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This isn’t your normal all-star game. This is the all-star game that decides home field advantage in the World Series. So which division won baseball’s midsummer classic and who was able to jam-pack their all-star stat lines?
For the third straight season, the American League took down the National League, recording a 6-3 victory at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. The AL has now cut the all-time record to 43-41 between the two leagues. The team with the World Series home advantage has won nine of the last 10 Game 7’s.
For a full box score, click here. Keep reading for a breakdown of the game’s best highlights:
Mike Trout Made All-Star History
Y’all heard about this Mike Trout guy? He’s pretty good at playing baseball. Or something. That something is a cycle in the all-star game.
Trout, in the first at bat during the 2015 event, connected on a solo home run off starting pitcher Zach Greinke. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace hadn’t given up a run his previous 35.2 innings pitched in the regular season. It was the first leadoff home run in all-star history since Bo Jackson did it in 1989. That’s fairly good company.
As if that weren’t enough, Harper has now recorded the all-star hitting cycle:
Mike Trout led off his first ASG with a single, second with a double, third with a triple and fourth with a homer. The natural ASG cycle.
According to Bob Vetrone Jr. of the Philadelphia Daily News, Trout, who is only 23, is just the ninth player in MLB history to hit for the cycle in all-star appearances, joining the likes of Willie Mays, Ted Williams and Ernie Banks.
But wait. There’s more.
For the first time in the history of the MLB, Trout was named the All-Star game MVP for the second straight year. He picked the Chevy Silverado. “Last year, I took the Corvette, so this year I’ll take the truck,” he said. Of course. Trout finished the game with two hits.
The American League Reserves Broke the Game Open
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It was the most runs the AL has scored in an All-Star game since 2005 and it came, for the most part, off the bat of the league’s reserves. While Trout set the tone for his league’s offensive efforts, it was the bench that broke the game open in the fifth inning, taking Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who earned the loss, for two runs to take a lead it would never again surrender.
Prince Fielder, who drove in two runs on the night, got it all started with an RBI single before Lorenzo Cain followed up with a double to left field. Manny Machado added an RBI in the seventh and, for good measure, Brian Dozier homered to center field in the eighth.
Andrew McCutchen Recorded His Own Home Run for the NL
The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder made sure he earned his recently-acquired spot in the All-Star starting lineup by connecting on a first pitch shot in his sixth inning at bat.
McCutchen drove the slider from Chris Archer, on the mound in his second inning of relief, to deep right field, cutting the AL’s lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning.
Jacob deGrom Was Phenomenal in Relief
The Mets ace was this close to being perfect. Still, DeGrom’s performance on the mound for the National League in relief was nothing short of phenomenal.
DeGrom came on to pitch in the top of the sixth and, for all intents and purposes, mowed down the AL. He struck out the side and came just one pitch shy of an immaculate inning, throwing 10 pitches, almost all in the upper-90s. He also made a little bit of history along the way:
Pete Rose Received a Pre-Game Standing Ovation
After being named one of the four franchise faces of the Cincinnati Reds, Rose received a boisterous pre-game standing ovation from the fans at the Great American Ballpark. Rose had received special permission from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to be on the field despite his lifetime ban from the game of baseball after he gambled on the team while manager.
Rose spoke about the moment:
The only bad thing about being out there: I didn’t get no at-bats. I wish I had gotten a couple of at-bats. The fans were wonderful. I’ve been going through this love affair for 30 years. The fans are great.
According to ESPN, Rose is slated to met with Manfred sooner rather than later to discuss an application for his reinstatement.