American League Prevails in 15th, Wins 4-3
NEW YORK _ Clint Hurdle found Brad Lidge early Tuesday afternoon inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and told him to be ready to pitch the ninth inning Tuesday night. If the National League had a lead over the American League in the All-Star Game, he wanted the ball in his hands.
But Lidge did not pitch until the 15th inning _ after he had warmed up in the bullpen numerous times _ and allowed the winning run in a 4-3 loss to the American League. The game was the longest in All-Star Game history at 4 hours, 50 minutes. It also tied for the most innings played in an All-Star Game, matching the 15 innings played in 1967.
The victory gave the AL home-field advantage in the World Series, and extended its unbeaten streak against the NL to 12 games.
The NL has not won since the 1996 All-Star Game at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.
Lidge allowed a leadoff single to Minnesota’s Justin Morneau and another single to Tampa Bay’s Dioner Navarro to put runners on first and second with one out. Lidge then walked Boston’s J.D. Drew, the game’s MVP, to load the bases. Michael Young of the Texas Rangers hit a sacrifice fly to right field to win it.
But even then, the play at the plate was ridiculously close as Morneau just beat the throw by Milwaukee’s Corey Hart.
It ended a night that started wonderfully.
Forty Hall of Famers were on the field for a memorable pregame ceremony, including Phillies greats Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Robin Roberts. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner presented balls for ceremonial first pitches to Yankees Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Goose Gossage and Reggie Jackson, who threw to current Yankees greats Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
But after the living legends had been paid their respects, the NL tried to break its run of futility against the AL.
Chase Utley did his part. He went 1 for 3 with a single in the sixth inning that helped the NL score its second run to make it 2-0. The inning started with Hanley Ramirez’s single to center. Utley followed with a single to right to move Ramirez to third. Ramirez scored on Lance Berkman’s sacrifice fly to center.
Edinson Volquez allowed a two-run homer to Drew in his first-ever all-star at-bat in the seventh to tie it, 2-2. But the NL came back in the eighth when Miguel Tejada singled, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error. Tejada scored on Adrian Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly to center.
But Billy Wagner allowed a run in the eighth to tie it again. And that’s where the score remained until the 15th. Both teams had a chance to win it earlier _ mostly notably in the 10th when Florida’s Dan Uggla bounced into an inning-ending double play and committed two errors in the bottom of the inning to help load the bases with no outs.
Uggla later committed a third error.
The American League responded with three straight groundouts as Colorado’s Aaron Cook wriggled out of the jam.
On a night when pitching was needed, the National League was without San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum, who was treated for the flu and dehydration at a Manhattan hospital and did not make it to the stadium. Because of that, he was the only pitcher on either roster who did not pitch.
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