National League Wins MLB All-Star Game with 3-1 victory
The National League ended their 13-year losing skid to the American league last night to win the Midsummer Classic at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Brian McCann from the National League sealed a 3-1 victory for his club with a three-run double in the seventh innings.
"You dream of moments like this as a kid. It was amazing," said McCann.
With the bases loaded, the Atlanta Braves catcher stepped up to the plate and instantly became the hero of the night, by breaking the game wide open with a line drive to right field versus Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander.
This allowed team mates Scott Rolen, Matt Holliday and Marlon Byrd to score and win the game for a National’s team that was tired of losing.
"Enough was enough," said St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright on ESPN. The National League failed to win an all-star game since 1996. They came close back in 2002, ending the game in a 7-7 tie.
The tide has turned in favour of the National League as they earned home-field advantage for this year's World Series. Following his efforts, the National’s bench was all smiles.
This was McCann’s fifth straight appearance in the all-star and the three-time silver slugger was named the game's most valuable player. Of course the club got a helping hand from its incredibly talented pitching staff, led by starter Ubaldo Jimenez. This was the National League’s secret weapon heading into this contest.
"I wasn't nervous. I was just trying to stay under control," Jimenez said to the Washington Post. "It was everything I expected. What I will take from this experience is that I was part of a special team that broke the streak."
Jimenez started in the first and kept the opposition off the board with his solid pitching. He and the other National pitchers made plays with their arms and kept the game a low scoring affair. The American League’s lone run came in the fifth innings when New York Yankees second basemen, Robinson Cano, hit a fly ball allowing Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria to score in the process.
Trailing late in the game, the American League tried to reverse their fortunes, but came up empty in a ninth-innings rally that saw Boston slugger David Ortiz on base.
Similar to the regular season, the only interest for coaches lies with how well your team stacks up against another team. Much importance is accorded to the score at the end of the game as everyone wants to play well against their peers and ultimately have bragging rights for the entire year.
Leading the American League was arguably one of the best hitters in the game right now, Miguel Cabrera. The Tigers' first baseman leads the American League in both batting average (.346) and RBI (77), and has 22 home runs, but was held in check yesterday. Detroit’s Cabrera was 1-2 with a single in the first innings.
Last night’s game featured strength against strength as the American League’s roster was stacked with heavy hitters and the National League saw an abundance of talent from their pitchers. Most pundits thought the advantage would clearly swing in favour of the American League, due to their power hitters. This was not the case.
The 81st Midsummer Classic game revealed that it is more advantageous to have solid pitching rather than to be armed with power hitters.
Vlad Guerrero, who came into this game with 20 home runs and 75 RBI was not a factor along with Robinson Cano and Evan Longoria, some of the game’s best hitters. Despite having these superstars in their line-up, it simply wasn’t enough.
They were tested last night and the National League’s superb pitchers in Roy Halladay, Josh Johnson and Adam Wainwright had the edge.
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