MINNEAPOLIS -- Ever since he was a kid growing up in nearby
St. Paul, Joe Mauer dreamed of representing his hometown Twins in
the All Star game.
That dream became a reality on Sunday, and much quicker than
anyone could have imagined.
Mauer was named a reserve to the American League squad on Sunday
in just his second full season in the majors.
"This may be the first of many to come for that young man,"
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
The 23-year-old Mauer leads the majors with a .392 average and
leads all catchers in hits (105), doubles (22), runs (44), on-base
percentage (.458) and slugging percentage (.537).
An eye-popping June led to a late surge in fan votes for Mauer,
who finished with 1,809,878 votes, less than 17,000 votes behind
Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez, who will be the starter at the July 11
game in Pittsburgh.
Not bad for a guy playing in a small market who wasn't even in
the top five among AL catchers when the first returns were
announced.
"That's what I'm most proud about," Mauer said Sunday after
the Twins' 8-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. "The Minnesota
fans had a big push in the last week and a half."
Stomach problems kept Mauer out of the lineup Sunday afternoon,
and that's about the only thing that has been able to stop him and
the Twins lately. Over his last 35 games, Mauer is hitting .468
with three homers, 16 doubles and 23 RBIss. He has not gone two
straight games without a hit all season.
The Twins have won 10 in a row and 20 of their last 22.
Mauer will be accompanied by Twins ace Johan Santana, who will
be making his second straight appearance in the game. Rookie
Francisco Liriano, 8-1 with a 1.53 ERA in nine starts this season,
was placed on the second-chance ballot and could still be voted in
by the fans.
"It's very exciting for those guys," Gardenhire said of Mauer
and Santana. "I wish we could have had more. I think Joe Nathan is
an All-Star, I think Justin Morneau is an All-Star. ... We need
everybody to get on the Internet and vote (for Liriano). Obviously
he deserves it."
Liriano didn't get his first start until May 19, but was
dominant even in his role as a reliever before then.
"I'm not disappointed at that," Liriano said in his typical
nonchalant tone. "I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing."
Morneau hit his 21st homer and had two RBIss on Sunday to push
his season total to 68, which ties him with Chicago's Jim Thome for
second in the AL. Despite the gaudy numbers, Morneau said he didn't
expect to make the team when players like Thome and Boston's David
Ortiz were his competition.
"I booked my flight home a couple of days ago," Morneau said
before congratulating his buddy Mauer on his first appearance. "I
told him to bring me back a shirt."
Nathan was the only shunned Twin who seemed to show any
disappointment. One of the best closers in baseball, he was
probably hindered by the team's slow start, which limited his save
opportunities. He has 14 saves in 15 chances.
"It's more motivation when we play those guys in the second
half," Nathan said. "We're right where we need to be right now,
we're winning ball games."
Santana said he expects this won't be the first time he makes
the trip with Mauer.
"Definitely, as long as we can stay healthy, we're going to
have pretty good chances," Santana said. "He's building up a
great career."
It all started for Mauer when he was the No. 1 pick of the 2001
draft after starring at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul.
"It's something you always dream of," Mauer said. "I'm really
excited to participate."
^------=
Jon Krawczynski can be reached at jkrawczynski(at)ap.org.