McCutchen loses name game

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McCutchen loses name game
07/13/2008 7:48 PM ET
By Nick Cammarota / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- U.S. left fielder Andrew McCutchen may have thought he was someone else as the Futures Game progressed. In the bottom of the first inning, he was announced as Phillies outfielder Greg Golson.
When the Pirates top prospect stepped to the plate in the third, he was announced as Rockies outfielder Dexter Fowler.
"One time, that's all I asked. Just say my name one time when I came up to bat," McCutchen said. "As long as they got it right on TV and it said 'Andrew McCutchen' when I came up to bat, I'll be fine with that."
McCutchen came close to making a name for himself with a monster shot down the left-field line. The ball hooked foul, however, and he flied to left after an eight-pitch at-bat.
"I believe I opened some eyes," he said. "You can just look at me and my stature. I'm a leadoff hitter, so I can hit line drives and find the gap, but at the same time, I can make you pay.
"It kind of surprised me a little bit, just to hit it that far."
Third time's the charm: World starter Carlos Carrasco made his third consecutive Futures Game appearance and earned his first victory. Even if the 21-year-old Phillies prospect hadn't garnered the victory, this would have been his most meaningful appearance of the three.
"The biggest difference was I have never been to New York, I've never been to Yankee Stadium and I know about the history here, so that was very, very special to me," he said.
Carrasco worked a near-flawless first inning, walking one and striking out two. He didn't get to face any of his three teammates from Double-A Reading but replied with a quick "yes" when asked if he would have struck out his catcher, Lou Marson.
"I was kind of disappointed it never happened," Carrasco said.
Said Marson, "I was telling all the guys in the [U.S.] dugout when he shakes what pitch he likes to go to."
In three Futures Game appearances, Carrasco has allowed three hits and two walks over 2 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out four.
Whoops!: U.S. shortstop Jason Donald, a Phillies prospect, blamed adrenaline for his errant throw while trying to turn a double play in the first inning. The miscue led to the World's first run of the afternoon, the only one it needed.
"I'm surprised I didn't break any cameras," he said of the throw, which landed four rows into the seats.
Donald lost his grip again later in the game, letting his bat fly further than the ball he hit -- a topper back to the mound. The Fresno, Calif., native uses an unusually large amount of pine tar on his bat.
"I like having the feel of pine tar on the stick and I just wanted to be as comfortable as possible up there," he said.
Donald was searching for pine tar before his at-bat and started applying a liberal amount, eliciting this comment from U.S. coach Reggie Smith: "You're going to get up to the plate and the bat's going to slip right out of your hand."
In the eighth inning, the World's Henry Rodriguez, a right-hander in the Athletics organization, lost his footing and fell forward after delivering a pitch to Chris Getz (White Sox). Rodriguez was not injured after the 99 mph fastball but did take a little off the next pitch to get Getz swinging and strike out the side.
McOutfield: Andrew McCutchen started in left field for the U.S., despite having almost played center field almost exclusively at Triple-A Indianapolis. Dexter Fowler got the nod in center.
"I love center field because you can see the location of the pitch. But in the corners, you can't really see it," McCutchen explained. "It's more of a reaction thing than moving before the pitch is hit."
Given All-Star Nate McLouth's performance in Pittsburgh this season (.284, 19 HR, 65 RBIs), McCutchen's quickest path to the Majors may a corner outfield spot.
"I have some experience out there. It's different and I know I can play it, but at the same time if that's what it takes to get up there, I'd be fine with it," he said. "Wherever I start, it won't matter to me because I know I can play any position in the outfield. I'll do whatever it takes to get [to the Majors]. If I have to play catcher, I'll play catcher."
Nate's Noisemakers: Six players played the entire game -- Jamie D'Antona (Diamondbacks), Scott Campbell (Blue Jays), Ivan DeJesus (Dodgers), Dexter Fowler, Matt LaPorta (Indians) and Nate Schierholtz (Giants) -- but none had as big a cheering section as Schierholtz. The U.S. right fielder went 0-for-4 with a strikeout but made a catch in the fifth inning, much to the delight of his newfound supporters in the Bronx.
All six players recorded four plate appearances, with DeJesus going 2-for-3 with a walk.
Running On Empty: It wasn't a good day for basestealers, especially in the third inning.
U.S. pitcher Brett Anderson (Athletics) picked off consecutive runners, Elvis Andrus (Rangers) and Wilkin Ramirez (Tigers).
World team catcher Pablo Sandoval (Giants), who, given his 5-foot-11, 245-pound frame, isn't known for his thievery, was thrown out by Taylor Teagarden (Rangers) in the fourth and DeJesus was nailed, again by Teagarden, in the sixth.
The only stolen base for either side belonged to Andrus, who swiped third uncontested before scoring in the first inning.
More Name Games: Catcher Lou Marson also experienced a slightly different public address introduction than he's used to.
Announced as "Lou Marsōn," with a long "o" sound, Marson said his family was happy to hear the correct pronunciation of his Italian last name, as opposed to the Americanized version he's used to hearing in Reading.
"My family's from northern Italy, but nobody thinks it's Italian," Marson said of his last name. "My dad's 100 percent Italian and my entire family was here, so I think my grandfather would have enjoyed that. He always tells them, 'No, that's not how you pronounce it,' and he gets pretty heated about it."
Repeat: Che-Hsuan Lin (Red Sox) became the second consecutive player from Taiwan to win MVP honors. Chin-Lung Hu (Dodgers) earned the award last year with a two-run double, a stolen base and a run scored in the World's 8-5 win. Hu was playing in his second straight Futures Game, while this was Lin's first.
As a member of the Red Sox organization, Lin learned the meaning of "Bronx cheer" when his MVP ceremony was greeted by boos reigning down at Yankee Stadium.
All previous Futures Game MVPs have gone on to play in the Major Leagues and three have been All-Stars -- Alfonso Soriano (1999), Jose Reyes (2002) and Grady Sizemore (2003).
Glovely: Although the U.S. bats were relatively silent, their gloves weren't. Shortstop Jason Donald made a diving stop on a ball hit by Wilkin Ramirez that deflected off pitcher Clayton Richard's glove. Donald stayed parallel to the ground while flipping to second baseman Cliff Pennington for the out.
Center fielder Dexter Fowler flashed the leather by tracking down a line drive off the bat of Ivan DeJesus in the third. When he caught it, the 6-foot-4 Fowler was fully extended but stayed on his feet.
In the seventh, reserve second baseman Chris Getz made a spectacular diving play to his right to rob Scott Campbell of a hit and get a forceout at second.
Six in Eight: After striking out the first batter he faced, U.S. pitcher Casey Weathers (Rockies) issued back-to-back walks and allowed a single to Gerardo Parra (Diamondbacks), loading the bases with one out in the eighth. The eighth overall pick in the 2007 Draft fanned the next two batters to escape unscathed.
Not to be outdone, World hurler Henry Rodriguez struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth. After walking the leadoff batter, he dialed consistently reached 98-99 mph in mowing down the next three.
Overall, there were 18 strikeouts in the game (nine by each side), with Greg Golson, Jamie D'Antona and Welington Castillo all fanning twice.
Last year's game also featured 18 strikeouts.
There's No Tying In Baseball: With the victory, the World evened the all-time Futures Game series at 5-5. It's the first time in the game's history the World team has posted back-to-back wins. The U.S. has won in two in a row twice -- 2000-01 and 2003-04.
Sunday marked the third time the U.S. has been shut out; the World team has yet to be blanked.
Mets, Orioles, Dodgers or Reds?: U.S. manager Davey Johnson was not sure which cap to wear in the dugout, given he has played for or eight clubs.
He decided to go with the Mets, the club he managed from 1984-90 and guided to a World Series title in 1986. Asked for the last time he wore a Met cap, Johnson replied, "When they fired me in 1990. I was playing golf up in Boston territory in Martha's Vineyard and someone came up and gave me a Mets hat. I asked if he was trying to get me killed."
Death sentence or not, especially at Yankee Stadium, Johnson feels he made the right choice.
"There are a few teams that I played for, but I think it was fitting that I picked the Mets hat to wear today," he said.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.