KANSAS CITY — Yes, as the marketing slogans remind us incessantly, there are things beyond simple pride on the line in baseball’s Midsummer Classic, but first and foremost it’s meant to be a show, an exhibition of skill devoid of the daily grind of true consequences.
Justin Verlander attempted to provide a sellout crowd of 40,933 at Kauffman Stadium precisely that, but instead provided the National League with a big inning that led to an easy 8-0 victory Tuesday over the American League in the 83rd all-star game, and home-field advantage in the World Series for a third straight year.
Sure the Detroit Tigers ace, not to mention defending MVP and Cy Young Award winner, ended up getting slapped around for five runs on four hits and two walks in his sole inning of work, but by hitting triple digits on the radar gun six times, there was at least some style in the way it went down.
“Obviously I know we gave up runs and I know it means something, but we’re here for the fans and I know the fans don’t want to see me throw 90 and try to hit the corners, so have fun,” he said afterwards. “I knew nobody wants to see me throw 90. They want to see the 100 m.p.h. fastball.
“I gave them that.”
Verlander delivered the last part in a sarcastic tone, laughing off the fact he coughed up only the second ever five-run first inning – the AL put up six in the top of the first at Houston in 2004 – and seventh frame of five runs or more in the all-star game’s history.
The rough start meant some busy times in right field for Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, who had to chase down the Ryan Braun RBI double that opened the scoring, and later the three-run triple by Pablo Sandoval that opened up a 4-0 lead.
But Bautista provided some show of his own with the defensive play of the night, sliding to snare Braun’s soft liner for the last out of the second – he also made a tremendous sliding catch in last year’s all-star game, his ankle crashing into the wall in foul territory – and went 0-for-1 with a walk in two trips to the plate.
Combined with his second-place finish in Monday’s home run derby, appearance in the ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue and Wednesday’s upcoming trip to Los Angeles for the Espy Awards, Bautista is enjoying a successful and eventful break.
“A good experience as always, I had a lot of fun,” said Bautista. “You try to let loose a little bit and rest up and not be in competitive mode 120 per cent of the time. I’m looking forward to second half, hopefully we have a strong one, we’re within reach and try to go to the playoffs.
“I’m not getting any younger, I’ve been on losing teams for a long time, ever since I’ve been here we’ve been on the winning side but not made the post-season.”
The National League, now up 43-38-2 all-time against the American League, extended the lead in the fourth against Matt Harrison of the Texas Rangers in an inning that again had Bautista scrambling around, as he had to field Rafael Furcal’s triple and Matt Holliday’s RBI single, but could only watch as San Francisco Giants centre-fielder Melky Cabrera clubbed the night’s only home run, a two-run liner to left that made it 8-0, and earned him all-star game MVP honours.
The offence dried up in a hurry from there, although there were some nice statistical moments.
Los Angeles Angels rookie Mike Trout, at 20 years 338 days, became the youngest player to record a hit in the all-star game since Al Kaline in 1955 (20 years, 205 days) while veteran Chipper Jones became the first 40-year-old with a base hit in the contest since Cal Ripken Jr., in 2001.
The longtime Atlanta Braves third baseman, appearing in his eighth and final all-star game, addressed the NL squad prior to the game at manager Tony La Russa’s request, making for a fine swan song.
“I was honoured that Tony asked me to say something and I just wanted the guys to know nothing’s a given, you don’t know when the last one is going to be, soak up this opportunity,” said Jones. “I quoted the late great Lou Brown in ‘Major League,’ two’s nice but three’s a winning streak, and tonight we got on a bit of a roll and we’ve won three in a row.
“Somebody in this clubhouse is going to be real happy to have home-field advantage come October.”
The house really rocked when Royals first baseman Billy Butler, whose exclusion from the home run derby by Robinson Cano led to relentless booing for the Yankees second baseman, entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
To the fans’ chagrin, he grounded out to third against Phillies lefty Cole Hamels and then struck out in the ninth against Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan, the second out, before Matt Wieters flew out against Philadelphia’s Jonathan Papelbon to end it.
The radar gun was also lit up in the eighth, when Cincinnati Reds fireballer Aroldis Chapman hit triple digits four times, three of them at 101 in a walk to Trout. The Cuban toned it down a little bit against Mark Trumbo, going 98, 96, 98, 99, 98 for a swinging strikeout.
Verlander, for all his power, doesn’t typically blow up the radar guns the way he did Tuesday, evolving into more of a pitcher in recent years who reaches back for the high heat only when needed.
Shifting gears for the all-star game his command was off, which made him less effective.
He went 99 and 100 on consecutive fastballs to Joey Votto, the Cincinnati Reds first baseman from Toronto before catching him looking with an 81 m.p.h. curveball, broke triple digits against Carlos Beltran three times, walking him on a 101 m.p.h. fastball that was high, then started San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey with consecutive 100 m.p.h. balls before walking him on four pitches.
“That’s why I don’t try to throw 100 in the first inning,” said Verlander. “It doesn’t usually work out too well.”
Notes: San Francisco Giants right-hander Matt Cain, whose selection as NL starter led to much hand-wringing in New York, picked up the win with two scoreless innings. R.A. Dickey of the Mets pitched a scoreless sixth. Each allowed a hit. … The NL posted the first all-star shutout since beating the AL 6-0 at Philadelphia in 1996. … Dating back to the 2010 Midsummer Classic, NL pitchers have held the AL to just two runs on 18 hits and eight walks over 27 innings. … The NL hit three triples in the game, an all-star first. … The NL last won three straight from 1994-96. … La Russa is 4-2 in six games as an all-star manager, while Ron Washington of the Texas Rangers is 0-2.
