Rays' Pena added to All-Star roster, HR Derby

Carlos Pena figured he'd use the All-Star break to go to the beach a few times, and maybe teach his daughter, Isabella, how to ride a bike.

He had dozed off beside his 3-year-old girl after putting her to bed late Saturday night when his wife, Pamela, woke him up to tell him he had a stream of missed calls on his phone from Joe Maddon.

The All-Star Game was the first thing that came to Pena's mind, and that's exactly why his manager was calling. Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had decided to drop out of Tuesday's game to tend to family matters and Maddon had named Pena to replace him.

So, little Isabella will have to settle for a last-minute trip to St. Louis.

"I was in a state of shock, immediately," Pena said after arriving at Tropicana Field several hours later. "I don't hesitate to say this is a miracle."

Pena, the American League's home run leader with 24 heading into the break, will be the fifth Rays player in the Midsummer Classic. His addition means Tampa Bay's entire regular infield will gather at Busch Stadium - a feat only three other teams have achieved in the last 40 years.

Maddon said he doesn't think it will be possible to put Pena, Ben Zobrist, Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria on the field together at the same time, but he was satisfied to be able to reward the slugger with his first All-Star nod.

The selection raised some eyebrows, considering Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler finished second in the fan voting and players' ballot at second base and was second again with the fans in voting for the final roster spot last week (Pena was fourth), but Maddon stuck to his guns.

"As the home run leader in the American League, I thought he deserved this opportunity, so that's how we went with it," Maddon said.

Pena also will round out the AL team in tonight's Home Run Derby, joining Joe Mauer, Brandon Inge and another late All-Star replacement, Nelson Cruz. Though some worry about the rigors of the contest messing up a player's natural swing, Pena wasn't about to turn the opportunity down.

"I thought that it would be only fitting for me to experience the whole entire thing," Pena said. "Whether I win it or come in dead last, I really don't care. I just wanted the full experience."

Pena took time to send his best wishes to Pedroia, whose wife, Kelli, is expecting a child in August and has been hospitalized with complications. Pedroia told the Boston media Sunday that it was more important for him to be with his family this week and passed along his best to Pena.

"I'm extremely excited for him," Pedroia said. "I hope he enjoys the experience and has a great time."

That seems a given. Pena had expressed optimism after missing out on the final spot balloting a few days earlier that he had some good years left in him at age 31 and hoped to be an All-Star someday.

It came a lot quicker than he expected, leading to a sleepless night of packing and phone calls across the U.S. and to the Dominican Republic to tell family and friends the good news. He even arranged a flight for his parents, who were visiting family in Florida, to catch a flight from Orlando to St. Louis so they could be there for the game.

On most days at the ballpark, it's difficult to find a player who can outsmile Pena. But the next two days, it will be no contest.

"This is a huge deal to me," Pena said. "I'm not going to even pretend to play it cool."