Ten years from now, Justin Morneau will be the answer to a great trivia question. He won the 2008 Homerun Derby, but it was Josh Hamilton who became the water cooler talk of the nation on Tuesday morning with his incredible first round performance. Just over 24 hours later, Morneau would single to start the American League’s half of the 15th inning and later score the game-winning run of an epic All-Star Game.
The nearly five hour mid-summer classic had it all: homers, strikeouts, diving catches, plays at the plate, and plenty of drama.
But the most impressive moment may have come before the game. Major League Baseball has plenty of faults–most recently, taking 15 years before acknowledging there was a steroid problem–, but it sure knows how to celebrate itself. MLB trotted out nearly every living Hall of Famer (Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Sandy Koufax were nowhere to be found) by position with the All-Star starter from each league joining the legends. Never before has the world seen such an accumulation of baseball talent. The diversity of the players–from Juan Marichal, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ferguson Jenkins, Willie McCovey, George Brett, Bruce Sutter, Bob Feller, and Yogi Berra–was incredible because of their common bond as Hall of Famers. The four living members who are in the Hall of Fame as New York Yankees–Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and recently-elected Goose Gossage–threw out the first pitch. The baseballs they threw were delivered by long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who wept in emotion in his first public appearance in months and called the moment one of the greatest of his life. Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame himself for his impact on and success in the game.
Each starting pitcher–Ben Sheets for the NL and Cliff Lee for the AL–threw two innings and struck out three.
After pitching dominated the first four innings (4 IP, 4 K for the NL; 4 IP, 3 K for the AL) Matt Holliday hit an opposite field homerun off Ervin Santana to open the scoring in the 5th inning. J.D. Drew tied the game at two in the bottom of the 7th inning with a bomb off Edinson Volquez.
Earlier in the week Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon claimed he should get the save opportunity in the All-Star Game, not Mariano Rivera. Like a politician, Papelbon changed his tune a day later saying his true intentions were that Rivera should close all along and that his previous comments were misconstrued. When Papelbon entered the All-Star Game in the 8th inning, Yankees fans in attendance booed him loudly. When he gave up the go-ahead run (unearned), the fans razzed him as if it would be just fine if the American League took the loss, just so long as Papelbon was the game’s losing pitcher.
The fans voted rookie Evan Longoria into the final roster spot for the AL All-Stars and he delivered in the 9th inning off Mets closer Billy Wagner to tie the game at three.
It seemed everyone had planned a storybook ending of Mariano Rivera being on the mound to close the game, but he found himself in a first-and-third jam with only one out before Dan Uggla grounded into a double play. It was Uggla’s only at bat that he didn’t strike out. He also had three errors to go along with the hat trick and the double play in an RBI situation.
Rockies starter Aaron Cook worked out of a bases-loaded-with-no-outs jam following two of Uggla’s errors.
Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro at home plate to save the game for the National League.
Ryan Ludwick made a diving catch.
Miguel Tejada made an incredible do-or-die play with two outs and a runner on third to extend the game.
For the American League, George Sherrill entered with the bases loaded and two outs, but struck out Ludwick to end the NL rally.
Ryan Dempster struck out the side in his inning of work, while Brandon Webb struck out two in an inning just two days after throwing 108 pitches.
The National League gave a valiant effort and had plenty of opportunities, but the American League prevailed once again as Michael Young delivered the game-winning RBI in the All-Star Game for the second time in the last three years. The AL hasn’t lost an All-Star Game 1996, including the infamous tie in Milwaukee in the 2002 version of the mid-summer classic.
J.D. Drew was named the 2008 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBIs, a walk, and a run scored. Scott Kazmir, who also threw over 100 pitches on Sunday, was the winning pitcher. Brad Lidge was the losing pitcher.
This epic game ended just in time, as the pitchers of record were the last pitchers used by managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle. If you stayed up to watch all 15 innings, you saw a classic.
The 2008 All-Star break began with Josh Hamilton becoming a household name on the national level. Then after a parade through the Bronx, nearly every living Hall of Famer took the field. Major League Baseball’s pomp and circumstance was a sight to be seen, celebrating not only the All-Stars of 2008, but the game itself. Yankee Stadium, in all its grandeur, was the perfect venue. Then, the All-Stars delivered one of the most-memorable All-Star Games ever.
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Brad Ziegler gave up the go-ahead run in the 9th inning versus Tampa Bay yesterday and received a standing ovation from the Oakland Athletics crowd.
