In a game where all but one run was scored on homeruns, the American League got back to back homers from two Houston Astros in the 10th inning Tuesday night to top the National League 8-6 in the 89th MLB All Star game at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The 10 home runs in the game set an All Star game record, with both teams going deep five times. The previous record was six in a game.
Aaron Judge from the Yankees and Mike Trout from the Angels had solo homers in the second and third innings for the A.L., while Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras hit a solo shot for the N.L. in the third. The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh when Trevor Story from the Rockies tied the game with a solo homer off Astros Charlie Morton. Story made history by homering in his first ever All Star at bat.
Shortstop Jean Segura from the Mariners, who won the fans vote as the final All-Star picked over Bostons Andrew Benintendi seemed to put the American League in complete control in the top of the eighth with a three run homer to make it 5-2. The N.L. wasn’t done however, as Marlins All Star Christian Yelich hit a solo bomb in bottom half of the inning to cut it to 5-3. Edwin Diaz, who has 36 saves and 79 strikeouts in 48 innings this year for the Mariners came in to finish the game for the A.L. with a two run lead. Scooter Gennett had different thoughts however as he tied the game and sent it to extra innings with a two run homer. Gennett was only the third player in MLB history to tie an All Star game with a homerun in the ninth inning. The other two were Ralph Kiner in 1950, and Fred McGriff in 1994.
In the extra frame, both Alex Bregman and George Springer hit solo homers off Dodgers reliever Ross Stripling, and Michael Brantley from the Indians added a sacrifice fly to give the A.L. back a three run lead. The N.L. got one more back in bottom of 10th on a solo homer by Cinncinatti Reds first baseman Joey Votto off Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ, but that would end the scoring and give the A.L. their sixth consecutive All Star win. Bregman was named MVP of the game. Diaz got credit for the win, and Happ got the save. Stripling suffered the loss with the three runs allowed in the 10th. The Bregman and Springer home runs were the first back to back long balls by players from same team since Steve Garvey and Jim Wynn did so for the Dodgers in the second inning of the 1975 All Star game.
The Boston Red Sox started three of their five All Stars in the game in Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, and starting pitcher Chris Sale. Betts was 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts, Martinez was 1-2 with a single, while Sale pitched 1.0 inning allowing no runs and one hit with one strikeout. Sale threw one pitch clocked at 100.7 MPH, his fastest since 2010. Mitch Moreland came off the bench and had a pair of singles in three plate appearances in his first ever All Star game, while closer Craig Kimbrel didn’t see any action.
The second half of the season officially begins on Thursday when St Louis visits the Chicago Cubs. The first place Red Sox start back up on Friday with David Price on the mound at 7:10 for the first of three games with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
