Royals lead Americans to victory
K.C.’s Hosmer, Perez homer; Orioles’ Britton gets save
SAN DIEGO — American League manager Ned Yost didn’t need to convince the AL team how important an All-Star Game victory is to the winning league.
Yost let his Kansas City Royals players do it for him.
Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez hit second-inning homers off National League starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, leading the AL to a 4-2 victory before an announced 42,386 in the 87th All-Star Game at Petco Park.
Hosmer’s homer, along with a runscoring single, earned him All-Star Game Most Valuable Player honors.
“Home-field advantage is huge,” Yost said coming into the game. “It’s huge for us in Kansas City. And it’s going to be huge for whoever gets to the World Series this year.”
Last year’s AL victory gave Kansas City home field on the way to winning the 2015 World Series title. Tuesday night’s victory gives the AL home field for the 11th time in the 14 years it has been attached to the midsummer classic.
Pregame festivities in this military city included a flyover and a giant flag stretching across the outfield during the national anthem.
Then there was an unexpected announcement by Major League Baseball, which announced it will honor Hall of Famers Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn by naming the AL batting title award for Carew and the NL batting title award for Gwynn. The pair combined for 15 batting titles during their careers.
Those who aspired to such greatness then took the field.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant declined to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, but that didn’t mean the former University of San Diego star wasn’t intent on launching a ball into the seats.
Bryant hit the first pitch he saw from AL starting pitcher Chris Sale into the left field stands to give the NLa1-0 lead three batters into the game. Bryant had been 0-for-6 with six strikeouts in his career against the Chicago White Sox left-hander. The lead didn’t last long. Cueto allowed a single to the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout in an otherwise uneventful first inning. The following inning was another story.
Cueto came out for a second inning of work and retired the Orioles’ Manny Machado on a groundout, but Hosmer then hit a ball that joined Bryant’s in the left-field seats. It was the first All-Star home run by a Royals player since Bo Jackson’s in 1989.
The Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts followed with a single, then Perez put a third ball into the left-field seats.
NL manager Terry Collins replaced Cueto with the Miami Marlins’ Jose Fernandez to get out of the inning.
“It’s a big responsibility to start the game,” said Cueto, who took the loss. “I wasn’t able to do the job.”
Cueto, 13-1 this season with a 2.47 ERA, gave up more runs in 12⁄ innings than he averages per game. He said he wasn’t at his best. “I’m not trying to make up an excuse,” Cueto said. “As you know, sometimes you get up feeling well, sometimes you don’t. This morning I got up not feeling well. It’s not an excuse. I wanted to go out there and pitch and do the best I could the way I was feeling.”
Hosmer added an RBI single in the fourth inning to give the AL a 4-1 advantage.
The NL countered in the fourth on a run-scoring single by the Marlins’ Marcell Ozuna that made it 4-2.
Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz drew a walk off Fernandez, then was replaced for a pinch runner. Big Papi, who is retiring after the season, waved to the crowd as he exited to a standing ovation. The Royals’ Eric Hosmer homers in the second inning. Hosmer, who also singled in a run, was named the game’s MVP.
Pitching took it from there in a game that was scoreless after the fourth inning.
Orioles left-hander Zach Britton closed out the game in the ninth for the AL, getting a double-play ground ball to end the game.
All-Star dominance has gone back and forth in a series that traces its roots to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The NL leads, 43-42-2. The AL will have an opportunity to even the series next year in Miami at the 2017 All-Star Game.