Washington (AFP) – Alex Bregman and George Springer smashed back-to-back home runs, part of a record 10 homers on Tuesday, to power the American League over the National League 8-6 in the 89th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Each team blasted a record five homers to shatter the old combined All-Star Game mark of six last managed in 1971, but the decisive blasts came in the 10th inning from two members of the World Series champion Houston Astros.
Two outs from defeat in the ninth inning, the National League equalized at 5-5 on pinch-hitter Scooter Gennett’s two-run homer off American League relief pitcher Edwin Diaz.
But AL third baseman Bregman homered to open the 10th and outfielder Springer followed with another blast off Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling for a 7-5 American League lead.
Jean Segura, who belted a three-run homer in the eighth to give the AL a 5-2 edge, singled and later scored the only run not produced by a homer on a Michael Brantley sacrifice fly.
Joey Votto led off the National League 10th with a homer to create the final margin, but Toronto Blue Jays left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ retired the next three batters to end the three-hour, 34-minute spectacle.
The American League took a 44-43 lead with two drawn in the all-time rivalry before a crowd of 43,843 in the first meeting of select squads in the US capital since 1969.
It was the American League’s sixth consecutive victory and 18th in the past 21 contests.
Diaz was the winning pitcher with Stripling the loser and Happ getting the save in the highest-scoring All-Star Game since 2002.
Chicago Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras, Colorado shortstop Trevor Story and Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich also hit solo homers for the National League.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Mike Trout also hit solo homers for the American League.
AL designated hitter Choo Shin-soo, a Texas Rangers slugger and the first non-pitcher from South Korea in an All-Star Game, singled to left field, then took second Springer’s one-out single.
NL first baseman Joey Votto dropped a pop up in foul territory that would have retired Segura, who made him pay just one pitch later with a three-run homer.
Yelich answered with a homer in the eighth and Gennett sent the game into extra innings with his ninth-inning blast.
Boston left-hander Chris Sale was the American League starting pitcher against Washington right-hander Max Scherzer for the National League in a matchup of the major league strikeouts leaders.
The AL batting lineup included four of the top five major league homer blasters, who lived up to their billing.
– Judge, Trout homer early –
Judge opened the scoring on a homer to left-centerfield off Scherzer to start the second inning.
New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom replaced Scherzer in the third and was tagged for a homer by Trout.
Venezuelan Contreras answered for the National League in the third and story’s solo homer in the seventh equalized at 2-2.
AL shortstop Manny Machado took a selfie with NL outfielder Matt Kemp, with Kemp’s Los Angeles Dodgers among the likely landing places for Machado, expected to be traded by struggling Baltimore before Friday.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.