American League Defeats National League For Third Straight All-Star Game Victory
For the third straight year, the American League All-Stars handed the National League All-Stars a loss, taking last night’s 86th MLB All-Star Game by a final score of 6-3.
L.A. Angels outfielder Mike Trout got the party started early on with an opposite-field home run off N.L. starter and former Baseball Factory player, Zack Greinke to give the American League a 1-0 lead. The ball left the ballpark at a speed of 100.2 miles per hour, according to MLB’s Statcast, a real-time tracking technology analyzation to determine player performance.
It was the first lead-off home run in an All-Star game since the Reds’ Joe Morgan did it in 1977. Trout took home MVP award honors, scoring two of the A.L.’s six runs on the night.
Baseball Factory’s alumni did well during their appearances in last night’s game, helping both the A.L. and N.L.
Greinke, despite giving up the leadoff homerun, pitched well in his two innings, allowing just the one run and hit to Trout, while walking one and striking out four. His four strikeouts were the most since Pedro Martinez fanned five hitters in the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.
With the game tied at 1 in the fifth, former Team One participant, Prince Fielder stepped to the plate and delivered an RBI single to left field off L.A. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, giving the A.L. the lead for good. Fielder later added a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to give the A.L. a 5-2 advantage.
Ryan Braun, a 2001 Team One National participant, delivering a pinch-hit triple in the ninth inning, and then scoring on Brandon Crawford’s sacrifice fly to make it a 6-3 score.
Justin Upton entered the game in the seventh inning last night, replacing Bryce Harper in left field and singled in his only at-bat in the eighth, while also stealing second base.