SAN DIEGO — There was a time when the National League thoroughly dominated the major league All-Star game, but those days are long gone.
The American League has won the midsummer classic for the fourth straight year by banging out a pair of second-inning homers and working out of an eighth-inning jam to beat the NL 4-2.
The AL took the lead for good when a pair of Royals went deep against a former teammate. Salvador Perez belted a two-run shot off Johnny Cueto of San Francisco to break a 1-1 deadlock in the bottom of the second, two batters after Eric Hosmer hit a solo shot. Hosmer was named the MVP of the game after collecting two RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the fourth to make it a 4-1 game.
The senior circuit had a great opportunity to tie the game in the eighth, loading the bases with two out before Astros reliever Will Harris fanned rookie Aledmys Diaz of the Cardinals to end the threat.
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant hit a solo blast in the first inning for the National League, which got its second run on a fourth-inning single by Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins.
David Ortiz was embraced by his AL teammates near first base after exiting his final All-Star Game. The popular Big Papi plans to retire at 40 after this season with Boston.
The AL is 29-7-1 in the last 37 All-Star games since the NL took 19 of 20 from 1963-62. The National League holds a 43-42-2 edge overall since the first All-Star game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.
Cleveland’s Corey Kluber was credited with the victory. Cueto was the loser, and Zach Britton picked up the save.
