The 23rd installment of the DTBL All-Star Game was practically over as soon as it started. The National Division scored five runs in the bottom of the first on their way to a blowout 12-0 victory over the American Division at In-N-Out Park, home of David’s Darkhorses. National hitters knocked around the American pitchers, while the National pitchers were nearly untouchable. The winning side knocked 17 hits while allowing just one infield single. The National All-Stars hit four home runs on their way to that easy win. Xander Bogaerts was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Jake Arrieta got the start on the mound for the American Division, but it did not go well for him. After retiring the first hitter he faced in the bottom of the first, he then surrendered five consecutive singles, highlighted by a two run hit by Manny Machado. After that streak was halted with a strikeout, Xander Bogaerts added to Arrieta’s troubles with another two run single. Following the seventh single of the inning, Arrieta was mercifully relieved. Unfortunately for the American All-Stars, the pitchers that followed were only slightly more successful.
Mike Trout led off the bottom of the second with the game’s first home run, off of Noah Syndergaard. But it was the fifth inning when balls really started flying. It was a rough game for Cubs pitchers as Jon Lester was the victim of the damage done in the fifth. Following a Daniel Murphy double, George Springer hit a 453 foot bomb to left to score a pair. Bogaerts immediately followed with a solo shot to left. Two batters later, Bryce Harper added a run-scoring single to make it 10-0 after five. Had this been a Little League game, the mercy rule would have been enacted at that time. The National All-Stars weren’t quite done scoring though. Two more hits in the sixth led to another run. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Harper struck again with a solo bomb to center.
Meanwhile, while National hitters were teeing off, their pitchers were in complete control. National starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was very impressive. He pitched two perfect innings, striking out five of the six hitters he faced. It was just the start of a complete whiff-fest for the American hitters. In total, the National pitchers recorded 19 strikeouts. They struck out the side three times and recorded at least two strikeouts in all but two innings. The American Division tallied just a single hit, an infield knock by Corey Seager. Besides Kershaw, the other impressive pitching performances for the National squad included Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman.
In the end, Bogaerts was named the Most Valuable Player with his two hits and three runs driven in. There were plenty of other candidates though, including Harper, Trout, Murphy, Springer and Kershaw. Kershaw picked up the victory while Arrieta took the loss.
Blowouts are nothing new to the DTBL All-Star Game. While recent editions have mostly featured close pitching duels, this game was almost a mirror image of the 2012 game, except with the other side winning. The American Division won that ’12 game by a score of 12-1. The National Division broke a two year losing streak, having lost the last two games by single runs.
Click here to view the game’s full box score.
Thanks to Mike for filling in for Jay as the American Division manager and to Marc for making the National roster decisions and sending me instructions to follow while playing out the game. The second half of the season is well underway. It appears, unlike last year, that we are in for a fun title race. Enjoy the rest of the summer!