Catholic high schools from the U.S. and abroad were well represented among the participants in the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 9 in Cleveland, won by the American League 4-3.
Many of these selections were first-time All-Star Game participants, including Joey Gallo, the Texas Rangers outfielder from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, who blasted a seventh-inning homerun that proved decisive.
Also performing well for the A.L. were are two “international” pitchers:
Jose Berrios, Minnesota Twins starting pitcher, from Papa Juan XXIII (Pope John 23) High School in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The second-time All-Star gave up a leadoff double in the third but struck out two to preserve what was then a 1-0 lead.
And Liam Hendriks, Oakland Athletics relief pitcher, from Sacred Heart College, an elementary and secondary school in Perth, Australia, struck out N.L. slugging stars Kris Bryant, Trevor Story and Pete Alonso in the sixth, though he allowed a homerun to Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon.
The A.L. roster also featured third-time selection DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees, starting second baseman and the American League’s leading hitter, a graduate of Brother Rice High School, a Christian Brothers boys’ school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; and Daniel Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners designated hitter, from Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Florida.
For the National League, rookie pitching sensation Mike Soroka of the Atlanta Braves, a 2015 grad of Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, retired the A.L. in 1-2-3 order in the sixth.
And designated hitter Josh Bell, the Pittsburgh Pirates slugger who leads the majors in runs batted in, singled in the second for the first N.L. hit of the night. Bell graduated from Dallas Jesuit College Prep (a Jesuit boys’ school) in 2011, the same class that produced pro golfer Jordan Spieth, winner of three major tour titles including the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open.
Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).
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