a one-inning

appearance, rest for a day and then throw another inning. The club, apparently,

intended to carry Pomeranz in the bullpen.

The lefty headed to Green's office.

"I sat down with him and told him how I felt," Pomeranz said. "I said I’d been working

on a third pitch, and everything feels good, my shoulder feels good, and I’d like to

have a chance. ... He said, 'There’s something in you coming in here and asking me to

start.' He’s like, 'I feel like I have to let you start. You’re all in on it.'"

Less than five months later, Pomeranz is a first-time All-Star, an injury replacement

for the New York Mets' Noah Syndergaard. To those who have witnessed his

emergence firsthand, the achievement requires no qualification.

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"He’s earned this," Green said over the weekend. "This isn’t a gift to a hometown

player."

It is Pomeranz who has been an unexpected boon. Unleashed for the first time as a

big-league starter, he has posted a 2.47 ERA and one of the National League's best

strikeout rates. His knuckle curveball, despite a career-high usage rate, has been more

effective than ever, largely thanks to the development of a cutter, the aforementioned

third pitch.

"I always knew I needed to develop a third pitch, but nothing would ever break

through until this offseason," Pomeranz said. "I think that’s really pushed me over the

edge this year.

"I’ve had such a more consistent role, being a starter, and then Andy ran me out there

and let me throw 100-and-whatever pitches. I haven’t been allowed to do that in a

while. Early on in your career, you haven’t really proven yourself, and that’s

understandable. I really hadn’t proven myself. Andy really just gave me a chance to

prove myself and leave me in some of those situations I normally would get pulled out

of."

The Athletics last winter became the third organization to trade Pomeranz. In 2010,

Cleveland drafted him fifth overall out of Ole Miss, where Pomeranz's father, Mike,

earned four letters as an infielder. In 2011, Colorado landed Pomeranz as part of the

return for Ubaldo Jimenez. Pomeranz debuted in the majors the same year, but he

soon found his curveball shackled in Denver's thin air and his pitch count limited to

75 per start.

Pomeranz was shipped to Oakland after the 2013 season. He enjoyed, for him,

unprecedented success as a starter, though he also worked multiple relief jobs. In

hindsight, Pomeranz said, the multi-tasking was beneficial.

"It really just made me prepared for anything," he said. "It kind of helped me

mentally, like saying you can’t put me in a spot I haven’t done. It kind of gives me

more confidence in myself."

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In San Diego, pitching in the role he wanted all along, Pomeranz has thrived. Yet,

after not originally being selected to the NL All-Star team, there was a period of

trepidation. As a few pitchers went down with injuries and were subsequently

replaced, Pomeranz continued to await a verdict.

"I didn’t sleep very well in the nights leading up to it," he said. "Just wanted to hear

anything."

Then, Saturday morning, Green delivered the news to Pomeranz. One phone call

dramatically altered his plans for the All-Star break; instead of flying to Hawaii with

fiancee Carolyn to plan their November wedding, the couple would stay in San Diego.

"It was," Pomeranz said with a smile, "a good excuse."

Whether Pomeranz stays in San Diego much longer remains to be seen. With the

Padres unlikely to contend over the next two seasons, their breakout starter, under

club control through 2018, has played his way into prime trade candidacy.

"Those are the things that you can’t control, if you’re going to get traded or anything

else," Pomeranz said. "All I can focus on is my performance, and that’s going to help

me be successful, no matter where I am.

"I would love to win. I like it here. I would love to win here as well. Just trying to get

better every time out and trying to repeat what I did in the first half in the second

half."

Pomeranz's father and brother, Stuart, St. Louis' second-round pick in 2003, will be at

Petco Park for Tuesday's grand event. If Drew gets in the game, he'll throw the same

knuckle curveball Mike taught him and Stuart about 15 years ago.

"I’ve been around them my whole life and seen how hard they’ve worked," Drew

Pomeranz said. "You can work this hard and sometimes not get recognition for it. It’s

just cool to be recognized and be here and be part of this."

"I was really happy to see him get selected," said Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, a

former teammate. "I know how much he had to do to get to this level. Him and I, we

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have some similar things in our career. I was traded before I found a good place to

play every day and had the opportunity to show your abilities. I think that’s what’s

happening to him."

Reminded of the gumption it must have taken to approach Green that spring day,

Pomeranz offered a casual shrug.

"That’s what you’ve got to do," he said. "You have to go after what you want."

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Former Padres closer Fernando Rodney returns 39-year-old reliever representing Marlins after stellar start to season with Padres By Jeff Sanders | 3:58 p.m. July 11, 2016 | Updated, 4:10 p.m.

As far as the business of baseball goes, Andy Green understood the Padres had to

trade Fernando Rodney. That doesn’t mean the Padres’ rookie skipper would shy away

from a reunion beyond Tuesday’s All-Star Game, whether he becomes a free agent

after this season or the next.

Yes, Rodney turns 40 next spring.

Of course, he doesn’t seem to think that’s an issue, either.

Told of Green’s inclination, Rodney smiled and flexed the right biceps still churning

out 95 mph fastballs in his 14th season as if to confirm that he is indeed still going

strong.

“I’m going to see if that can happen,” a smiling Rodney said Monday afternoon during

the All-Star Game’s Media Day. “I’d be happy to come back. It’s a great city, a great

place to play baseball.”

Rodney spoke while seated at a podium in the Manchester Grand Hyatt, the Marlins’

logo behind him and his new All-Star teammates Jose Fernandez and A.J Ramos

holding their own interview sessions at podiums to his left.

Traded 12 days before the All-Star Game, the 39-year-old Rodney has moved from the

bottom of the NL West to the thick of a wild-card race, from the ninth-inning to a set-

up role ahead of Ramos.

None of this was a complete shock.

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Nevertheless, the trade wasn’t something he was anticipating, nor was it something he

hoped for, he said.

“As soon as I was traded, there was nothing I could do,” Rodney said. “That’s baseball.

That happens sometimes.”

Rodney’s renaissance, however, is hardly run of the mill.

A year removed from being cast out of Seattle as his ERA ballooned to 5.68 with the

Mariners, Rodney signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the one team willing to

give him an opportunity to close games and then turned in 25 1/3 innings before

allowing an earned run.

The Padres – who sent staff to visit with Rodney over the offseason – became

believers long before he got on the roll that landed him in his third All-Star Game.

That still means something to Rodney.

“I think they saw something in me,” said Rodney, who has allowed three runs in his

first six innings with Miami. “They followed me in the Dominican, they saw the

numbers I had put up in the past.”

Which would make it all that more special if Rodney got the opportunity to close one

more time.

To shoot the arrow that he’s retired – for now, as a set-up man – one last time in San

Diego.

Again, for now.

“That would be cool because they gave me the job to be the closer,” Rodney said. “To

come back and prove myself on the mound again, it would be special.”

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Padres' Myers named All-Star starter By Jay Posner | 10:45 a.m. July 11, 2016

The starting lineups were named Monday morning for the All-Star Game, and there

will be a familiar face in the National League lineup.

NL manager Terry Collins of the Mets named Padres slugger Wil Myers as his starting

designated hitter.

"We think he's deserving. He's had a tremendous first half," Collins said at a news

conference at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.

At a separate news conference about 90 minutes later, Myers said: "That's a big deal.

I'm very excited about it. ... Hopefully, I can put on a good show for the home crowd."

The starting pitchers will be Johnny Cueto of the Giants for the National League and

Chris Sale of the White Sox for the American League.

The National League lineup:

2B Ben Zobrist

RF Bryce Harper

3B Kris Bryant

DH Wil Myers

C Buster Posey

1B Anthony Rizzo

CF Marcell Ozuna

LF Carlos Gonzalez

SS Addison Russell

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The American League lineup:

2B Jose Altuve

CF Mike Trout

3B Manny Machado

DH David Ortiz

SS Xander Bogaerts

1B Eric Hosmer

RF Mookie Betts

C Salvador Perez

LF Jackie Bradley Jr.

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Wil Myers Earns All-Star Start Padres 1st baseman in the lineup for the 2016 All-Star Game

By Derek Togerson The magical season for Wil Myers continued on Monday. The Padres 1st baseman found out that not only is he a first-time All-Star in his home ballpark, but he's going to be in the starting lineup, batting 4th as the National League's designated hitter. That must have been a fun conversation to have with Mets Manager Terry Collins, who is the NL skipper and undoubtedly would have called and told Myers about it. Right? “I saw it on Twitter,” said Myers. “I found out on Twitter so I have not had that conversation with him yet.” Welcome to 2016! Myers says he was not actively looking on social media to see what the lineup was going to be. “No, I was just scrolling through Twitter on the two minutes of down time I’ve had and saw it. I’m obviously very excited about it, very honored just to be out there taking the field with the starters.” Collins actually told the media before he told Myers and explained why he put Wil in the starting lineup. Part of it had to do with the fact the game is in San Diego. Another part of it is he had a pretty good idea White Sox lefty Chris Sale would get the start for the American League. "We wanted to get a right-handed bat in the lineup if we could against Sale," said Collins. "Wil has had a tremendous season. I got my staff involved and they came up with three names (to be the DH) and Myers was one of them. He's used to playing [at Petco Park] more than anybody else. We think he's capable of putting runs on the board for us." That strategy would make sense. Myers has hit 19 home runs this season and 13 have come at Petco Park (a fact I’m sure he came across on Twitter). The entire National League starting lineup looks like this: 1) 2B Ben Zobrist, Cubs 2) RF Bryce Harper, Nationals 3) 3B Kris Bryant, Cubs (by way of the University of San Diego) 4) DH Wil Myers, Padres 5) C Buster Posey, Giants 6) 1B Anthony Rizzo, Cubs 7) CF Marcell Ozuna, Marlins 8) LF Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies

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9) SS Addison Russell, Cubs P Johnny Cueto, Giants The American League will counter with this starting 10 from Royals manager Ned Yost: 1) 2B Jose Altuve, Astros 2) CF Mike Trout, Angels 3) 3B Manny Machado, Orioles 4) DH David Ortiz, Red Sox 5) SS Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox 6) 1B Eric Hosmer, Royals 7) RF Mookie Betts, Red Sox 8) C Salvador Perez, Royals 9) LF Jackie Bradley Jr., Red Sox P Chris Sale, White Sox

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Home Run Derby Is A Family Affair For Wil Myers

July 11, 2016 By Kyle Glaser

SAN DIEGO—Shortly after accepting an invitation last week to participate in Monday’s All-Star

Game Home Run Derby, Wil Myers began his search for a pitcher.

Myers first asked Padres coach Eddie Rodriguez, who declined because he had plans to spend

the all-star break with his family.

With his first choice out, Myers made a call to his family. The man he would choose to pitch to

him would be his 19-year-old brother Beau, who just wrapped up his freshman season at

Appalachian State.

“Obviously Eddie would’ve been great,” Myers said, “but it’s going to be even cooler with my

brother out there.”

After years of playing together in their backyard of their North Carolina home, the Myers

brothers will take the field together tonight at Petco Park for the 2016 home run derby.

For Wil, it will be the thrill of participating in his first derby. For Beau, it is the opportunity to step

on a major league diamond in front of 50,000 people, well beyond the largest crowd he has ever

played before.

“I’d say opening day at Coastal Carolina for us was the biggest crowd I’ve been in front of, and

there was maybe three or four thousand people there,” said Beau Myers, an outfielder and third

baseman for the Mountaineers. “I’ve actually been pretty calm about it. Today’s the day. I’ve had

a little bit of nerves, but nothing to where I’ve really been that worried about it.”

The Myers brothers took their training for this moment seriously.

Wil flew Beau out to join the Padres at Dodger Stadium last week in preparation. For four

straight days leading into the all-star break, the Myers brothers held their own private sessions

in the batting cage to prepare for the derby.

Eventually, Beau graduated to throwing pregame batting practice to Wil on the field at Dodger

Stadium.

“Before he got out here he actually sent me a couple videos of him throwing BP in the cage, so

hopefully he’s ready,” Wil Myers said. “He looked good, so that’s all you can ask for. Throw

strikes, that’s all you need.”

Beau Myers, who started 29 games as a freshman for Appalachian State, took it as a chance to

make an impression on the Padres coaching staff.

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“I met Beau and he seems like a great guy,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “Has a nice paw

too, just like Wil. Big handshake, crushed my little hands. He’s a strong kid.”

He is also someone with steel nerves. Beau met the media scrum at all-star media day with a

steady voice and calm demeanor, handling the dozens of cameras thrust into his face like an

experienced pro.

Those traits that will serve him well once the derby starts, and his pitches will be broadcast live

into millions of homes across the country.

“I feel great about it, I really do,” Beau Myers said. “Just gotta keep it right over the plate and

he’s going to look to hit ‘em out over center field.”

Wil Myers has lofty hopes for the derby. He enters as the No. 6 seed against the Reds’ Adam

Duvall and is just the fifth Padres player to participate in a home run derby in the event’s 31-year

history. Baseball America’s No. 4 prospect in 2013 is hoping to do what Todd Frazier did last

season in Cincinnati, and win the derby in his home park in front of the home crowd.

Even if it doesn’t play out that way, though, it will still always be a night for the Myers family to

remember.

“Win or lose, it doesn’t really matter,” Wil Myers said. “It’s a cool thing for me and him to go out

there and do and something that we’ll remember for a long time.”

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Padres will feel at home even though NL is visiting team SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Wil Myers and Drew Pomeranz of the San Diego Padreswill be in their comfort zone for the All-Star Game before their home fans at Petco Park on Tuesday night.

Well, for the most part.

Because the National League is hosting in four straight years, the American League gets to wear white uniforms and bat last. And that means San Diego's players had to vacate their own clubhouse and move to the visitors' locker room on the third-base side.

They're totally OK with having to turn left instead of right when they come through the players' entrance.

It's been a crazy several weeks for Myers. He was named an All-Star ambassador, and then played his way into All-Star consideration by hitting 11 home runs in June. He was named to the NL team, and then named to the Home Run Derby.

On Monday morning, he found out via Twitter that he'll be the NL's designated hitter, batting fourth for manager Terry Collins' club.

"It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity me, just being in the Home Run Derby and starting in the All-Star Game," he said. "So I'm just going to soak up every minute of it. I'm not going to take any of it for granted. I'm going to enjoy every second of it and just enjoy it."

Myers has 19 homers overall. His brother, Beau, was set to pitch to him in the Home Run Derby.

The first baseman has a full household for a few days. Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets was Myers' Airbnb guest on Sunday night. Beau gets the couch, and Myers' parents get the other bedroom.

Myers, the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year while with Tampa Bay, is having a big season for the otherwise struggling Padres. One of the big factors is that he's comfortable at spacious Petco Park, which has bedeviled other Padres sluggers since it opened in 2004.

"I see the ball well here. I've always seen the ball well here, even last year," said Myers, who was limited to just 60 games in 2015, his first season with San Diego. "Everybody talks about it being a pitcher's park. I think it's a very fair ballpark. I've never hit a ball that I thought was getting out, that did not get out. If you hit it right it's going to fly."

Like Myers, Pomeranz played himself into the All-Star picture by going 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA and 115 strikeouts.

"It's pretty awesome," said Pomeranz, known for his curveball. "I think it's best-case scenario for both of us being here at our home park. We kind of know the lay of the land. It's probably less overwhelming for us because being both of our first times, we know where to go, we know a lot of people, we know the clubhouse. Even though it's on the other side, I think we've both been in the visiting clubhouse. It's really cool to be able to do it here."

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Myers and Pomeranz will be joined on the NL squad by reliever Fernando Rodney, who was traded from San Diego to Miami on June 30.

Rodney pretends to shoot an arrow after securing each save, and Myers would be his sidekick, acting like he was tracking down where the arrow landed.

"He asked me, `Rodney, where's the arrow landing, where it's going?' Rodney said. "It goes a different way. I shoot it a different side of the ballpark. We've got good communication."

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2016 MLB All-Star Game: Two Padres get to stay home for 'awesome' experience Both Wil Myers and Drew Pomeranz are first-time All-Stars from the home Padres

by Matt Snyder SAN DIEGO -- The All-Star Game is a national event every year and it's for the fans. On that latter point, I do firmly believe that while, yes, it's for all fans, I still maintain it's mostly for the home city fans. That's why it's great that Wil Myers is in the Home Run Derby and starting as the NL cleanup hitter on Tuesday and it's also great that Drew Pomeranz was a late addition to the NL pitching staff. Both are deserving, of course. Myers is hitting .286/.351/.522 with 19 doubles, 19 homers, 60 RBI and 15 steals while transitioning to first base. Pomeranz has an excellent 2.47 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 102 innings. He's even 8-7 for a team well under .500. Both are first-time All-Stars, too. In conversations with each, words like "surreal" would pop up. The word most said -- notably by Myers -- though, was fun. "Just go out there and have a good time," Myers said multiple times, regarding both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, when he's batting behind a 2-3 NL combo of Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant. "It's gonna be pretty awesome," said Pomeranz. "Especially after seeing people's reactions when I initially didn't get picked. Then the overwhelming support when I did get chosen." "Sometimes you can work this hard and not get recognition for it, so this is really cool." This seems a key point on both. Pomeranz had been through plenty of struggles as a starter before being traded to San Diego this past offseason. Myers had played only 147 games combined in 2014-15 due to injuries. That each is now here as a first-time All-Star has to make it that much more special. I asked Pomeranz about taking the hill to a huge ovation on Tuesday and if he'd need to step off for a second. "I really might have to." The newbies do have a built-in advantage, though. "It's less overwhelming at home," Pomeranz said. "You already understand the lay of the land. We know the park, the people, the city. It's easier to navigate. And it certainly makes for a fun experience for the local fans as well, and that's really what this week is all about.