The National League’s long All-Star game losing skid is over. Brian McCann’s three-run bases loaded double in the 7th inning gave the NL the 3-1 win over the American League in the Major League Baseball All-Star game.
McCann connected off of White Sox pitcher Matt Thornton to help end the NL’s 13-year win-less streak. The last National League win came back in 1996. The win also gives the National League home field advantage in the upcoming World Series.
It was a tough night at the plate for Brewer starters Ryan Braunand Corey Hart. The two combined to go 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Hart whiffed twice and Braun went down on strikes once and hit into a inning-ending double play the other time.
Braun did make a diving catch in left field and had a couple of near misses with the bat. But Hart looked like a fish out of water at the plate. Granted, the late afternoon Anaheim sun was a problem for everybody, as well as the outstanding pitching. It did a number on just about everybody through the first 4 or 5 innings. The first run of the game didn’t cross the plate until the American League scored in the 5th.
Pitching has dominated baseball this season and it showed in last night’s game. If you like watching hitters look over-matched, then you probably enjoyed it. But if you like to see a couple of home runs and a little more offense in general, then you probably weren’t too enthused about last night’s game.
The only real interesting part for me was the outcome. The fact that the National League ended the long win-less drought provided some drama in the end.