The big storyline for this year's All-Star Game was that it was Derek Jeter's last, and while everyone was excited to see him take one final curtain call, Yankees fans were also interested to see Dellin Betances get some attention on the national stage after such an amazing first half. Unfortunately for Dellin, and for us, he never got into the game, but should he have?
There's always going to be someone left out on the bench in an All-Star Game. For such a large roster it's tough to get everyone time to shine in only nine innings, but as it turns out, Betances was the only reliever from the American League side that didn't get into the game. Obviously closers take precedent when it comes to being added to the roster and getting into the game and he was the only non-closer reliever on the team, so of course he'd be the odd man out.
Still though, manager John Farrell was able to squeeze everyone else in, giving Koji Uehara, Sean Doolittle, and Fernando Rodney portions of innings in order to get them a chance. The perfect time to get Betances in would have been the seventh inning when, instead, he allowed Greg Holland to pitch a complete inning. Why not let Betances get an out somewhere in there? He was the only rookie pitcher on the squad, so was this some kind of right of passage nonsense where he needed to "earn" his All-Star appearance? Maybe not, but it was still a disappointment to the fans, which is what this game is supposed to be all about, even if there is some importance to the game now.
On the flip side, Dellin didn't seem all too broken up about it, though what else was he going to say:
Betances said it's OK he didn't get in. "I'll take the extra days off and be ready to help the team win the division in the second half."
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) July 16, 2014If he's not upset, who are we to be annoyed either? And he brings up a great point too. Betances has already been worked hard in the first half, not just because he's been so good, but because the Yankees rotation has been bad. If not getting him into a exhibition game means an extra day of rest for him than so be it. We've already lost Masahiro Tanaka, we don't need to lose Betances either. Despite being just a middle reliever, losing him too would be devastating to the entire pitching staff. At the end of the day he was still an All-Star, still got recognized for his performance, and it all still counts. It just would have been nice to see him go up against some of the game's best players. I wanted to see a few All-Stars buckle at the sight of his curveball and I wanted other fans who may not be aware of it's utter devastation to know about it.
In the end it's likely not the end of the world. I'm not outraged, I'm more disappointed, especially for him, because you know he wanted to pitch. Maybe he gets another chance next year, but I think Tanya sums it all up perfectly:
It's likely good for the Yankees that an overworked Dellin didn't pitch in the ASG, but I am sad for him that he didn't get to. That is all.
— Tanya Bondurant (@TanyaBondurant) July 16, 2014Relievers are so volatile & Dellin's transition from failed prospect to amazing is great. Hopefully many ahead of him but you never know...
— Tanya Bondurant (@TanyaBondurant) July 16, 2014So here's hoping he does get another shot next year, because if he does, it means good things for the Yankees.