Pitchers dominate as AL beats NL in All-Star Game, 4-3

By Erik Boland Newsday • July 10, 2019 5:00 am
American League pitcher Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians after striking out the National League’s Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, to end the top of the fifth inning of the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Bieber struck out the side and was named the game’s MVP. (Tribune News Service)
American League pitcher Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians after striking out the National League’s Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, to end the top of the fifth inning of the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Bieber struck out the side and was named the game’s MVP. (Tribune News Service)

By Erik Boland

Newsday

CLEVELAND — Juiced ball? What juiced ball?

The topic of baseballs leaving the yard at a record pace this season dominated the two days here before the 90th All-Star Game, and in this hitter’s ballpark there was no telling how many balls might fly out.

Naturally, with lineups and benches packed to the gills with power, the American League and National League combined for all of two homers in a 4-3 victory by the AL in front of 36,747 at Progressive Field.

All together now, and with “Get well soon” affection for the inventor of the phrase: That’s baseball, Suzyn.

Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies went deep for the NL, while Joey Gallo of the Rangers homered for the AL.

The teams totaled 13 hits, only five by the NL, and struck out 16 times. The National League has lost seven straight All-Star Games and 14 of the last 17. Through 90 games, the AL leads 45-43-2, with the run total 373-370 in the AL’s favor.

The pitchers’ paradise came one year after there were a record 10 homers in the AL’s 8-6 victory in 10 innings in Washington.

But just because there were few long balls doesn’t mean the contest was devoid of drama.

Down 4-1 in the eighth against Indians left-hander Brad Hand, the NL put two on with none out, and the Mets’ Jeff McNeil came up. McNeil, hitting .349 in the first half with a .409 OBP, flied to left.

But with two outs Pete Alonso, the Home Run Derby champion the night before, came up with two outs and the bases loaded. Alonso stung a one-hop rocket that the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres, inserted earlier at second for teammate DJ LeMahieu, couldn’t stop on the overshift deep in the hole on the shortstop side of the bag. The two-run single made it 4-3.

Hand got out of it, and Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth for the save.

New York was well represented with five Yankees —Gary Sanchez, LeMahieu, Masahiro Tanaka, Torres and Chapman —and three Mets —Alonso, Jacob deGrom and McNeil.

Tanaka, making his first All-Star Game appearance, threw a scoreless second. Sanchez went 1 for 2, doubling and scoring in the fifth to make it 2-0. LeMahieu, the Yankees’ MVP the first half, started at second and went 0 for 2. Torres, who hit for LeMahieu in the fifth, went 1-for-2.

DeGrom was terrific, striking out one in a seven-pitch third.

Justin Verlander, the Astros’ 36-year-old right-hander, was making his second All-Star Game start. This one went far better than in 2012 in Kansas City when, as a Tiger, he allowed five first-inning runs, throwing 35 pitches.

Tanaka came on for the second and, after falling behind 2-and-0 to Cody Bellinger, struck out the Dodgers outfielder on a splitter. Nolan Arenado flied to center and Josh Bell reached on an infield hit. Tanaka retired Willson Contreras on a sharp comebacker to end the 17-pitch inning.

The AL took the lead in the bottom half against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. Alex Bregman reached on an infield hit to third. Arenado, a Gold Glover, knocked the smash down but couldn’t corral it. Sanchez, with 24 homers but in a 6-for-51 slide to end the first half, flied to center. But Michael Brantley, a longtime Indian who signed a free-agent deal with the Astros and received a loud ovation before the game, lined an RBI double into the gap in left-center to make it 1-0.

DeGrom made quick work of the AL in the third, needing just seven pitches in the 1-2-3 frame that included a strikeout of Springer on a 94-mph slider. LeMahieu grounded out and Mike Trout popped out in foul ground to first to end deGrom’s lightning quick inning.

Trout wore the No. 45 in honor of his teammate Tyler Skaggs, who died this month at age 27. Tommy La Stella, also an Angels teammate and an AL reserve, wore No. 45 as well.

Sanchez scored the AL’s second run. He led off the fifth by roping a Walker Buehler fastball down the left-field line for a double. Alonso made a nice play on an Austin Meadows grounder for the first out, which moved Sanchez to third. Jorge Polanco’s soft grounder to second, booted by Max Muncy but generously ruled a single, brought in Sanchez to make it 2-0. Torres struck out to end the inning.

Blackmon’s two-out homer off Liam Hendriks in the sixth cut the NL’s deficit to 2-1. Alonso followed with his first at-bat and struck out on four pitches.

Matt Chapman started the seventh against Brandon Woodruff with a walk and went to third on James McCann’s single to left-center. Xander Bogaerts grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that got Chapman in for a 3-1 lead. Giants left-hander Will Smith came on to face Gallo, who slammed one to right to make it 4-1.