The American League Wins Its Ninth Consecutive All-star Game Behind Giancarlo Stanton And Byron Buxton
The Hall of Fame-bound pitcher with his famously airtight pre-game routine – which he timed down to the second before he walked from the bullpen to start the game – knew that the result of the game mattered little, that he would return to reality in a couple of days and that, undoubtedly, he shouldn’t be starting the 92nd All-Star Game.
During the ninth inning of his final game, Clayton Kershaw reached the back of the Dodger Stadium mound, paused his usual focus, and looked up at all the levels of the fabled stadium.
15 years of appreciation washed over him as fans roared and his walkout music pumped through the yard as the fans applauded.
Henceforth, the 2018 All-Star Game commenced, and Kershaw’s ethos for the evening – Why the hell not – formed the basis of the game in a decidedly made-for-TV style.
It was the American League that prevailed throughout the game, which was won by the Americans League 3-2.
The American League Wins Its Ninth Consecutive All-star Game Behind Giancarlo Stanton And Byron Buxton
After scoring two runs in the first inning against Shane McClanahan, the National League scrabbled to score two runs in the bottom of the first inning off of Shane McClanahan, resulting in the American League winning for the ninth consecutive time, forged by eight straight shutout innings by its pitching staff.
A win by Kershaw would have put him in the running for the Cy Young award, but back-to-back home runs by Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton, who was also named MVP, ensured that the AL’s streak would continue.
It does not matter: Tuesday’s game ensured luminaries such as Albert Pujols – who worked five memorable months last year as a Dodger – and a national television audience were entertained by the game during which Pujols spent five memorable months with the team.
Kershaw and the host squad both received flowers in honor of the pitcher, who won 192 games throughout his career and earned three Cy Young Awards in his career.
As for Kershaw, he stopped and sniffed them for a moment before continuing.
At the beginning of the game, I tried to take a minute and soak it all in and look around me, something I don’t do very often,” Kershaw said with a laugh.
My family and I are having a lot of fun here at Dodger Stadium. It is a place that I have been for 15 years now.
I think the moment itself, being here at Dodger Stadium with the best in the world and getting to do something like this with them, is really fun and also very personal for me and my family.
Furthermore, there was the matter of Kershaw’s performance, and both Kershaw’s presence and the characteristics of his performance were the stuff of national television fantasy, and he didn’t disappoint.
As Kershaw admitted again Tuesday, the Miami Marlins’ ace Sandy Alcantara earned the start in the All-Star game on the basis of his performance in the first half of the season.
The fact remains that very few people beyond hardcore baseball aficionados and Little Havana residents are aware of Alcantara, so it was Kershaw that was chosen.
As a result, both his intentions as well as the intentions of Shohei Ohtani, who was in the leadoff spot, were telegraphed to the whole world.
In a television interview with NBC, Kershaw made it clear that he was going to throw the first pitch as hard as he could, 91 mph, and see what happens.
On the other hand, in a separate interview across the diamond, Ohtani, who has become one of the most enthralling players in recent years because of his multiple skills, had a simpler reply: First pitch, first swing.
There was no chance for the superstars of SoCal not to disappoint: Kershaw hit 91 on the gun, Ohtani drove a single to center, and in a matter of seconds, it was game on.
It is not possible to throw the first pitch of an All-Star Game as a breaking ball, but Kershaw semi-joked later in the game.
As Kershaw stunned the masses by picking off Ohtani in the first inning, the game veered off script and pitched in a bit more.
Kershaw said he threw the ball over there without really thinking about it.
In my opinion, it was one of only a few moments that was not caught on a live mic, it seemed.
It was the second consecutive All-Star Game in which AL pitchers Alek Manoah and Nestor Cortes were both mic’d up during their pitching appearances, along with reliever Liam Hendriks for the second consecutive year.
There was a friendly chat going on in the outfield between Stanton and Judge, two Yankee stars. There is no doubt that Julio Rodriguez, who was such a hit in Monday’s Home Run Derby, had a lot to say.
There was certainly enough chatter to make up for the quiet bats.
There was a single home run by Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts off McClanahan, and there was a home run by Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt off McClanahan.
Afterward, nothing came from the National League, as Manoah, Framber Valdez, Paul Blackburn, Martin Perez, Cortes, and Jorge Lopez failed to produce any hits despite a parade of pitchers.
With an eighth-inning single off Gregory Soto, Austin Riley ended the streak with a single.
Beyond the Dodger Tony Gonsolin, who surrendered the two homers to Stanton and Buxton in the fourth inning, the NL also had a great game.
As a fun fact, Dodger right-hander Ross Stripling served up back-to-back home runs in the 10th inning in 2018, making Alcantara the last pitcher to deliver back-to-back blasts.
Alcantara’s dominant performance backed up Kershaw’s statement that Sandy had a phenomenal first half and deserves the recognition.
At the end of the evening, just before the last pink streaks of sunset disappeared over the San Gabriel Mountains, the scoreboard framing it summed up a wham-bang evening: 16 zeroes, one inning of offense for each league, and 16 zeroes for the rest of the evening.
A strikeout in the ninth inning by Emmanuel Clasé sealed the deal for the Mets, shutting down the night’s action on 10 pitches.
A pitcher’s night that was really a pitcher’s night was capped off by this home run.
It means a lot to me,” explains Kershaw. “I’ve experienced a lot of great times here, but I’ve also experienced some tough times here, too. But overall, this place is just super special to me, and to be able to come here and do this is why it is so special to me.”