A record 10 home runs. An onslaught of strikeouts. The all-or-nothing All-Star Game mirrored what baseball has become. Astros teammates Alex Bregman and George Springer homered on consecutive pitches to begin the 10th inning, and the American League beat the National League 8-6 Tuesday night for its sixth straight win. "Standard operation nowadays, right?" said AL manager A.J. Hinch of Houston. "We're going to homer and punch out as an industry."
The 89th annual MLB All-Star Game turned into a Home Run Derby at Nationals Park on Tuesday. An All-Star Game record 10 home runs -- 10 home runs! -- were hit Tuesday night, and, when it was all said and done, the American League outlasted the National League in 10 innings (AL 8, NL 6). Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was named All-Star Game MVP after hitting the go-ahead homer in the 10th inning. Here are 11 things to know about the homer-happy 2018 MLB All-Star Game.
It's Home Run Derby day in Washington. Before some of baseball's biggest stars look to go deep at Nationals Park, we asked some of our writers to take a swing at some pressing Derby and All-Star Game questions.
If we’re being honest, most All-Star Games are rather boring because the vast majority of guys aren’t giving anywhere close to 100 percent and there’s almost no defence played. For example, this year’s NBA All-Star Game had a final score of 148-145. You aren’t going to see a score like that in a regular game unless it goes to several overtimes. It is fair to say that the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is the most competitive of the four major U.S. sports leagues and has the most tradition. You may be old enough to remember (if not, I recommend YouTubing it) ultra-competitive Pete Rose barreling over catcher Ray Fosse at the 1970 All-Star Game. Fosse was really never the same player after that.
When the first MLB All-Star Game was held at Comiskey Park in Chicago in July of 1933, it was meant to be a one-time event to bolster the sport during the depths of the Great Depression. Billed as a one-of-a-kind “Game of the Century,” the contest between the two league rosters stocked with a diamond-full of Hall of Famers was popular enough for MLB to make it an annual occurrence.
As the promo count -- if not the excitement level -- builds for the 89th All-Star Game, do me a favor. Just off the top of your head and without googling, answer this All-Star question for me: Who was the All-Star MVP last year? Too tough for you? How about this one: Where was the game played last year? How about the MVP in 2016? Or from '15? Or '14?
Pitchers Charlie Morton and Blake Snell have been named to the American League's All-Star roster, MLB announced Friday. The two will replace Aroldis Chapman and Corey Kluber, who are inactive for Tuesday's All-Star Game. This marks the first time Morton and Snell have been named to an All-Star team.
Too many strikeouts. Not enough hits or balls in play. Defensive shifts that are too pervasive and too extreme. Hitters who are too stubborn or prideful to shoot singles the other way. Too many pitching changes. Too many all-or-nothing swings. Too many horribly noncompetitive teams. Too few pennant races. Too much analytics. Not enough fundamentals. Too few superstars.
Terry Francona’s heart, of all things, has kept him away from baseball. Cleveland’s passionate and driven manager underwent a procedure Thursday to correct an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him for a few games and will prevent him from managing in the All-Star Game next week. The 58-year-old Francona had been experiencing dizziness, fatigue and a rapid heart rate for several weeks. He had a cardiac ablation at the Cleveland Clinic.
Leading into the game, Major League Baseball has two days worth of events slated, including the annual MLB Futures All-Star game on Sunday, July 9 and the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby on Monday, July 10.
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The All-Star Game isn’t just a reward for a good three months. It should be a reward for brilliant careers, too.
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The pair of stars faced off for the first time Tuesday night, and expressed immense respect for each other post-game.
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The Chicago Cubs become just the second team in baseball history to have its entire infield be named All-Star starters.
Here are the full rosters for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in San Diego
The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox headline the American and National League starting rosters for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game. The top vote-getters were announced on Tuesday night, with the Cubs sending an MLB-high five starting players (seven total) to the Midsummer Classic at San Diego on July 12. Eleven of the starters selected by fans are first-year selections, the most since 2005.