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.¡±