Rough Inning Aside, Harrison “Cherishes” All-Star Experience

Rangers’ starter Matt Harrison had a rough go of things in his first All-Star Game appearance on Tuesday, but a tough inning of work couldn’t dampen Harrison’s mood too much. After all, he was named an All-Star and given the experience that that entails.

“It was a rough inning, but I’ll always cherish this,” Harrison said afterward, per the Dallas Morning News. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Harrison sat down San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval and Atlanta’s Dan Uggla, the first two hitters he faced after coming in for the fourth, on four pitches. Then, the wheels slowly began to come off, as he surrendered a triple to St. Louis’s Rafael Furcal, an RBI single to St. Louis’s Matt Holliday and a two-run home run to the game’s MVP, Melky Cabrera.

For good measure, Harrison gave up a triple to reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun before getting out of the inning. All told, Harrison’s line included four hits and three runs--the only scored by the National League after Justin Verlander’s rocky, five-run first.

But this line might not be a great reflection of how Harrison pitched, at least according to Rangers’ closer Joe Nathan, who threw a perfect second inning for the AL.

“The only bad pitch he threw was the homer,” Nathan said. “He made pitches where he normally gets outs.”