Twins’ Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton deliver feel-good moments for AL in All-Star Game

ATLANTA — Byron Buxton slid into second base well ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s throw, his opposite-field double about to ignite a game-tying, ninth-inning rally for the American League All-Stars. As Buxton rose to his feet, he looked to his dugout, then beyond it into the Truist Park stands, where his family was sitting and cheering.

He spotted his dad, Felton, a truck driver in Baxley, Ga. — and he was doing the “Buck Truck,” Buxton’s signature got-a-hit celebration that’s also a tribute to that very man.

“That just made me smile. Made me feel good,” Buxton said. “The whole family does it now.”

Buxton scored moments later on Bobby Witt Jr.’s double, narrowing the NL’s lead to one run, and Witt eventually scored, too. The game ended tied 6-6, but the National League was declared the winner after out-homering the AL 4-3 in a first-of-its-kind swing-off.

“I don’t like that,” Buxton said of MLB’s new alternative to extra innings, a format designed to keep pitchers from being overused. “Let us play it out.”

But Buxton had nothing but raves for his Twins and All-Star teammate, Joe Ryan, and not just for his perfect inning of pitching.

“Joe was an awesome babysitter — even the kids said so,” Buxton said of the way Ryan chaperoned Brixton and Blaze Buxton, the slugger’s two oldest sons, during Monday night’s Home Run Derby. “Bringing the towel to me with the boys yesterday was a special moment. I think he was kind of nervous about it, but he was great.”

Sort of like how Ryan performed in the All-Star Game, too, though if he was nervous, it didn’t show.

“Actually, I was really exhausted when the game started. Fortunately, they have a good espresso bar in there,” Ryan said. All-Star festivities are “super fun, and everyone here made it so easy for us. But it saps your energy.”

BOXSCORE: NL 6, AL 6 (NL wins swing-off tiebreaker 4-3)

MLB standings

His energy returned when Ryan entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the AL trailing 2-0. His task seemed a challenging one, since he was scheduled to face San Diego third baseman Manny Machado, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith and Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Tucker. By coincidence, each of the three hitters had collected an extra-base hit the last time they faced Ryan — Machado and Tucker had homered, and Smith knocked a double.

They didn’t stand a chance on this big stage, though.

Pitching to Seattle catcher (and Home Run Derby champ) Cal Raleigh, Ryan needed only four pitches to strike out Machado, getting the seven-time All-Star to reach for a 97-mph fastball.

“That gave me confidence, the way I was throwing. That helped,” Ryan said. And for a pitcher whose fastball averages 93.4 mph, the velocity was a revelation.

“It’s hot out here,” Ryan said of the mid-80s mugginess. “The warm weather and knowing I’m only going one inning, it made the ball go. Plus, I was pretty amped.”

Smith swung at the first pitch he saw, another 97-mph fastball, and popped it up to second base. And after falling behind Tucker 2-1, Ryan stuck with the fastball to get a swinging strike two, then pinpointed another at the very bottom of the strike zone, a called third strike.

Ten pitches, seven strikes, and Ryan is perfect as an All-Star. He was greeted by a jubilant Buxton as he returned to the dugout.

“That’s Joe. When he’s locked in and doing his thing, that’s what he does. That’s why he’s here,” Buxton said. “We’re playing the best of the best, and for his first time out there, it was incredible.”

Buxton said his second All-Star experience was far different from his first, in part because he’s completely healthy for this one.

“I didn’t really have the nerves, I guess, going up there this time,” said Buxton, who is now 2-for-4 with a home run and a double in his two All-Star Games. “My first at-bat, I felt good but got jammed a little bit” and lined out to left field in the seventh inning, after subbing in for starting center fielder Javier Báez of Detroit in the fifth. “The second one, I just said, don’t overthink. Have a quality at-bat and get us going, so that was a lot of fun.”

The day began with another fun activity, too, Buxton said. MLB stages a red-carpet welcome to the ballpark, and players are encouraged to dress as though they are attending a gala event.

Buxton won raves with a deep teal suit in Los Angeles in 2022, and he made a striking impression this time, too.

Head to toe in pink — with his wife, Lindsey, and his three sons in matching outfits.

“Brix and Blaze wanted to do pink. They said it was a happy color,” Buxton said. “They wanted to wear pink or maybe neon green, something really bright. I don’t argue with it.”

Ryan was less flashy, but just as classy, in a casual off-white suit, with his fiancée, Clare Stonich, accompanying him in a two-piece bright white dress.