What Happened at Last Night’s MLB All-Star Game?
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Last night was the 92nd MLB All-Star Game, an iconic event that takes place in the middle of the season each year and features some of the best players across the league. Who played in this year’s game, and what was the outcome? Read on below for this and more.
Who played and who won?
As always, this year’s MLB All-Star Game was played between the National League and the American League. For the American League, the starters were Alejandro Kirk as catcher, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as first baseman, Andres Giminez as second baseman, Tim Anderson as shortstop, Rafael Devers as third baseman, Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, and Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield, Shohei Ohtani as designated hitter, and Shane McClanahan as pitcher.
The National League’s team started Willson Contreras as catcher, Paul Goldschmidt as first baseman, Jeff McNeil as second baseman, Trea Turner as shortstop, Manny Machado as third baseman, Mookie Betts, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Joc Pederson in the outfield, William Contreras as designated hitter, and Clayton Kershaw as pitcher.
The game
After nine innings, the American League team again won this year’s MLB All-Star Game, continuing their nine-game win streak. The National League came to a quick lead with two runs in the first inning, and the American League didn’t score until the fourth inning when they scored three runs. After the fourth, both teams held each other without another run for the rest of the game.
As is usual for the All-Star Game, both teams frequently substituted to give younger players a chance to come in, and each team had 21 hitters over the course of the game. The American League team gave 11 of their 12 pitchers a chance to pitch, while the National League used nine of its pitchers.
Notable performances
The All-Star Game features some of the most talented players in all of baseball, so it’s no surprise that several were able to make quite an impact during their short time in the game. Some notable performances included:
Giancarlo Stanton
Yankees left fielder Giancarlo Stanton played well for the American League during his time in the game and hit a 457-foot home run in the fourth inning for two runs. Stanton was awarded the All-Star Game MVP award. This was his fifth year of selection for the All-Star Game and his first since he joined the Yankees in 2017.
Byron Buxton
The American League’s other run of the night came from a 425-foot home run from Twins center fielder Byron Buxton immediately following the home run from Stanton. Buxton struck out in his first at-bat of the night but promised himself that he would at least get a hit and get on base during the game. This was Buxton’s first appearance at an MLB All-Star Game.
Paul Goldschmidt
Although his team lost the game, Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt played well for the National League. Goldschmidt scored a home run in the first inning, which helped drive his team to an early lead, although due to the nature of the All-Star Game, he was soon substituted out and only had one at-bat.