Bout time he hit one out, kid has been slacking lately. He must have hit the weight room. ð but thatâs none of my business ð¸ https://t.co/WaIUNJdQKx — Lena Springerâ¤ï¸ (@LenaSpringer) July 18, 2018 HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you watched Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game, chances are you saw George Springer's go-ahead home run in the 10th inning. This was right after Alex Bregman went yard, with both home runs propelling the American League to a 7-6 victory.To make it a little sweeter, the home runs came off Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling. Flashbacks of the World Series likely came to fans of both sides.Those who watch the Astros know Springer had been in a funk pre-All-Star Game. While this could motivate him for a strong end to the season, someone near and dear to Springer let him know how they felt.His sister, Lena, took to her Twitter account and threw some fun shade at her brother.For all we know, Lena could be George's biggest critic.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON — A man in Dodgers blue stood defeated beneath a national audience on the baseball’s biggest stage, staggered again by the swings of the defending World Series champions who, a year later, continue to rewrite their history book. Alex Bregman and George Springer clobbered go-ahead, back-to-back home runs against Ross Stripling in the 10th inning of the All-Star Game, sending the American League to an 8-6 victory that featured a record-setting 10 home runs between the two teams. “Kind of gave me a little bit of a flashback,” American League manager A.J. Hinch said. “How ironic for us to be in the dugout against each other again and have it play out like that.” Three of the home runs came in the 10th inning. Scooter Gennett crushed a two-run shot against Seattle closer Edwin Diaz with one out in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. Unintentionally, Hinch positioned his two players back-to-back in the order. Ordinarily it’s reversed, Springer leading off and Bregman hitting second. Wacky rosters and wackier mid-game switches forced it flipped. So Bregman led off, watching a cutter sail over for strike one. “Went into battle mode,” said Bregman, who ran the count to 2-2. “Was just trying to put a line drive in play.” A day removed from 15 Home Run Derby lasers into the left-field seats, those low liners he tried to lift repeatedly, Bregman replicated it. He launched a fastball well into the left-field bullpen, putting the AL on top 6-5. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, the first Astro to win the award. “I’m on cloud nine,” he said. Springer came to Washington mired in a miserable slump. He mustered only three extra-base hits in the 87 at-bats preceding the break. A sharp, eighth-inning single against former Astros farmhand Josh Hader was his first career All-Star hit, the sort of stout contact to which he is accustomed. Against Stripling, Springer saw one pitch. He obliterated it to the opposite field, padding the American League lead to 7-5 and evoking eerie memories of last October, when this once-middling franchise conquered the mighty Dodgers with such similar late-inning theatrics. “He’s back,” Hinch said. “I told him, he’s back. He goes bullet to left single and oppo homer, he’s back. He should wear the same shoes, same undershirt, same everything when we go to Anaheim.” The Astros entered Nationals Park without a hit in an All-Star Game since 2011. Even Jose Altuve, their reigning MVP and four-time Silver Slugger had not hit safely in any of his five previous appearances. Altuve lined a first-pitch single against Aaron Nola in the fifth inning, affording the reigning American League MVP another career milestone — his first hit in six All-Star Game appearances. “It felt weird,” Altuve said. “It felt like I got my first big league hit or something like that — something I’d never done before, get a hit in an All-Star Game. But it feels good and it was a good experience.” He departed the game early, as many All-Star starters do, and spoke to reporters in the seventh inning. He concluded his comments as Springer struck the hit against Hader. “Hopefully, it’ll help me out. It’s obviously a good day for myself and for a lot of guys in here. It’s fun to contribute and have a lot of fun.” It advanced Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to second base. Choo’s one-out single was the first hit struck all season by a lefthanded hitter against Hader. Hader, momentarily, had a reprieve. Mariners shortstop Jean Segura lifted a full-count pitch lazily to Joey Votto in foul territory. The Reds first baseman dropped it, earning boos from an NL-proud crowd of 43,843. Two pitches later, Segura launched a three-run homer into the left-field bullpen. Four more shots followed, including Votto’s moot, 10th-inning blast against Diaz, the American League’s winning pitcher. J.A. Happ got the save. The 10 home runs were complemented by 25 strikeouts. “Standard operation nowadays, right,” Hinch quipped. In more ways than one. “I’ll take the same World Series, the same outcome,” said Hinch, the first-time All-Star manager, “and I’ll try to come back here next year.”<doc-sep>The home runs came sporadically early in the game. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge homered to lead off the second inning off National League starter and Washington hometown hero Max Scherzer in the form a towering shot to left field. An inning later, Los Angeles Angles center fielder Mike Trout hit a low laser into the visiting bullpen to extend their lead to 2-0, only for Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras to halve that lead with a home run on the first pitch of the third inning from the Tampa Bay Rays' Blake Snell.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — A man in Dodgers blue stood defeated beneath a national audience on the baseball's biggest stage, staggered again by the swings of the defending World Series champions. Alex Bregman and George Springer clobbered go-ahead, back-to-back home runs against Ross Stripling in the 10th inning of a record-setting All-Star Game, sending the American League to a 8-6, 10-inning win that featured a record-setting 10 home runs between the two leagues. The Astros entered Nationals Park without a hit in an All-Star Game since 2011. Even Jose Altuve, their reigning MVP and four-time Silver Slugger had not hit safely in any of his five previous appearances. At Texas Sports Nation: Astros etch new All-Star legacy Altuve lined a first-pitch single against Aaron Nola in the fifth inning, affording the reigning American League MVP another career milestone — his first hit in six All-Star Game appearances. "It felt weird," Altuve said. "It felt like I got my first big league hit or something like that — something I'd never done before, get a hit in an All-Star Game. But it feels good and it was a good experience." He departed early, as many All-Star starters do. GRAND ENTRANCE: Astros stars, wives walk the All-Star Game red carpet Oh, the show he missed. A day removed from 15 Home Run Derby lasers into the left field seats, Bregman - who became the first Astro to earn All-Star Game MVP honors - annihilated Stripling's 2-2 fastball well into the left field bullpen, tying a game Edwin Diaz choked away in the ninth. Springer crushed the next pitch to right, padding the American League lead to 7-5 and evoking eerie memories of last October, when this once-middling franchise conquered the mighty Dodgers in the most heart-stopping of ways. Diaz earned the win despite ceding a game-tying, two-run home run to Scooter Gennett with an out in the ninth inning, destroying a teammate's heroics and setting the Astros up for theirs. In a tie game against former Astros farmhand Josh Hader, Springer laced a one-out single to left field, advancing Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to second base. Choo's one-out single was the first hit struck all season by a lefthanded hitter against Hader. Hader, momentarily, had reprieve. Mariners shortstop Jean Segura lifted a full-count pitch lazily to Joey Votto in foul territory. The Reds first baseman dropped it, earning boos from an engaged, NL-proud crowd of 43,843. Two pitches later, Segura launched a three-run home run into the left field bullpen.