Well how about that! The National League has won an All-Star Game! It hadn't happened since 1996 but it happened tonight, with the Nationals finally pulling one out, 3-1.
As such, with the ridiculous concept of the the All-Star Game league winning having home-field advantage in the World Series still in place, Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 (the final two if necessary) of the Fall Classic will be held at one of Citizens Bank Park, Petco Park, Dodger Stadium, Coors Field, Turner Field, Busch Stadium, Great American Ballpark or Citi Field (failing some other NL team making a miraculous run). No NL team has had home-field advantage in the World Series since 2001, when the Diamondbacks used it to win all four home games in beating the Yankees and ending the Paul O'Neill-Tino Martinez-Scott Brosius dynasty.
The game was poorly managed by both sides with neither side really managing to win so much as to try and get everyone in. Both Charlie Manuel and Joe Girardi seemed unsure as to what the real priority should have been. That being said, there were three heroes for the NL, two of which may even get to benefit in October from the home-field advantage:
1. Brian McCann. The game's MVP, Atlanta's catcher delivered a three-run double off Matt Thornton in the top of the seventh inning. It was the only run-scoring play of the game for the NL as the pitching-dominated theme of the first half of the season continued on in the mid-summer classic.
2. Adam Wainwright. The best pitcher in the NL since the start of last season, the Cardinals righthander was called upon to take over after his team took the lead in the last of the seventh. With one out in the inning, John Buck was credited with a double on what should have been a two-base error on Matt Holliday, who dropped the fly into left. Wainwright then walked Ian Kinsler, setting up a double play situation which is something Cardinals pitchers excel at inducing. As seems to be the case so often, Wainwright succeeded in getting the ground ball from Vernon Wells but shortstop Rafael Furcal and second baseman Brandon Phillips failed to turn it, recording only the out at second. There were runners on the corners with Torii Hunter, the hometown hero, at the plate and ready to create a legendary All-Star moment with his Angels fans going crazy. Instead, Wainwright baffled him with an array of breaking balls to record the strikeout and get out of the inning. The NL gave the AL two extra outs to work with in the frame but Wainwright didn't surrender.
3. Marlon Byrd. The Cubs had to have a representative and Byrd represented them well. He had arguably the best at-bat of the night, battling his way to a walk from Thornton to load the bases in the seventh in front of McCann, who delivered the three-run double. And in the last of the ninth, after Jonathan Broxton allowed a leadoff single to David Ortiz and struckout Adrian Beltre, Byrd threw out Ortiz at second base from right field on a would-be Buck single. Ortiz couldn't commit to running hard because he wasn't sure if Byrd would be able to catch the ball off Buck's bat or not and when it fell, Byrd easily threw out the slow-footed Ortiz.
It should be noted that the incessant need to get every player into the game prevented Girardi from pinch running for Ortiz. The only player he had left on his bench was Alex Rodriguez and Girardi didn't want to use him because of an injured thumb (and why on earth would Girardi want to use his own player if he has some sort of injury). Plus, given his recent history of hip injuries, there is no way A-Rod was going to be used as a pinch runner for Ortiz. Girardi's best play would have been to use an extra pitcher to run for Ortiz (Fausto Carmona?) and then using A-Rod if he had no other choice. Of course, he didn't do it.
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