A friend of mine texted me during the All-Star Game Tuesday, saying Hunter Pence's single to the left side of the American League infield may have been the highlight of Houston's 2011 season. Sadly, he's probably not far from wrong.
↵Then, Pence came around to score, giving the National League a 5-1 lead. He also became just the 12th Astro to score a run at the All-Star Game and the first since Miguel Tejada did it in 2008. Only Cesar Cedeno and Craig Biggio have score more runs than Pence, but they both only have two runs scored in the All-Star Game. They also played in four and six ASG's, respectively.
↵Pence hit the single off Brandon League in his first-ever plate appearance against the right-hander. Also a little bit of vindication? Pence picked up his hit on a slider. Since he's got a well-documented problem swinging at sliders in the dirt, it was a nice play all-around.
↵Oh, he also picked up two bases on a passed ball by Matt Wieters, scoring when Pablo Sandoval hit a ground-rule double down the left field line. Overall, it was a successful game for Pence, who entered in the top of the fourth and played the rest of the game in left field.
↵What did you think? Was Pence's appearance a personal highlight of this season? Was it nice to see him get a chance to show off on a national stage?
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