It was a fitting punctuation to a first half in which Alonso set a rookie record with 30 home runs before the All-Star break. With Atlanta mainstay Freddie Freeman elected by the fans to start at first base for the National League, Alonso and the Pirates’ Josh Bell were selected as the other first baseman, giving Joey Votto, Anthony Rizzo, and Goldschmidt a break. Goldschmidt, in his first year with the Cardinals, had been the only player in the National League elected to the previous six All-Star Games.
“He’s a player who I want to be like,” Alonso said.