Stephen Vogt has a story to tell from his first All Star Game at-bat, even if it’s not the kind he hoped for.
The A’s catcher dug into the batter’s box in the top of the sixth against the New York Mets’ Jacob DeGrom. Three pitches later Vogt was headed back to the dugout, the first strikeout victim in a dominant pitching display by DeGrom, the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year. The right-hander needed just 10 pitches to strike out the side that inning, ringing up Jason Kipnis and Jose Iglesias after Vogt.
[STIGLICH: A's first half: Five predictions that were proven false]
But the night ended well for Vogt and A’s pitcher Sonny Gray, as their American League squad emerged victorious, 6-3, over the NL in the 86th Midsummer Classic at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. Vogt, the longtime minor league journeyman who has enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, entered in place of the Royals’ Salvador Perez in the bottom of the fifth and worked three innings behind the plate, getting just the one at-bat.
The first pitcher he caught was Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer, which was a special experience for Vogt. He and Archer were Triple-A teammates while in the Rays’ farm system, then both made their major league debut in 2012 with Tampa Bay. Vogt said he was nervous in the dugout before taking the field in the fifth, but seeing his old teammate on the mound helped him settle down.
"As soon as I got out on the field and got to catch Chris Archer, it was a familiar face and a good friend, it was kind of a special moment for both of us," Vogt said. "That really helped me relax."
[RELATED: AL wins All-Star Game, secures home field in World Series]
Archer gave up an Andrew McCutchen homer in his 1 1/3 innings of work. Then Vogt caught 1 ½ combined scoreless innings from Baltimore’s Zach Britton and the Yankees’ Dellin Betances.
Gray, a first-time All Star like Vogt, was in the dugout for the game but was not part of the active roster after he threw a shutout Sunday for the A’s.
