Garcia at the 2002 All-Star Game!
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Freddy Garcia at the 2002 All-Star Game
Freddy Garcia knew he was going to be the so-called emergency pitcher for Tuesday night's All-Star Game, the last reliever out of the American League bullpen.
He just didn't know this particular emergency outing would turn into such an alarming ending to the 73rd All-Star Game.


Freddy Garcia
At the All-Star Game
 
The Mariners ace right-hander certainly did his job, pitching two shutout innings in the 10th and 11th. But he left to a chorus of boos after throwing the final pitch of Tuesday's 7-7 tie, striking out Benito Santiago for the game's final out.



"They weren't booing me," he said. "They were booing somebody else."
True, they were booing the decision to end the game as only the second tie in the history of the Midsummer Classic. The main reason for the decision cited by Yankees manager Joe Torre afterward was he didn't want to overextend Garcia by pitching him more than two innings.
But asked whether he had another inning in him, Garcia was quick to answer.
"Yeah,I was feeling pretty good," he said. But Torre was steadfast in saying that he didn't want to bear the responsibility of pushing Garcia too hard and then having to answer to Mariners manager Lou Piniella if Garcia wasn't himself his next time out for his team in a real game.


Freddy Garcia
2002 All-Star Game


All-Star Game
Last strike out of the game against Benito Santiago.