The MLB Home Run Derby was a hard act to follow during Monday’s ESPN programming from Petco Park in San Diego, but the All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game had its fair share of action worth tuning in for.
A mix of former players and high-profile personalities took the field Sunday for the annual exhibition, and as Monday’s telecast revealed, the American League defeated the National League 8-7.
In the sixth and final inning, teen actor Cameron Boyce tried to tag up to score the tying run—only to run into a brick wall: Ballers star Omar Benson Miller.
MLB GIFS shared the replay:
Miller didn’t have much sympathy for Boyce, who took the brunt of the collision at home plate:
NL manager and former Olympic softball pitcher Jennie Finch reacted to the final play:
There were less painful highlights from the game, though.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees provided some fireworks for viewers who were still buzzing from Giancarlo Stanton’s Derby triumph, socking a homer in the top of the first, as MLB GIFS showed:
The superstar signal-caller’s solo dinger was much to the Saints’ liking:
Before Brees revived his career in New Orleans, he played for the San Diego Chargers, so he got a great reception from fans.
As a former MLB outfielder, Curtis Pride was basically cheating by playing in the contest. He jacked a two-run homer over the moved-in fence in the bottom of the first to put his squad up 2-1.
Gallaudet University, where Pride is the head baseball coach, shared footage of the long ball:
Actor Jamie Foxx led off the bottom of the second by calling his shot, invoking Babe Ruth as he prepared to take on another former New York Yankees star, David Wells.
MLB GIFS showed what else happened before Foxx took a swing:
Foxx wound up legging out a single and came around to score to make it 3-2.
Former NFL linebacker-turned-actor Terry Crews showed off his impressive physique by arriving at the plate with his shirt off.
Cut4 provided the visual spectacle:
The Roman deity-esque sculpture of a man had a less aesthetically pleasing at-bat, swinging and missing to strike out on that trip to the batter’s box.
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria wrestled with the dilemma of poking fun at Crews while also minding his manners:
Billy Bean—not to be confused with Oakland Athletics executive Billy Beane—ripped a home run down the right field line to help the National League stay within striking distance.
But it was the AL’s game thanks to Miller’s plate-blocking and perhaps an ill-advised gamble by Boyce.
MLB couldn’t have hoped for a better or more comical conclusion. Given the success of this year’s contest, there’s no reason the game can’t continue as an All-Star tradition.
However, with the revamped Home Run Derby format injecting new excitement into the festivities leading up to the All-Star Game, the legends and celebrities have their work cut out for them if they want to outshine the game’s best power hitters.
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