Jul 10, 2012
Major League Baseball's 83rd All-Star game is set in Kansas City with the National League team going for its third-consecutive win.
The American League - which won the previous 12 games with a 2002 tie squeezed in - will look to regain home field advantage for the World Series.
BOX SCORE: NL 8, AL 0
Kansas City is hosting the Midsummer Classic for the third time and second at Kauffman Stadium. The city hosted the game in 1973 - when Kauffman was known as Royals Stadium - and 1960.
Follow the action as USA TODAY Sports blogs the event.
***
(All times p.m. ET)
10: 17: Bottom of the sixth (AL): Crowd is hugely disappointed with Miguel Cabrera bouncing into a double play because local favorite Billy Butler, the Royals' only representative in the game, was left on deck. Dickey strands Mike Trout and Paul Konerko on first and second.
10:13: Even a hard knuckler like Dickey's is easier to steal on, and Mike Trout complies by swiping second after a leadoff single. Did we mention we pity Ruiz?
10:10: First-half sensation R.A. Dickey of the Mets takes over to pitch the sixth. The Phillies' Carlos Ruiz will be his catcher. Good luck catching those knuckleballs.
10:07: Top of the sixth (NL): Chris Sale gets Jay Bruce to fly out and David Freese to strike out swinging after an Andrew McCutchen single. NL escapes trouble in the sixth, still leads 8-0.
10:03: After getting a big ovation when he steps up to the plate, Chipper Jones squibs a little grounder just past Ian Kinsler at second for a single. Jones smiles broadly upon reaching first. As they say, it will look like a line drive in the box score.
9:55: Bottom of the fifth (AL): Clayton Kershaw replaces Strasburg and works out of a bases-loaded jam - after a David Ortiz single, Bryce Harper misjudged fly ball and an Asdrubal Cabrera walk. NL still in control.
9:47: New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is warming up in the NL bullpen with Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz. Might be easier for LaRussa to bring in Dickey - who he chose not to start - with an 8-0 lead.
9:36:Top of the fifth (NL): Washington rookie Bryce Harper, 19, draws a leadoff walk off Jared Weaver before taking second on Buster Posey's fly out to the warning track in left. Harper was quickly caught off second on a tapper to Weaver and the Angels pitcher got Dan Uggla to fly out to work around the leadoff walk.
9:37: Bottom of the fourth (AL): Ryan Braun robs former teammate Prince Fielder with a leaping catch of a liner to left field. Braun is making a case for MVP, but it may be hard to beat Sandoval's three-RBI triple off Verlander in the first. Stephen Strasburg worked around a Cano leadoff single and a walk for a scoreless inning.
9:30: The NL's three triples (Sandoval, Furcal, Braun) is an All-Star Game record.
9:25: Top of the fourth (NL): Rafeal Furcal lines a two-out triple past right fielder Jose Bautista and scores on a looping single from St. Louis Cardinals teammate Matt Holliday. Melky Cabrera followed with a two-run bomb to left field to put the NL up 8-0.
9:16: Bottom of the third (AL): LaRussa goes to the left-handed Gonzalez. Strikeout of Mike Napoli. Curtis Granderson flies out. Jeter bounces out. ... Pretty boring stuff for LaRussa. No opportunities -- yet -- for situational pitching changes. NL still up 5-0.
9:09: Top of the third (NL): The Rays' David Price pitching. He started the All-Star game two years ago, throwing two scoreless innings, and is effective again. One-two-three. NL bats have gone silent.
9:02: Bottom of the second (AL): Nicely done, Matt Cain. He gets Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre and David Ortiz on a fly-out, pop-out and fly-out. Two innings of work for the Giants' right-hander, one infield single, five fly-ball outs and a strikeout. ... The Nationals' Gio Gonzalez is in the pen.
8:56: Top of the second (NL): Verlander is gone. He threw 35 pitches. AL goes to Texas' Joe Nathan, who breezes 1-2-3 through the top of the NL order. AL right-fielder Jose Bautista ends the inning with a nice sliding catch of Braun's short fly. ... Rangers could have used Nathan last October, couldn't they?
8:50:Bottom of the first(AL): Matt Cain's All-Star debut is a good one. The right-hander works around a scratch leadoff single by Derek Jeter, finishing a scoreless inning with a swinging strikeout of Toronto's Jose Bautista. NL 5, AL 0.
8:37: Top of the first (NL): Verlander delivers the worst first inning for an All-Star starter since Roger Clemens coughed up six runs in '04 at Houston: NL hitters pile up five runs on four hits, the big one a three-run triple by Pablo Sandoval. ... Verlander's line in three All-Star appearances: three innings, eight hits, six runs.
8:19: First swing of the game: Gonzalez misses, and his bat flies into the stands behind the AL's first-base dugout. Luckily, no one is hit.
8:18: Play ball! Verlander starts Gonzalez with a 97-mph strike.
8:05: Most predictable moment of the pregame introductions: the 23-second, home-crowd standing ovation for the Royals' lone All-Star selection, Billy Butler. . . . No, check that. It was the loud, 11-second booing of the Yankees' Robinson Cano, still in disfavor in KC for not adding Butler to the AL's Home Run Derby lineup. Kansas City piles on. ... Also: some boos for the Brewers' Ryan Braun. A nice reception for the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran, who spent the first 6 1/2 years of his big-league career here.
7:43: Little more than half an hour before game time. The last of the day's sunlight is streaming into Kauffman Stadium. Outfield fountains are dancing. The AL battery of Justin Verlander and Mike Napoli is loosening up in left field. Stands already packed ... Baseball perfection.
AL lineup:
Derek Jeter, Yankees, SS
Robinson Cano, Yankees, 2B
Josh Hamilton, Rangers, LF
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, RF
Prince Fielder, Tigers, 1B
Adrian Beltre, Rangers, 3B
David Ortiz, Red Sox, DH
Mike Napoli, Rangers, C
Curtis Granderson, Yankees, CF
Justin Verlander, Tigers, SP
NL lineup:
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies, DH
Melky Cabrera, Giants, CF
Ryan Braun, Brewers, LF
Joey Votto, Reds, 1B
Carlos Beltran, Cardinals, RF
Buster Posey, Giants, C
Pablo Sandoval, Giants, 3B
Dan Uggla, Braves, 2B
Rafael Furcal, Cardinals, SS
Matt Cain, Giants, RHP
Live: Verlander rocked in first, NL leads 8-0
Major League Baseball's 83rd All-Star game is set in Kansas City with the National League team going for its third-consecutive win.The American League - which won the previous 12 games with a 2002 tie squeezed in - will look to regain home field advantage for the World Series.
BOX SCORE: NL 8, AL 0
Kansas City is hosting the Midsummer Classic for the third time and second at Kauffman Stadium. The city hosted the game in 1973 - when Kauffman was known as Royals Stadium - and 1960.
Follow the action as USA TODAY Sports blogs the event.
***
(All times p.m. ET)
10: 17: Bottom of the sixth (AL): Crowd is hugely disappointed with Miguel Cabrera bouncing into a double play because local favorite Billy Butler, the Royals' only representative in the game, was left on deck. Dickey strands Mike Trout and Paul Konerko on first and second.
10:13: Even a hard knuckler like Dickey's is easier to steal on, and Mike Trout complies by swiping second after a leadoff single. Did we mention we pity Ruiz?
10:10: First-half sensation R.A. Dickey of the Mets takes over to pitch the sixth. The Phillies' Carlos Ruiz will be his catcher. Good luck catching those knuckleballs.
10:07: Top of the sixth (NL): Chris Sale gets Jay Bruce to fly out and David Freese to strike out swinging after an Andrew McCutchen single. NL escapes trouble in the sixth, still leads 8-0.
10:03: After getting a big ovation when he steps up to the plate, Chipper Jones squibs a little grounder just past Ian Kinsler at second for a single. Jones smiles broadly upon reaching first. As they say, it will look like a line drive in the box score.
9:55: Bottom of the fifth (AL): Clayton Kershaw replaces Strasburg and works out of a bases-loaded jam - after a David Ortiz single, Bryce Harper misjudged fly ball and an Asdrubal Cabrera walk. NL still in control.
9:47: New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is warming up in the NL bullpen with Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz. Might be easier for LaRussa to bring in Dickey - who he chose not to start - with an 8-0 lead.
9:36:Top of the fifth (NL): Washington rookie Bryce Harper, 19, draws a leadoff walk off Jared Weaver before taking second on Buster Posey's fly out to the warning track in left. Harper was quickly caught off second on a tapper to Weaver and the Angels pitcher got Dan Uggla to fly out to work around the leadoff walk.
9:37: Bottom of the fourth (AL): Ryan Braun robs former teammate Prince Fielder with a leaping catch of a liner to left field. Braun is making a case for MVP, but it may be hard to beat Sandoval's three-RBI triple off Verlander in the first. Stephen Strasburg worked around a Cano leadoff single and a walk for a scoreless inning.
9:30: The NL's three triples (Sandoval, Furcal, Braun) is an All-Star Game record.
9:25: Top of the fourth (NL): Rafeal Furcal lines a two-out triple past right fielder Jose Bautista and scores on a looping single from St. Louis Cardinals teammate Matt Holliday. Melky Cabrera followed with a two-run bomb to left field to put the NL up 8-0.
9:16: Bottom of the third (AL): LaRussa goes to the left-handed Gonzalez. Strikeout of Mike Napoli. Curtis Granderson flies out. Jeter bounces out. ... Pretty boring stuff for LaRussa. No opportunities -- yet -- for situational pitching changes. NL still up 5-0.
9:09: Top of the third (NL): The Rays' David Price pitching. He started the All-Star game two years ago, throwing two scoreless innings, and is effective again. One-two-three. NL bats have gone silent.
9:02: Bottom of the second (AL): Nicely done, Matt Cain. He gets Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre and David Ortiz on a fly-out, pop-out and fly-out. Two innings of work for the Giants' right-hander, one infield single, five fly-ball outs and a strikeout. ... The Nationals' Gio Gonzalez is in the pen.
8:56: Top of the second (NL): Verlander is gone. He threw 35 pitches. AL goes to Texas' Joe Nathan, who breezes 1-2-3 through the top of the NL order. AL right-fielder Jose Bautista ends the inning with a nice sliding catch of Braun's short fly. ... Rangers could have used Nathan last October, couldn't they?
8:50:Bottom of the first(AL): Matt Cain's All-Star debut is a good one. The right-hander works around a scratch leadoff single by Derek Jeter, finishing a scoreless inning with a swinging strikeout of Toronto's Jose Bautista. NL 5, AL 0.
8:37: Top of the first (NL): Verlander delivers the worst first inning for an All-Star starter since Roger Clemens coughed up six runs in '04 at Houston: NL hitters pile up five runs on four hits, the big one a three-run triple by Pablo Sandoval. ... Verlander's line in three All-Star appearances: three innings, eight hits, six runs.
8:19: First swing of the game: Gonzalez misses, and his bat flies into the stands behind the AL's first-base dugout. Luckily, no one is hit.
8:18: Play ball! Verlander starts Gonzalez with a 97-mph strike.
8:05: Most predictable moment of the pregame introductions: the 23-second, home-crowd standing ovation for the Royals' lone All-Star selection, Billy Butler. . . . No, check that. It was the loud, 11-second booing of the Yankees' Robinson Cano, still in disfavor in KC for not adding Butler to the AL's Home Run Derby lineup. Kansas City piles on. ... Also: some boos for the Brewers' Ryan Braun. A nice reception for the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran, who spent the first 6 1/2 years of his big-league career here.
7:43: Little more than half an hour before game time. The last of the day's sunlight is streaming into Kauffman Stadium. Outfield fountains are dancing. The AL battery of Justin Verlander and Mike Napoli is loosening up in left field. Stands already packed ... Baseball perfection.
AL lineup:
Derek Jeter, Yankees, SS
Robinson Cano, Yankees, 2B
Josh Hamilton, Rangers, LF
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, RF
Prince Fielder, Tigers, 1B
Adrian Beltre, Rangers, 3B
David Ortiz, Red Sox, DH
Mike Napoli, Rangers, C
Curtis Granderson, Yankees, CF
Justin Verlander, Tigers, SP
NL lineup:
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies, DH
Melky Cabrera, Giants, CF
Ryan Braun, Brewers, LF
Joey Votto, Reds, 1B
Carlos Beltran, Cardinals, RF
Buster Posey, Giants, C
Pablo Sandoval, Giants, 3B
Dan Uggla, Braves, 2B
Rafael Furcal, Cardinals, SS
Matt Cain, Giants, RHP
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