National League drops All-Star Game to American League in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI — Individual teams had their legends honored, the Cincinnati Reds honored their Franchise Four live to a standing ovation and the four greatest living legends kept the entire stadium on their feet.

With the likes of Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays being named the four greatest living players – along with Bench, Barry Larkin, Joe Morgan and Pete Rose honored as the Reds’ Franchise Four – it was the best current player today who stole the show on the fourth pitch of the game.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Mike Trout began the midsummer classic by sending the fourth pitch of the 86th MLB All-Star Game by NL starting pitcher Zack Greinke over the right field wall as Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals looked on for a 1-0 lead for the American League.

That home run by Trout in front of 43,656 fans earned him the All-Star Game MVP award for the second consecutive year and eventually led the American League to a 6-3 win over the host National League, giving the victors home field advantage for the World Series this October.

Trout is the first player to win the award two consecutive seasons and just the fifth player to win two of the awards, joining Willie Mays, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter and Cal Ripken Jr., with Mays, Carter and Ripken all being Hall of Famers.

The reigning AL MVP, Trout has hit for the cycle in his four combined All-Star game appearances and is 5-for-10 combined in his four appearances.

The NL tied the score with a two-base hit to right field off the bat of St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta, scoring Paul Goldschmidt from third base. Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Goldschmidt initially reached the bases with a base hit to third base, only to take second on an errant throw by Toronto's Josh Donaldson for the 1-1 score after two innings.

The tied score didn't last very long with the AL regaining the lead for good with a two-run top of the fifth as Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder hit a single to left field to score Trout. Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain doubled to score Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels for a 3-1 lead.

Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates brought the NL a little closer in the bottom of the sixth, sending the ball over the left field wall off the Tampa Bay Rays’ Chris Archer to make it a 3-2 score.

The AL extended their lead in the seventh and eighth innings combining for three runs with Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles doubling to centerfield to plate Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox. Fielder followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Machado, sending the AL lead to three runs at 5-2 through seven innings.

In the eighth, Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier hit a solo home run to center field off Pittsburgh's Mark Melancon, pushing the AL lead to four runs.

The bottom of the ninth saw the San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford plate the Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun with a sacrifice fly to left field. Braun hit a lead-off triple to begin the ninth.

Detroit's David Price was named the winning pitcher for the AL. In his one inning of work in the fourth, the former AL Cy Young Award winner struck out two and allowed no runs. Another Cy Young Award winner, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, was charged with the loss. In his one inning of work, he gave up two earned runs on three hits and a walk.

As for the hometown Cincinnati Reds players, Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier, who was also the NL starting third baseman, went 0-for-3. Reds closer Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth inning for the NL.

Frazier spoke about facing the type of pitchers he did at the All-Star game and being emotionally spent after the wild two days.

“Yeah, a little bit," Frazier said when asked if he was spent physically and emotionally. "I saw a couple pitches that last at-bat. Yeah, just a little tired, but I definitely was trying to get a hit and trying to help the team as much as possible.

“It's the best pitching in the world. So not everybody's Mike Trout. It's tough to do."

In his inning on the bump in front of the home crowd, the "Cuban Missile" didn't disappoint. Chapman struck out the side, throwing numerous pitches at 100-plus MPH to the three AL batters in Holt, Mike Moustakas (Royals) and New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Chapman threw 14 total pitches, nine for strikes.

The win by the AL puts them at 26-16-1 since 1988, the last time the Reds hosted the mid-summer classic. All-time the NL leads the series, 43-41-2.