It was all National League, right from the start.
Pablo Sandoval and company jumped on Justin Verlander to take a 5-0 lead in the top of the first and cruised from there on the way to an 8-0 victory for the NL in the 83rd All-Star Game, the third straight win for the Senior Circuit.
Sandoval delivered the first bases-loaded triple in All-Star Game history in the first off Verlander. Giants teammate Melky Cabrera proved to be the game’s MVP. He singled and scored in the first and later hit a two-run homer in the fourth, concluding the scoring for the night.
Verlander joined Jim Palmer (AL, 1977), Tom Glavine (NL, 1992) and Roger Clemens (NL, 2004) as the only starters to give up at least five runs in an All-Star Game.
The shutout was the first since the NL blanked the AL 6-0 in 1996. The lone common player in that game and this one was Chipper Jones, who had a single tonight in his final All-Star appearance.
While this one was a rout, the National Leaguers did all of their scoring in two frames. Besides Verlander, only the Rangers’ Matt Harrison got hit, giving up three runs in the fourth. A’s rookie Ryan Cook was particularly impressive, striking out two in an 11-pitch seventh inning.
Matt Cain pitched two scoreless innings after getting the call to start for the NL team. Only Clayton Kershaw, who gave up two hits and a walk (one of the hits coming on a ball left fielder Bryce Harper lost in the lights), had to pitch his way out of trouble.
No American Leaguer had multiple hits, but rookie Mike Trout singled and walked. He also became the first baserunner all year to steal a base off knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Besides the two Giants, the NL’s third offensive star was Ryan Braun, who doubled and tripled. The NL team had three triples in all; one apiece from Braun, Sandoval and Rafael Furcal.