Written by Jay Jaffe at SI.com
For the 12th time in All-Star Game history and the first time since 2008, the AL and NL needed extra innings to settle the score. Robinson Cano’s solo home run off Wade Davis in the top of the 10th propelled the AL a 2–1 win, its fifth straight victory in the competition, and evened the all-time tally between the two leagues to 43 wins apiece. Here are three quick thoughts about the game.
1. Late-inning drama
On a night where pitching dominated, both teams had golden opportunities to un-tie the score in the ninth inning, with their first substantial threats since each had plated their lone run. Facing Kenley Jansen, Yonder Alonso led off with a single and stole second. He got as far as third, via Jansen’s two-out balk, but the Dodgers’ ace closer struck out the other three hitters he faced, including Avasail Garcia with two outs. In the bottom of the inning, Yadier Molina—who had supplied the NL’s lone run via a sixth-inning homer (more on that below) — drew a leadoff walk against Craig Kimbrel and one out later, took second on a passed ball by Gary Sanchez. Jake Lamb walked. Paul Goldschmidt’s flyout to centerfield advanced Molina, but Michael Conforto couldn’t keep up with the steady diet of 98 mph fastballs that Kimbrel fed him. He went down swinging.
The score didn’t remain tied for much longer. Davis—who had allowed just one home run since September 24, 2015—hung a curveball on his third pitch of the night, and Cano hit a 395-foot liner into the rightfield bullpen in Marlins Park. That proved to be the difference-maker, and it earned Cano the game MVP honors.
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