ATLANTA -- The home team gave the home fans plenty of reasons to cheer at the All-Star game.
|  | | Chipper Jones, right, who went 3-for-3 in front of his home crowd, is congratulated by Sammy Sosa after Jones hit a solo homer in the third. |
Chipper Jones had three hits, including a homer. Andruw Jones
drove in a run. Tom Glavine pitched a scoreless inning. And, best of all, Andres Galarraga made an emotional, triumphant return to
the midsummer classic as a cancer survivor.
"It was exciting to play in front of our crowd," said Andruw
Jones, appearing in his first All-Star game. "We went out there to
do good. We didn't just go out there to relax."
About the only thing that didn't go according to plan was a
National League victory. Led by game MVP and perennial Braves
killer Derek Jeter -- of the hated New York Yankees, no less -- the American League won 6-3 Tuesday night at Turner Field.
Still, the hometown players had no reason to be ashamed. They
accounted for five of the NL's nine hits and drove in two-thirds of
the runs. For good measure, Glavine cruised through a 1-2-3 fifth.
If nothing else, manager Bobby Cox seemed justified in having
five of his own players on the NL squad, more than any other team.
The fifth, Greg Maddux, couldn't pitch because of a sore shoulder.
"All week long, you hear people questioning Bobby's picks,"
said Chipper Jones, who became the 13th player to hit an All-Star homer in his home park. "There's not a guy out there tonight wearing a Braves uniform that doesn't deserve to be on that club. It just backs our manager's picks."
Galarraga, who was 1-for-2 before leaving the game for a
pinch-runner in the fourth, received the biggest cheers from the
51,323 fans, many of them adorned in red, white, blue and
tomahawks. The Big Cat has been one of baseball's most
inspirational figures after missing all of last season for
treatment of a cancerous tumor in his lower back.
"He's persevered through a lot in his career and he's
persevered through a lot in life," Chipper Jones said. "It all came together tonight, standing on his own field at the All-Star game. This had to be a defining moment for him."
The first baseman received a standing ovation when he was
announced as a starter in the pregame ceremony, accompanied by his
three children. The fans rose from their seats again when he came
to bat in the second, and still another after he lined out to left.
The final salute came when Galarraga singled to center and was
replaced at the bag by Todd Helton. Each time, the 39-year-old
tipped his hat or helmet to the crowd, flashed his trademark smile
and struggled to cope with his emotions.
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Hometown HR hitters
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1939: Joe DiMaggio, N.Y. Yankees, Yankee Stadium
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1946: Ted Williams (2), Boston, Fenway Park
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1948: Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals, x-Sportsman's Park (Browns were host, but shared stadium with Cardinals)
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1951: Vic Wertz and George Kell, Detroit, Briggs Stadium
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1954: Al Rosen (2) and Larry Doby, Cleveland, Municipal Stadium
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1959: Jim Gilliam, Los Angeles, Memorial Coliseum
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1965: Harmon Killebrew, Minnesota, Metropolitan Stadium
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1969: Frank Howard, Washington, RFK Stadium
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1972: Hank Aaron, Atlanta, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
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1997: Sandy Alomar Jr., Cleveland, Jacobs Field
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2000: Chipper Jones, Atlanta, Turner Field
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"There's probably no words to explain how happy, how excited I
am feeling today," he said. "That's a great moment in my career
in baseball -- walk on the field with my kids, and the ovation they
gave to me, the fans here in Atlanta."
Galarraga had played in four previous All-Star games, failing to
get a hit in six at-bats. This was his first start, albeit as a
replacement for the injured Mark McGwire.
"Getting my first hit today in the All-Star game makes it more
special," Galarraga said.
Chipper Jones, meanwhile, followed in the footsteps of Hank Aaron, who hit a hometown homer in the city's first All-Star game
28 years ago at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, now a
parking lot beyond Turner's left-field stands.
In the third, Jones jumped on a 2-0 fastball from James Baldwin
of the Chicago White Sox, lining it into the bleachers in deep
left-center field. Last year's NL MVP also singled in the first and
fifth innings before his night was done.
"It was awesome," said Jones, the fan's choice as the starting
third baseman. "I mean, it's every little boy's dream. I've said
it so many times this week -- it's not very often that a player gets
to play on his home field in the All-Star game, much less start."
Then, "to go out there and hit a home run, it was just awesome.
I can't explain it. It was something I'll never forget."
Jones nearly matched his total from the Home Run Derby the
previous night, when he managed to hit only two homers out of the
park while being eliminated in the opening round.
"I was pretty relaxed," he said. "The home run contest was a
lot more nerve-racking than the game. When you're out there playing
the game, that's your domain. That's where I feel most
comfortable."
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