Trout Makes A Splash
It’s no secret that Mike Trout is one of the best young players in baseball. His combination of speed, power, and defensive proficiency will make him an elite player for years to come, something he reminded us of in this year’s All-Star Game.
Trout, batting in the lead off spot for the American League, hit a home run as the first batter of the game to give the American League the lead. He also scored on a single by Prince Fielder later in the game, making him the only player to score two runs in this year’s All-Star Game.
It was refreshing to see Trout perform this well on a stage like this, especially when the last two All-Star Games were focused more on the impending retirements of legends Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter. This time, the spotlight was focused more on Trout, something he took full advantage of with this dominant performance.
American League Pitching Dominates
While the National League’s pitching roster boasted more big names than that of the American League All-Star team, it was the American League whose pitchers had a brilliant day against the batters of its opponent.
Overall, the American League’s pitchers gave up just five hits through the first eight innings of play, through which their team was able to open up a 6-2 advantage and essentially seal up the game. They combined to allow just one earned run through those first eight innings, with Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays being responsible for conceding that run through an Andrew McCutchen solo home run.
While National League pitchers struck out more batters than the American League’s staff, American League pitchers did a better job of keeping hitters off of the base paths to avoid getting into positions to give up runs which made the difference here.
American League At Home
As a result of the victory, the American League’s champion will have home field advantage in the World Series against the National League champion. This means that games 1, 2, 5, and 7 will be held at an American League park, which gives American League sides the advantage in a best four out of seven championship series.
For American League contenders such as the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels, this is a huge blessing, and should be considered by baseball tipsters when evaluating every Major League Baseball team’s odds to win the World Series when October rolls around.]]>
