Heath Bell's 23rd save helped the Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday and helped him become an All-Star for the first time.
"Any time you're an All-Star. It goes back to being selected to the WBC team. Now this," said manager Bud Black."He's earned it."
Bell took it a step further. "I think I'll be grinning from ear to ear when the All-Star break comes and I'm off to St. Louis," he said. "But we still have a week to go."
A week for Adrian Gonzalez to prepare him for what to expect.
After all, Adrian's headed to his second straight All-Star game.
"I know how it was last year, and I'm very excited for him," Gonzalez said. "We're going to have a ton of fun together."
Bell only wishes the man he replaced, the Brewers' Trevor Hoffman, would be in that National League bullpen with him.
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"He congratulated me. He called me," said Bell. "Part of this, me going to the All-Star game is the way he goes about his business....influencing me a little bit."
Heath Bell has learned from the best, and this season might end up being the best closer in the game.
