AL wins a night of the long ball
WASHINGTON — A record 10 home runs. A slew of strikeouts. The all-ornothing 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.”
“There’s a great love affair with both results. I mean, to kind of empty your tank and hit homers tonight at this event is probably the best thing imaginable,” he said. “Just to have that kind of emotion that comes with the home run, especially when the big boys hit it and especially when the Astros hit it.”
Mike Trout, Aaron Judge and Jean Segura also connected for the AL in a game where every run except one scored on a homer.
Scooter Gennett hit a tying two-run shot off Seattle closer Edwin Diaz in the bottom of the ninth.
Joey Votto, Willson Contreras, Trevor Story and Christian Yelich also homered for the NL.
There had never been more than six homers in an All-Star Game since Babe Ruth hit the very first one in 1933.
One of the homers came off Milwaukee’s Josh Hader. After the game, the 24-year-old reliever took responsibility for racist and homophobic tweets that resurfaced while he was pitching.
Hader said he was immature at age 17 when several of the tweets were posted. Deputy commissioner Dan Halem said he had spoken to Hader, and MLB said Wednesday that Hader will be required to go through sensitivity training.
“There’s no excuse for what was said,” Hader said. “I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve said and what’s been going on. It doesn’t reflect any of my beliefs going on now.”
While several sluggers went deep, not everything went their way. Starters Max Scherzer and Chris Sale and the relievers combined to fan 15 in the first 41⁄2 innings, and there were 25 strikeouts overall.
Fitting, because this season is on pace to become the first with more strikeouts than hits, a year after a record number of home runs.
“You’re facing power pitchers right now, so that’s kind of what you expect: hitor-miss with these guys,” Boston’s J.D. Martinez said.
Martinez, who leads the majors in homers and RBIs, singled and struck out in his two at-bats.
Orioles shortstop Manny Machado had fun, pulling out a camera to snap a selfie at second base after Matt Kemp doubled. By Wednesday, Machado’s trade to the L.A. Dodgers for five minorleague prospects had been reported.
“I’m just trying to enjoy this moment with the American League guys,” Machado told FOX in the dugout. “If this is the last time [in a Baltimore uniform], hopefully I treated them well and did everything I can for the organization.”
Major League Baseball, meanwhile, seemed to take a selfie of itself, with all the homers and strikeouts. This was MLB 2.018, an update that’s not appealing to everyone.
“Some of us are going to get them and they’re going to get us. It’s just how it goes,” Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
Declining attendance is a concern, and the sport’s owners worry that slower games with less action on the bases are taking a toll.