Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer earns him All-Star Game MVP as AL edges NL again

LOS ANGELES — Returning to the ballpark he grew up going to, Giancarlo Stanton made himself right at home by nearly sending a ball to the neighborhood from which he hails.

The Yankees slugger clobbered a 457-foot moonshot for a two-run home run that helped the American League knock off the National League 3-2 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Stanton, who was named the All-Star Game’s MVP, hit his blast off Dodgers righty Tony Gonsolin in the fourth inning to tie the game 2-2. Byron Buxton came up next and made it back-to-back homers to give the AL the lead, sending them to their ninth straight win in the Midsummer Classic.

Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes entered for the sixth inning, pitching to teammate Jose Trevino, and tossed a scoreless frame. The former 36th-round pick had some fun playing with his delivery and changing his arm slots, but worked around a walk and hit batter while striking out a pair.

Yankees
Giancarlo Stanton celebrates his two-run homer for the AL on Tuesday night.
USA TODAY Sports

It was part of straight six straight no-hit innings by the American League pitching staff. Starting in the second inning, the baton went from Blue Jays righty Alek Manoah to Astros lefty Framber Valdez to Athletics righty Paul Blackburn to Rangers lefty Martin Perez to Cortes to Orioles righty Jorge Lopez to Tigers lefty Gregory Soto.

Yankees closer Clay Holmes came on for the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff single to Braves third baseman Austin Riley. Holmes then put his sinker to good use, getting C.J. Cron to ground into a force out before Dansby Swanson flew out.

AL manager Dusty Baker then went to Liam Hendriks to record the final out of the eighth.

The bottom of the ninth went to Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, the fireballer who shut down the NL to end it.

Dodgers staple Clayton Kershaw threw a scoreless top of the first — picking off Shohei Ohtani at first base to erase a leadoff single — before the National League jumped on top in the bottom of the inning with some more help from the hometown team.

All-Star Game
Byron Buxton hits the game-winner home run for the AL at the All-Star Game.
AP

Ronald Acuña Jr. led off with a double down the third-base line before Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts drove him in with a single off Rays lefty Shane McClanahan for the 1-0 lead.

A slick behind-the-back flip from former Mets second baseman Andres Gimenez, now a Guardians All-Star, then started a flashy double play to help out McClanahan.

But Cardinals slugger Paul Goldschmidt came up next and crushed a home run to left-center field to make it 2-0.

In an at-bat reminiscent of too many in the first half of the Mets’ season, Jeff McNeil was hit in the foot by a Manoah slider in the bottom of the second inning. McNeil looked no worse for wear, though it did not count towards the Mets’ league-leading tally of 63 hit-by-pitches at the break.

The National League pitching staff, meanwhile, strutted its stuff early. After Kershaw, Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara struck out two in a perfect second inning before Padres righty Joe Musgrove punched out two more in a hitless third.

But Gonsolin entered for the fourth inning and soon spoiled the Dodger takeover, with Stanton (who was born in Panorama City and grew up in Tujunga) and Buxton going back-to-back.

source: nypost.com