Well, the National League finally got the thirteen year old monkey off their back by beating the American League in the Mid Summer Classic. To some, the less than popular substitutions that decided the outcome of the game put a damper on the classic. Read more.
The National League had lost the previous 13 meetings against the American League up until last night. The Atlanta Braves catcher hit a bases clearing double to give the National League a 3-1 lead. It was lead that they would not relinquish as they sent a battery of top notch pitcher to the mound to close it out.
It was a well played game, with plenty of stellar defensive plays in the field and extremely brilliant pitching. Really, there was only one big hit in the game and that came off the bat of Brian MCcann. The game was indicative of the era Major League baseball has entered into, an era dominated by pitching. So it would seem that ladies will have to learn to love the fastball, because the longball era is over.
Perhaps the most interesting period of the game came when Tiger’s pitcher Jose Valverde took the mound. What a show. Valverde pranced and danced around the mound, reacting flamboyantly to every pitch and every strikeout he registered. The National League players seemed to get a kick out of Valverde’s antics which were completely over the top. To Valverde’s credit, he did have some nasty stuff, every pitch he threw seemed to dip and dive and some really sharp late movement on it. In the inning Valverde worked, while everyone might have been laughing at his dance moves, he didn’t get touched.
It was about time the National League got the job done. It’s hard to imagine any team beating another team 13 straight times, let alone another allstar team, the streak was reaching embarrassing proportions and National League can raise their heads high after snapping it. But the win has bigger ramifications. The National League champion will now have home field advantage for the World Series, which could very well make all difference in which team and which league will be crowned world champions. If you’re betting on a National League team to win the World Series, your bet just got a little sweeter.
