If you watched the All-Star game last night you saw a pretty good game that featured the unusual stat that every single run, save one, in an 8-6 AL win scored because of a home run. There were 10 home runs hit in the game and all but 2 were solo shots. The multi-run shots were hit by Seattle’s Jean Segura who hit a 3-run shot in the top of the 8th giving the AL a 5-2 lead at the time and a 2-run shot by Cincinnati’s Scooter Gennett in the bottom of the 9th that tied the game and sent the contest into extra innings. That 3-run shot by Segura was the difference in the game in terms of overall scoring. Still, a really nice game with the last 3 innings of regulation and the 10th inning featuring a pretty awesome display of power.
The AL led 2-0 as of the top of the 3rd thanks to solo HR’s by Aaron Judge in the 2nd and Mike Trout in the 3rd. It was star vs star as Judge homered off Max Scherzer and Trout hit his HR off Jason deGrom. Blake Snell of Tampa gave up a 2-out solo shot to the Cubs Wilson Contreras in the bottom of the 3rd to make the score 2-1. The score remained the same heading into the bottom of the 7th when Houston’s Charlie Morton gave up a solo HR to Rockies SS Trevor Story Tying the score at 2. In the top of the 8th came Segura’s 3-run shot making the score 5-3. In the bottom of the 8th the NL came back and got a solo HR off Morton by Tampa’s Christian Yelich, in his second inning of work, to close the gap to 5-3. The AL went down without scoring in the top of the 9th. In the bottom of the inning came Cincy’s Gennett’s 2-run blast to tie the score at 5. In the top of the 10th Alex Bregman hit a leadoff HR to give Houston a 6-5 lead. George Springer was up next and he went deep to extend the AL lead to 7-5. Jean Segura followed with a single. Mitch Mooreland was next and he hit a slow rolling single into right. Segura was hustling all the way and he advanced to 3B on the play. Yan Gomes struck out next for the first out but Michael Brantley picked him up by hitting a sac fly to left that allowed Segura to score making the score 8-5 and the only run scored in the game not as a result of a home run. Oakland’s Jed Lowry grounded out for the final out of the inning but the damage had been done. Former Astro and current Blue Jay JA Happ came to lock down the game for the AL but Happ gave up a solo HR to Cincinnati’s Joey Votto to make the 8-6. Happ buckled down after that and he retired the NL 1-2-3 to end a really good game.
In the 10th it was like a 2017 World series flashback with the Astros and Dodgers coaching staffs coaching the game for their respective leagues and Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling on the mound facing the Astros Alex Bregman and George Springer to lead off the inning. Just like the WS Houston hitting bested Dodger pitching as Bregman and Springer went back-to-back to give the AL a 2-run lead.
Alex Bregman won the MVP Award and I’m happy for him but he was wrongly credited with the game winning hit when he was responsible for the go-ahead home run. Bregman was 1-2 with a K and a HR. Nice but not MVP worthy. George Springer actually hit the home run that was responsible for the winning run and Springer went 2-2 with a HR, a single with 2 runs scored and an RBI. If a Houston player was going to win it should really have been Springer. If it was up to me Jean Segura would have won the MVP. He hit the 3-run homer in the 8th and he singled and scored the AL’s 8th run to give him a 2-2 night with 3 RBI’s, 2 runs scored and a HR. Fans voted online for the MVP and Bregman is a fan favorite so good for him.