National League ends the streak, defeats American League, 3-2

The National League hasn’t won an All-Star game in many a moon. The American League has dominated them the way the NL dominated the competition in the 1970’s. However, thanks to some heroics from an unlikely source, the National Leaguers finally have their victory.

Maybe the Phillies just need to send their manager each year

Of course, they had to the weather the storm of defense the American League opened the game with. On back to back plays, Adolis Garcia and Randy Arozarena made web gems that were both highly impressive.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Americans got on the scoreboard when Yandy Diaz sized up a pitch from Mitch Keller he liked and deposited the pitch very, very far away.

The National League would have to wait until the fourth inning to get the game tied up thanks to a double from J.D. Martinez and a one out single from Luis Arraez, who just can’t stop hitting, that made it one a piece.

From there, it was a cavalcade of high octane arms that emptied from both bullpens that kept offenses in check. In the sixth, the scales tipped back in favor of the American League thanks to a single by Salvador Perez, a ground rule double by Brent Rooker, and a sacrifice fly by Bo Bichette.

It looked for a moment than the National League would have tied the game in the seventh inning when Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. hit what was initially ruled a home run, but was correctly overturned to be a foul ball (seriously though, with a left field umpire, how did that guy call it a home run?) In the eighth, the National League struck back. Nick Castellanos walked to start the inning, then advanced to second thanks to a wild pitch from Felix Bautista. Elias Diaz came to the plate and sat on a splitter, got one that was elevated and drilled it to left field for a 3-2 National League lead.

The lead stood into the ninth inning when Rob Thomson sent his best closer on the roster, Craig Kimbrel, to the mound to lock it down. Kimbrel proceeded to have the easiest inning there could possibly be to lock down the National League’s first win in the All-Star Game in eleven years (ignore the number of runners on in this highlight).

Yes, you read that correctly, the Phillies had their representatives involved in winning the game. Castellanos scored the tying run, Kimbrel locked it down and Thomson was the catalyst behind all the moves to put them in position. A solid showing for Philadelphia.