AL tops NL 4-3 in 90th MLB All-Star Game

The 2019 National League and American League All-Stars line up on the first and third baselines for the performance of the American National Anthem in Cleveland, OH. Photo by Jack Butler.

The games best were in Cleveland on Tuesday: providing fans with cheers,

heartfelt moments, tears and (boos)

Jack Butler jbutle58@lakers.mercyhust.edu

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Baseball’s best players arrived in Cleveland for the 90th Mid-Summer Classic at Progressive Field, with the whole baseball world watching. The host city did not disappoint as it put on a show. Cleveland hosted a record sixth All-Star Game, last in 1997, when then Indians catcher, Sandy Alomar Jr. hit a go-ahead homer to the left-field bleachers, earning MVP honors. Twenty-two years later there were more memorable moments.

Prior to the announcement of the National and American League All-Stars, there was a tribute on the huge jumbotron to the late Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson, the first African American Manager. This was followed by a loud ovation from the fans. When the players were on their respective lines, there was a moment of silence for the Los Angeles Angels left-handed pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, who suddenly passed away last Monday. Then the NL and AL teams starting lineups were announced, the Canadian and American National Anthems were sung, and jets from the 122nd fighter squadron provided the flyover. The festivities weren’t done yet. CC Sabathia, who spent his first eight seasons as an Indian threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Indians Hall of Famer, Alomar Jr. With the festivities completed the AL All-Stars took the field, attempting to add to their impressive six-game winning streak.

Justin Verlander (10-2, 2.98 ERA), started for the AL, retiring the reigning NL MVP, Christian Yelich, Javier Báez, and Freddie Freeman in order. The AL had their first at-bats, facing the possible NL Cy Young winner, Hyun-Jin Ryu (10-2, 1.73 ERA) in the bottom of the first. The Astros’ George Springer led off with a single, but Ryu sent down DJ LeMahieu, Mike Trout, and hometown starter, Carlos Santana. AL Manager, Alex Cora, made his first pitching change, sending Masahiro Tanaka (5-5, 3.86 ERA) to pitch the second. Besides giving up a two-out single to the Pirates Josh Bell, no damage was done to the scoreboard.

The American League struck first in the home half of the second. Houston’s Alex Bregman singled and two batters later, teammate and former Indian, Michael Brantley drove him in with a double to left-center. Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 3.06 ERA) got Jorge Polanco to strikeout to end the threat and there would be no more scoring until the bottom frame of the fifth. Prior to the AL adding to their 1-0 lead, the Cleveland Indians twenty-four-year-old right-handed pitcher, Shane Bieber (8-3, 3.45 ERA), came into the game. Bieber received thunderous cheers from the hometown crowd when he marched from the centerfield bullpen to the pitching slab. The first time All-Star faced Wilson Contreras, Ketel Marte, and Ronald Acuña Jr., striking them all out on three different pitches. Before he struck out Acuña Jr., the fans began chanting “Let’s go, Bieber!, Let’s go, Bieber!, Let’s go, Bieber!...” Then the crowd applauded loudly when Bieber walked to the third-base dugout, an extremely special part of this wonderful MLB event.

Cleveland Indians right-handed starter, Shane Bieber, winds up to pitch during the 90th All-Star Game, where he strikes out the side in the fifth, earning a standing ovation from the crowd. Photo by The Cleveland Indians.

Gary Sánchez led off the fifth with a double down the left-field line off Dodgers righty, Walker Buehler (8-1 3.46 ERA), then Polanco brought him home with a single. Buehler retires pinch-hitters, Francisco Lindor and Gleyber Torres, both via the strikeout, to end the frame.

Before the game progressed, a sold-out 36,747 fans in attendance each held a created or provided Stand Up To Cancer card following the fifth during the telecast-on FOX. The jumbotron displayed whom the players, managers, umpires, staff workers, and fans stand up for which was fantastic. Then the camera began to film six Indians, Manager, Terry Francona, closer Brad Hand, Lindor, Santana, and Bieber, each holding a card saying “Cookie”, standing by the third-base coaching box. In between Lindor and Santana was Carlos “Cookie,” Carrasco (4-6, 4.98 ERA), the Indians starter who recently revealed his battle with leukemia, held up “I stand.” It was a special moment, where spectators began to tear up but is arguably one of the best recent traditions in baseball.

Indians Manager, Terry Francona comforts Cleveland Starter, Carlos "Cookie" Carrasco, recently disclosed has leukemia, following the Stand Up To Cancer moment after the fifth inning during the American League's 4-3 win against the National League at Progressive Field. Photo by the Cleveland Indians.

Following the emotional fifth inning break, Liam Hendricks (3-0, 1.24 ERA), representing the Oakland Athletics took the hill. Hendricks struck the Cub’s Kris Bryant looking, Colorado’s Trevor Story swinging, but Charlie Blackman, Story’s teammate took him deep to center. The right-handed reliever managed to keep the score 2-1 AL after striking out rookie New York Mets phenom and Home Run Derby Champion, Pete Alonso. The twenty-one years young righty, Mike Soroka (9-1, 2.42 ERA), shut down Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield, the White Sox’s José Abreu, and Seattle’s Daniel Vogelbach in their half of the sixth. With the score still 2-1, the NL was trying to tie or take the lead, but the AL had other ideas. Shane Greene (0-2, 1.09 ERA), the only All-Star from the Detroit Tigers produced a fly out, pop up, and a ground ball to advance to the seventh-inning stretch.

NL Manager, Dave Roberts inserted the Brewers Brandon Woodruff to face the bottom of the AL’s order. The A’s Matt Chapman walked, then James McCann singled, but with runners on first and third with nobody out Xander Bogaerts grounds into a double play, driving in a run. Will Smith from the San Francisco Giants enters, giving up a solo shot to right off Ranger bat Joey Gallo making it a 4-1 advantage for the AL. To pitch the eighth was Indians closer Hand (4-3, 2.17 ERA) who struggled during his third All-Star outing. Hand walked the Brewer’s Yasmani Grandal, then David Dahl of the Rockies singled and finally gets the first out when he gets Jeff McNeil to fly out. Unfortunately, he awarded a free pass to St. Louis’s Paul DeJong and in Alonso’s second at-bat drilled a single up the middle right off Torres’s glove plating Grandal and Dahl, making it a slim 4-3 AL lead. The closer managed to produce a pop up where McCann made an amazing diving catch toward the backstop to end the NL’s eighth.

Sandy Alcantara from the Miami Marlins quietly shut down the AL bats, produced a double-play ball to give his team a chance to rally in the ninth. When Aroldis Chapman (2-1, 1.84 ERA) entered the ninth, the home faithful booed him because the last time he pitched in a big stage he was a Cub during Game Seven of 2016 World Series in Cleveland. Chapman got the first two batters, J.T Realmuto and Max Muncy, then Sabathia came walking toward the mound from the third-base dugout. He went out there to talk with Chapman, but more importantly, receive a standing ovation from the Cleveland fans one final time. The flaming left-handed closer struck out Grandal to end the 90th All-Star Game, giving the AL their seventh consecutive victory and twelfth in the last eighteen contests. The overall record for the game is 45-43-2 for the AL and 43-45-2 for the NL and the AL pitching staff set a new record for striking out 16 AL hitters.

Current New York Yankee left-handed pitcher, CC Sabathia will retire after this season, was an honorary All-Star in Cleveland, saluting the Indians faithful, who watched him pitch in an Indians uniform for eight seasons. Photo by Bleacher Report.

Following the handshake line for the American League squad, Bieber began walking to the middle infield where Commissioner, Robert Manfred was standing by two Chevrolet trucks. Bieber was awarded the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player of the 2019 All-Star Game. As the MVP you get to choose between two trucks from Chevy and Bieber picked the red Silverado. When asked about how he felt about pitching in the All-Star game in front of the hometown fans, Bieber exclaimed “I didn’t really know what to think. Kind of lost all feeling in my body, but it’s an incredible feeling now … just to be able to do it in front of the home crowd and my first All-Star Game is definitely not something I expected.”

The young righty did not know he was on the AL team until five days ago on Friday and on Tuesday pitched an inning while striking out three, not allowing a run, hit, or walk. Bieber became just the third MVP to win at their home ballpark, joining Alomar Jr, 1997 and Pedro Martínez, 1999. That is an elite and shortlist for him to be on and his team has to turn it around quickly as the Tribe begins the second half with an ever-important series versus the Minnesota Twins beginning on Friday, July 12, first pitch at 7:10 pm at Progressive Field, SportsTime Ohio, WTAM and, WMMS will carry the game.

The Cleveland Indians Shane Bieber holds up the Ted Williams MVP Trophy, awarded to him as he struck out the side in the fifth during the American Leagues narrow 4-3 win versus the National League in the 90th All-Star Game. Photo by The Cleveland Indians.