Padres' Justin DeCriscio Delivers Decisive Squeeze Bunt In Fall Stars Game

[Steve Drumwright]

 

 

The last player on the roster had the biggest hit. Or at least the most important hit.

San Diego Padres prospect Justin DeCriscio, who won a fan vote for the final spot on the NL roster, had a squeeze-bunt single in the eighth inning to lead the team to a 7-4 victory over the AL in the Fall Stars Game on Sunday at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz.

DeCriscio's squeeze snapped a 3-3 tie and sparked a three-run inning. It was a good showing by the Padres' trio of prospects in the game with right-hander Kannon Kemp and Alex McCoy also contributing to the win. Yerlin Confidan of the Cincinnati Reds was named the game's MVP.

DeCriscio came in to play second base in the top of the sixth and immediately got tested with back-to-back grounders, but none turned into outs as there was a low throw to first and then a high throw to second, trying to nab a speedy runner. At the plate, DeCriscio lined out to left in the sixth before coming up with his squeeze in the eighth, also scoring later in the inning.

Kemp came on with two runs in during the third inning and a fielding faux pas. Kemp threw 99 mph on his first two pitches to get a long fly ball to end that threat. He came back for the fourth and pitched a perfect inning on a groundout, a strikeout and a flyout.

McCoy, scratched from the original lineup, pinch-hit in the seventh inning and grounded into an inning-ending double play, then chiseled an opposite-field single in the ninth.

McCoy was eliminated from Saturday's Home Run Derby in the quarterfinals. He entered as the No. 2 seed and hit six homers in the 90-second preliminary round, where hitters could build up their total that carried over to the quarterfinals. McCoy lost to Aaron Parker of the Toronto Blue Jays after managing to go deep just once in the head-to-head matchup. Parker went on to win the Derby.

But McCoy left an impression with his majestic 503-foot shot in the prelims.

 

 

 

 

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