Astros’ Bregman has biggest of 10 HRs in AL’s All-Star win.
10 long balls in game shatters Midsummer Classic record, in a game with 25 strikeouts
WASHINGTON — Brandon Crawford was going to be aggressive. Drawing a walk in an All-Star Game isn’t necessarily a conversation starter, so the Giants’ shortstop stepped into Luis Severino’s perfectly placed 99-mph fastball and went for it.
Crawford missed the pitch, but he wasn’t alone. The 89th All-Star Game epitomized the modern-day game. A lot of high heat and high, towering drives over the outfield wall.
The American League beat the National League 8-6, its sixth straight win, in a wild, 10-inning display that featured a record 10 home runs and 25 strikeouts. Houston’s Alex Bregman, who hit a go-ahead homer in the final inning, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“There were some big arms on both sides, and a few guys connected,” Crawford said. “That’s going to happen when you have a lot of power arms and power bats.”
Crawford played five innings and went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, though his second K came on a pitch several inches outside. He was the Giants’ lone All-Star in attendance. Buster Posey remained in the Bay Area for treatment on his hip ailment.
The two A’s All-Stars entered together in the sixth inning and provided some nifty teamwork. Blake Treinen retired all three of his batters, and second baseman Jed Lowrie made a tough play to his left to glove Christian Yelich’s grounder and throw him out.
“I didn’t get a strikeout, so maybe I’ve got to re-evaluate myself,” quipped Treinen.
Lowrie replaced reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve and had two hitless at-bats and a walk, but the play on Yelich with Treinen on the mound served as a signature moment for two players on a team that finds itself in contention after sprinting to the All-Star break by winning 21 of 27.
“That was so cool to both be a part of a play in an All-Star Game,” Treinen said. “I looked
back, and he’s making the play, and I was like, ‘Oh, there’s Jed.’ ”
“To have that shared experience with Blake was great,” Lowrie said, “and I got to make a play for him.”
Crawford saw something he doesn’t see every day. Due to hit in the fourth inning, he noticed a left-handed pitcher was replaced by a righty. Usually it’s the other way around, but Blake Snell reached his pitch limit, so AL manager A.J. Hinch summoned Joe Jimenez.
It prompted a few laughs in the NL dugout, which was run by Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager, and several of his coaches.
“I was joking around with the Dodger staff because they always seem to bring in a lefty for me,” Crawford said. “It was funny because (Hinch) brought in a righty this time.”
It wasn’t the only light moment Crawford had while teaming with the Dodgers. In Monday’s batting practice, the pitcher designated to throw to Crawford was a lefty.
Crawford said, “I was like, ‘You guys can’t even give me a right-handed BP guy?’ ”
The 10 homers broke the old record of six. Scooter Gennett’s two-run shot in the ninth forced an extra inning, and Bregman and Houston teammate George Springer hit backto-back homers to open the 10th. Michael Brantley later hit a sacrifice fly, sending in the night’s only run not produced by a homer.
Gennett, Jean Segura, Willson Contreras and Trevor Story each homered in his first All-Star Game. On the strikeout front, NL starter Max Scherzer had a game-high four and was one pitch from striking out the side in the first inning, only to walk Mike Trout.
“Standard operation nowadays, right?” said Hinch, referring to a season that could end with more strikeouts than hits for the first time in history. “In the beginning, it was, ‘Are we going to have a hit other than a homer?’ At the end, it was, ‘Are we going to have enough pitching to get out of this mess?’ ”
Story replaced Crawford, who didn’t get a ball hit to him. Sure enough, Story quickly got a grounder his way but threw the ball in the dirt on a doubleplay attempt, Joey Votto failing to scoop it.
Both of Crawford’s at-bats came with two outs and a runner aboard, and both times he worked the count to 3-2. His second time up, Jimenez threw a slider away. As in way away. Crawford took it, thinking it was ball four, which it should have been. But umpire Ted Barrett called it a strike.
A questionable call but a rewarding night overall.
“Everything I expected,” Crawford said. “Just being with the best players in baseball, it was a lot of fun.”
“Just an exciting game,” Lowrie said. “It’s everything an exhibition game should be.”