This All-Star game was played in Cleveland, and true to the times, strikeouts by AL pitchers were the big story. Shane Bieber earned MVP laurels in his home park by striking out the side in the fifth, three of the sixteen strikeouts racked up by the junior circuit hurlers. The NL only struck out seven AL batters, but the scoreboard was much closer.
Michael Brantley (an honorary hometown player as it was his first year with Houston) opened the scoring with a second inning double, and Jorge Polanco got an infield single in the fifth to make it 2-0. A solo homer from Charlie Blackmon cut the lead in half in the sixth, but the AL tacked on two more in the seventh including a Joey Gallo homer.
Bieber’s status as MVP was imperiled by teammate Brad Hand, who entered in the eighth and allowed two walks and a single to load the bases. Pete Alonso singled to make it 4-3, and a double steal put the go ahead runs in scoring position, but Mike Moustakas fouled out to end the threat. Aroldis Chapman likely would have been MVP had the game been played in any other park as he struck out the side in the ninth to earn the save, but Bieber’s similar feat in the fifth got the nod in Cleveland.
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