by John Atchison
Created on: July 18, 2013
The New York Mets and Citi Field played host to the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star game on Tuesday night. The Mid-Summer Classic has always been a staple of the MLB season but has taken on added meaning in the past decade. That is because Commissioner Bud Selig, in response to an embarrassing tie game finish in 2002, declared that the winner of the game would now have home field advantage in the World Series.
The league still allows fans to vote in the starters, even though the game has plenty of meaning for both sides. In 2013, the fans did a fine job of voting in the right folks, but it did not save the game from being a snooze fest. When the game came to a merciful end, the American League walked away with a 3-0 win over the National League.
Some of the games in recent memory have been slugfests with plenty of runs. This game was far from that. Matt Harvey started for the NL and promptly served up a first pitch double to Mike Trout. He then hit Robinson Cano with a pitch, putting runners on first and second with no one out. The hit by pitch also saw Cano leave the game, causing Yankee fans a bit of a panic. However, the big bats for the AL failed them as Miguel Cabrera and Jose Bautista strikeouts sandwiched a Chris Davis flyout.
The National League would have no such luck. AL starter Max Scherzer mowed the NL down in the first, followed by lefty Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox tossing two no hit frames. The NL lineup did not manage a hit until Felix Hernandez allowed a Carlos Beltran single. In fact, it would be the seventh inning before another National League hitter got a base hit. By the time David Wright singled, the American League had a two run lead. It was nothing spectacular though as a sac fly and rbi groundout accounted for the runs.
Perhaps the most compelling story of the evening was the emergence of Mariano Rivera to pitch the eighth inning. Some fans were perplexed that the greatest closer ever was pitching before the final frame, but AL manager Jim Leyland wanted to make sure he got in. None of the players came out on the field, but the stadium speakers blared Rivera's entrance music, "Enter Sandman", so that the Yankee closer could have one final All-Star moment. It was a chilling sight, and fitting for the certain Hall of Famer.
Rivera was given a standing ovation, then promptly tossed a three up, three down frame. It was left to Joe Nathan to finish the game off. The Texas Rangers hurler struck out the first two men he faced, before giving up a double to Arizona Diamondback Paul Goldschmidt. He almost walked Pedro Alvarez to bring the tying run to the plate, but Alvarez popped out to second to end the evening. It leaves the American League with home field advantage in the World Series, and an All-Star crowd yearning for a little more action.
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A recap of the 2013 MLB All-Star game
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