Athletics' Alonso: I'd probably cry the whole time if I made ASG
Yonder Alonso would love nothing more than to go home for the Midsummer Classic.
The Oakland Athletics first baseman grew up in Miami - the site of this year's All-Star Game - after his family defected from Cuba when Alonso was only 10 years old. The infielder went on to spend years in the city, including turning down his first time drafted to play for the University of Miami for three seasons.
Now, eight years into his major-league career, the 30-year-old was the most popular American League first baseman in the latest All-Star ballot update, edging out Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera by just under 5,000 votes, and the likelihood of returning to his hometown for the July exhibition is suddenly becoming very real.
"I'd probably be crying the whole time I'm there," Alonso told FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "There would be a lot of tears."
Alonso's hopes for the All-Star Game this season haven't been unwarranted, either. The infielder is having the best season of his major-league career, slashing .306/.398/.645 with 17 home runs in 183 at-bats in 2017.
But no matter how hot his bat gets, he hasn't forgotten about the memories he made after he and his family landed in Miami.
"You're talking to a guy who lived half a mile away from there. All his friends are literally half a block from there," Alonso told Rosenthal. "I used to clean offices three miles from there. I went to school a couple of blocks away.
"It would be full circle, completely - and I mean full circle."