Major Leagues
MLB All Star Game Filled With All Excitement And No Drama
The Stars Were Shining In Miami
On Tuesday night, Major League Baseball held the All-Star game at Miami Stadium in front of 37,188 fans and they were treated to a great event that didn’t have any drama, but just plain good ole baseball.
I state no drama, because for the first time since the Bud Selig era, the All-Star Game was just an event, just a fun contest and not the pressure of having to win for your league in order to have home field advantage in the World Series. Once again it was just a game.
There were even moments in the game not seen on a baseball field. Fox Sports took it to another level when they had Alex Rodriguez go around the infield interviewing the players as the pitcher was warming up. They also had a mic on Bryce Harper and had an extensive conversation while he was playing right field and even talked a bit about football. Not sure if he would have been distracted if a ball was hit his way, but for entertainment purposes, it was great.
Probably one of the best quotes of the contest came from Seattle Mariners Nelson Cruz as he stopped the game during his first at bat in the sixth inning to take a photo with home plate umpire Joe West.
“They say no phones in the dugout, but they don’t say nothing about the field,” Cruz told Ken Rosenthal in the dugout after the at bat.
(STEVE MITCHELL/USA TODAY SPORTS)
The gesture just showed the how lighthearted and comfortable the game was and how much respect the ball players do have for the men in blue [black].
As for the game itself, the pitchers dominated the first four innings, keeping the All-Star sluggers off the board.
Red Sox lefty Chris Sale started for the American League and tossed two shutout innings, allowing three hits, didn’t give up a walk and struck out two. The Yankees Dellin Betances, Royals Jason Vargas, and Twins Brandon Kintzler all combined for three more shutout innings.
As for the National League, Nationals Max Scherzer started the game and three on inning, allowing a hit, no runs or walks and struck out two. Phillies Pat Neshek, and Cardinals Carlos Martinez helped shutdown the AL offense, with Martinez striking out four in two innings of work.
The AL finally broke through with a run in the top of the 5th when Twins Miguel Sano singled home Orioles Jonathan Schoop to put them up 1-0.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, the NL tied the game at 1-1 on a solo shot from Cardinals catcher Nelson Molina.
The game remained tied until the 10th inning, when Mariners Robinson Cano hit a line drive over the right field fence to put the AL up for good at 2-1.
Indians Andrew Miller took over the ninth and shut the door on the AL victory by striking out Dodgers rookie Phenom, Cody Bellinger.
It was a night that showcased all the talented stars so far this season and also the fun side of the game. It was just a great event all around without any of the drama. Just like an All-Star Game should be played.
David Conde
David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.
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