Vogelbach on All-Star Game: 'Dreams come true'

Mariners designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach had the time of his life at the 90th All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which saw the American League edge the National League, 4-3, at Progressive Field on Tuesday. During introductions, Vogelbach took time to reflect on the hard work that put him in the spotlight.

“It just makes all the hard work you put in feel accomplished,” Vogelbach said. “Dreams come true. You just have to keep working. Hopefully, this is just the start of a great career.”

In his only at-bat, which came as a pinch-hitter for J.D. Martinez in the sixth inning, Vogelbach worked the count to 3-1 against Braves right-hander Mike Soroka before flying out to Mets left fielder Jeff McNeil to end the inning.

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“My main goal was to have fun. It’s something I will never forget,” Vogelbach said. “Just getting in the game and getting an at-bat, it was really cool and something I’ll never forget.”

Vogelbach also used the experience to pick the brains of some of the All-Stars in attendance.

“It’s been awesome and I’m just trying to take it all in. You don’t really know how many of these you get, so you want to have fun,” Vogelbach said. “The memories are the biggest thing I’ll take away. I’ve talked to some guys about how they go about things and pick their brains, but the memories are what I’ll take with me. The Home Run Derby was unbelievable. Those guys put on a show. It was fun to watch in person.”

The second half for the Mariners will start Friday with a three-game series against the Angels in Los Angeles. Vogelbach hopes that the second half will be better than the first. Entering Friday’s action, the Mariners are in fifth place in the AL West with a 39-55 record, 20 games behind the first-place Astros.

“We need to win more ballgames and try to have a good second half that will carry over into next year,” Vogelbach said. “We need to get some momentum going and play good baseball, finish strong.”