Bronx, NY (Best E Casino) - Michael Young's sacrifice fly in the 15th inning ended a New York marathon All-Star game, as the American League continued its domination of the National League with a 4-3 victory at the 79th edition of the Mid-Summer Classic.
The American League, which is unbeaten in the last 12 All-Star contests, last losing in 1996, overcame leaving 17 men on base and going 3-of-22 with runners in scoring position. But, the AL ended the game in the final season of the current Yankee Stadium and gave manager Terry Francona some relief.
Tampa Bay's Scott Kazmir, who threw 104 pitches in a game on Sunday, pitched the top of the 15th inning to get the win. He was the AL's 12th and final pitcher.
"We got to the point where Jimmie Lee Solomon (MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations) came down to the dugout just to check and I asked him if he could pitch," Francona said to laughter in the post-game press conference. "It wasn't a real fun situation. You try so hard to win and get everybody in. We excelled at that. We used everybody."
Philadelphia's Brad Lidge, who hasn't blown a save or suffered a loss during this entire regular season, was tagged with the defeat. He was the last pitcher available for the National League.
Home run derby champion Justin Morneau led off the bottom of the 15th with a single. After Ian Kinsler lined out, Dioner Navarro singled up the middle and J.D. Drew walked. Then stepped in Texas shortstop Young, who lofted a fly ball to right field. The throw home from Corey Hart was on track, but Morneau slid in safely, barely beating the sweep tag of Brian McCann.
"That's one thing closers never like is extra inning games," Lidge said. "It's definitely tiring, but they put some swings on some good pitches. I don't think I was tired, they just did a good job on putting the bat on the ball."
The fly ball by Young avoided a repeat from 2002 when the game ended in a 7-7 tie after 12 innings.
"We ended up getting everybody in, both teams," said Colorado's Clint Hurdle, the manager of the National League. "We were told the game will find a way to finish itself."
Drew, who hit a two-run homer, was named the game's MVP, in the 4 hour, 50 minute contest, the longest by time in All-Star history. The 15 innings tied an All-Star record, with the game ending at 1:38 a.m.
It was the first extra-inning win (1-9-1) for the American League, which gained home-field advantage for the World Series.
"I think what's at stake makes it more important," Francona said. "If there's nothing at stake besides the win or loss it ends up being a little bit of an exhibition game."
It was a game filled with plays at the plate for outs, plenty of missed opportunities, but after a total of 27 hits, five errors, including an All-Star record three by Florida second baseman Dan Uggla, the American League was able to continue its success and hasn't lost the All-Star game since 1996.
Matt Holliday homered for the NL, which failed to get a hit (0-for-6) with runners on scoring position.
If the game had gone to the 16th inning, there was consideration that Francona could've used a position player to pitch, although Kazmir apparently was going to remain in the game.
"I was ready to go out there," Kazmir said. "I felt loose. I was ready to go out there for the 16th. We didn't talk pitch count or anything like that. I was the only one left."
Francona also indicated that it may have come to a situation where Drew would have had to pitch had it gone longer than the 16th.
"I would've been ready," Drew said. "I had an opportunity to throw a lot in the outfield in a nine-inning game that I played. If he (Francona) ever runs out (of pitchers), give me a holler."
It wasn't needed, but almost on a night that began with special pregame festivities.
Yankee Stadium, a building that has been the home to more All-Stars than any other in baseball history, served as the perfect backdrop for the star-studded night. The ballpark, which is in its final year of existence before the new home of the Yankees opens in 2009, hosted current and former All-Stars on Tuesday.
A total of 49 Hall of Famers were in attendance and took their respective spots in the field during the pregame. That included Willie Mays, Brooks Robinson, Bob Gibson, Bob Feller and Steve Carlton. Ex-Yankees Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson and Rich "Goose" Gossage combined to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Team owner George Steinbrenner rode in on a golf cart from the outfield.
"The city has a flair for the dramatic and the brilliant, and it did not disappoint," Hurdle said. "That was special in so many different ways for so many different people."
Holliday clubbed a 2-2 pitch from the Angels' Ervin Santana over the wall in right field leading off the fifth inning.
Oakland's Justin Duchscherer started the sixth inning on the mound and immediately allowed singles to Florida's Hanley Ramirez and Philadelphia's Chase Utley, setting up runners at the corners. Houston's Lance Berkman then lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
Morneau doubled off Edinson Volquez leading off the bottom of the seventh, and with two outs Drew lined a 1-2 pitch from the Cincinnati hurler over the wall in right field.
In the eighth inning, Boston's Jonathan Papelbon was booed with some fans holding up jerseys of Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and shouting "overrated! overrated!" in the direction of the hated AL East rival member just before the Red Sox reliever fanned Uggla. That came after Papelbon allowed a single to Miguel Tejada, who then stole second base with one out and went to third when the throw from Navarro scooted into center field.
Adrian Gonzalez followed with the sacrifice fly to left field, and Tejada scored easily.
The AL came right back to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom half against Mets closer Billy Wagner. Grady Sizemore singled to right with two outs, stole second and came home on Evan Longoria's ground-rule pinch-hit double down the left field line.
Rivera entered the game to a chorus of cheers with a runner on first and one out in the ninth inning. Ryan Ludwick struck out, and Navarro completed the double play by throwing out Cristian Guzman trying to steal second.
Ryan Dempster fanned the side in the bottom of the ninth before Rivera got into trouble in the 10th. The NL had runners on first and third with one out, but Uggla grounded into a double play.
In the bottom of the 10th, the NL overcame a none-out bases-loaded jam, created mostly from a pair of errors by Uggla. First, he failed to handle a chopper from Young up the middle. Carlos Quentin then hit a sharp grounder that went between the legs Uggla, placing runners at the corners. Carlos Guillen was intentionally walked, but Aaron Cook pitched out of the pickle, getting Sizemore and Longoria to ground into force plays at the plate. Morneau then hit a slow roller to Tejada, who charged in from shortstop and threw off- balance to first for the last out.
It was also a tenuous bottom of the 11th. With Navarro on second base, Young singled to center, but Nate McLouth threw home. Russell Martin blocked the plate and applied the tag on Navarro for the out. With runners on second and third, Quentin grounded out to end the inning.
The National League loaded the bases with one out in the 12th inning, but Uggla fanned and then George Sherrill struck out Gonzalez.
Game Notes
The previous 15-inning All-Star game came in 1967 at Anaheim when the NL won, 2-1...This was the record eighth time the city of New York has hosted the All-Star game. The Big Apple also hosted the All-Star game at Ebbets Field in 1949, at the Polo Grounds in 1934 and 1942, Shea Stadium in 1964 and Yankee Stadium in 1939, 1960 (game two) and 1977...San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum wasn't available to pitch in the game due to an illness. Lincecum went to New York-Presbyterian Hospital with flu like symptoms and was released....The American League is 17-3-1 in the last 21 All-Star games...The teams combined for an All-Star record seven steals, including six from the AL, which also was a record...The 34 combined strikeouts, 17 for each team, was also a record, breaking the old mark of 30 from 1967...This was just the second walkoff win for the AL in All-Star history...The scores of the 79 All- Star games now add up to 335 runs for the AL and 333 runs for the NL...The two teams combined to leave a total of 28 runners left on base tonight, which is a new record.
