*Photo from WKYC*
The pitchers took back power, if only for one night. After an electrifying home run derby the night before, only a few home runs were hit tonight. Instead, Justin Verlander punched 97 mph fastballs, Shane Bieber and Aroldis Chapman struck out the side, and the American League held off a comeback attempt by the National League to pick up a 4-3 win in the 2019 all star game(ASG). Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado said that ''I know it's the year of the home run, but pitching dominated today." The AL pitchers combined to strike out 16 batters.
The AL jumped on the board early when Michael Brantley of the Houston Astros doubled to center field, scoring teammate Alex Bregman from first base. They extended the lead to 2-0 in the 5th when Jorge Polanco beat out a ground ball to score Gary Sanchez. In the 6th, the NL got on the board with Rockies CF Charlie Blackmon's home run to center field. In the 7th, Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts grounded into a double play that scored a run, and Joey Gallo launched a ball into the right field seats to make it 4-1 AL. In the 8th, the NL picked up 2 runs on a Pete Alonso single that made it a one run game. The AL bullpen held after that to secure the win.
Masahiro Tanaka got the win for the American League, becoming the first Yankee pitcher to win the ASG. Clayton Kershaw took the loss for the NL, giving up one run over one inning. Chapman closed out the game in the 9th by striking out the side for the AL, who has now won 19 of the last 22 ASG's, with a tie wedged in there. He got some extra encouragement from teammate CC Sabathia, who came out as a pitching coach in the 9th, as AL manager Alex Cora allowed the former Indian to be showered with cheers from the Cleveland crowd one last time, as Sabathia is retiring at the end of the season.
Only two homers were hit in this ASG, despite the fact that MLB is on track for a historic season for homers. Last year, a record 10 homers were hit in the ASG in Washington, DC. Cubs 3B Kris Bryant said that ''I kind of expected it, to be honest, you only see them once, so they have the advantage.'' Indians RHP Shane Bieber, who made the all star game just a few days ago, dazzled the home crowd, striking out the side in the 5th inning to earn the MVP award. Bieber donated his hat to the baseball hall of fame after the fact. The biggest misplay of the night was the scoreboard, with Rockies OF David Dahl and Cubs C Willson Contreras having their names misspelled. Mets utility player Jeff McNeil's name was spelled correctly, but the photo with him was of teammate Jacob Degrom. McNeil voiced his disapproval after the game.
All players in the ASG wore a number 45 patch on their jerseys in honor of the late Tyler Skaggs, who passed away last Monday. Angels representatives Mike Trout and Tommy LaStella changed their jersey numbers to 45, and a moment of silence was held pregame. The second half of the regular season gets underway on Thursday, when the Astros and Rangers face off in Arlington, TX. Every other team returns to action on Friday, with the most notable series being a world series rematch between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Next year's ASG is at Dodger Stadium.
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