The Rockies third baseman made his inaugural appearance in the Midsummer Classic
Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon made his first All-Star appearance a family affair.
McMahon, who joined Vinny Castilla, Jeff Cirillo and Nolan Arenado as one of four Rockies who have played primarily at third base to be named to the Midsummer Classic, was a member of the National League All-Stars last Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
“I had my parents, my wife’s parents and my brother-in-law there, so (it was) really good family time,” said McMahon prior to Colorado’s contest Friday night against the visiting San Francisco Giants.
In addition, one other very important family membermade the trek to Texas—McMahon’s baby daughter, Austyn Brooke.
“She took a lot of naps,” McMahon said of his daughter, who was born in February.
“She enjoyed it, but she was asleep for a lot of it,” he added.
Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Having his family travel with him to the All-Star Game helped the Rockies third baseman enjoy the All-Star Break with loved ones.
“We got back here (to Denver) Wednesday, like 4:00 or 5:00,” he said. “My daughter is teething right now, so the sleep is not great. But I had all day yesterday (Thursday), so it’s nice to get down there with the family.”
McMahon, who established first-half career highs in games (95), hits (98), batting average (.272) and on-base percentage (.350) this season, felt his first All-Star Game experience on the diamond was more than he anticipated.
“I thought it was more competitive from the pure baseball side,” he said. “Obviously, guys are not sprinting the hardest, (they) don’t want to get hurt. But everything else—the at bats, the pitches, going after ground balls, going after fly balls—was a little bit more competitive than what I expected.”
Despite being Colorado’s everyday third baseman, McMahon was used at second base for the final three innings of the All-Star Game, a request NL Manager Torrey Lovullo made prior to the game. Lovullo wanted to ensure everyone on the roster made it into the game, and McMahon was happy to help.
Ultimately, he went 0-for-1 at the plate, striking out for the final out of the seventh inning with a pair of runners on base.
Then, in the ninth, he was the on-deck hitter when the final out of the game was made with the NL having a runner on board.
But now, the McMahon family’s weekend in Arlington at the All-Star festivities is over. It’s time for Ryan to return to third base and help the Rockies finish their season.