WASHINGTON -- After a dramatic two-run shot from Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett sent the game to extra innings, the American League answered with authority in the MLB All-Star Game. It led to an 8-6 American League victory. First up, Alex Bregman and then George Springer. The Springer Dinger was the ninth homer of the game (Joey Votto would hit one in the bottom of the 10th to make it 10 and, yes, that's a record). Interestingly, the Astros duo homered off Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, which, of course, brought out the memories of last October. As we know in these parts, the Astros won the World Series over the Dodgers in seven games, thanks in part to 15 home runs. Not surprisingly, the Giants social media people couldn't help but do some good ol' trolling: Bregman was 1 for 3 in the game, but that one shot was pretty important, so he ended up winning the All-Star Game MVP award. Interestingly, the Astros had only previous had two home runs in the All-Star Game in franchise history (Cesar Cedeno and Craig Biggio). Also, one might wonder if teammates had ever gone back-to-back before in the Midsummer Classic and they have, but only once. That's pretty cool. Also cool, Bregman got a free car for winning the MVP and he chose a Chevy Camaro to give to his mother. Finally, Bregman taking MVP honors with the Astros being the ones to swing this game after the World Series title and being one of the juggernauts of baseball this season seemed like a fitting way to close down this All-Star break.<doc-sep>Major League Baseball’s best players descended upon Nationals Park in Washington D.C. for the 2018 All-Star Game. When the dust settled, it was the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros who stole the spotlight. Alex Bregman and George Springer, two of six Astros selected for the All-Star Game, broke a 10th-inning tie with back-to-back home runs to help lead the American League stars to an 8-6 win against the National League squad. [Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free] The Astros home runs capped a flurry of dramatic late-inning action. Seattle Mariners shortstop Jean Segura smashed a three-run eighth-inning home run to seemingly put the AL in control. However, Scooter Gennett would tie it again in the ninth inning with a two-run homer off Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz. The game really had an all-or-nothing feel to it throughout, which fits with the upward trends of home runs and strikeouts during the regular season. In the end, an All-Star Game record 10 home runs were hit, which accounted for 13 of the 14 runs scored. The All-Star pitching staffs combined to strike out 25 batters. It was the AL’s big boppers who set the early tone. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge got the scoring started in the second inning with a solo home run off Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer. One inning later, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout went deep against Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets. The National League responded with solo home runs from Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras in the third inning and Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story in the seventh inning. Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers added another solo shot in the eighth. With the victory, the American League takes the series with 44 victories to the Nationals League’s 43 in All-Star Game play. There have been two ties, including the infamous 2002 All-Star Game at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Houston Astros slugger Alex Bregman gives the American League the lead with a solo home run in the MLB All-Star Game. (AP) Who was the 2018 All-Star Game MVP? Story continues Alex Bregman became the first Astros player to be named All-Star Game MVP. There was no shortage of choices with 10 different players hitting home runs, but Bregman got the nod after hitting the go-ahead home run. Bregman finished the game 1 for 3. How did Bryce Harper fare in the 2018 All-Star Game? After winning Monday’s Home Run Derby, Harper was pretty quiet in the All-Star game itself. Well, aside from the in-game interview where he admitted Mike Trout was the best player in MLB. Harper went hitless in two at-bats, striking out swinging against New York Yankees ace Luis Severino in the second inning and striking out looking against Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Blake Snell in the fourth. This could mark the free-agent-to-be’s final All-Star Game in a Nationals uniform. What were the best moments of the 2018 All-Star Game? • There were selfies galore as the All-Stars were allowed to snap photos on the field and in the dugout. One that caught everyone’s attention was Baltimore Orioles shortstop Manny Machado snapping a photo with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp at second base. "Did we just become best friends?" 👀 pic.twitter.com/3MButJkGmr — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 18, 2018 It’s rumored that Machado will soon be traded to Los Angeles, meaning Kemp could be his teammate the next time he steps on the field. • The Judge vs. Scherzer matchup was a spectacle unto itself. When Judge went yard, it was a superb All-Star moment. But it was made even cooler by Judge’s teammate, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino, making the catch between warm up pitches. ALL RISE IN THE ALL STAR GAME. Aaron Judge goes YARD off Max Scherzer. pic.twitter.com/O7KsG13Tx4 — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 18, 2018 Needless to say, that’s one home run ball Judge will be getting back, and it’s a pretty cool one to have on the mantle. • Mike Trout did a little bit of everything he loves during the 2018 All-Star Game. That included sharing the field with his peers, launching his second All-Star home run, and providing a mid-game forecast. That’s right, when the rains started falling at Nationals Park during the middle inning, the self-professed weather nerd gave a weather report alongside Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal. Trout predicted that the rains would die out, allowing the game to be completed without interruption. Fortunately, he was right on the money. Where will the All-Star Game be in 2019? In 2019, the All-Star festivities will move to Progressive Field in Cleveland for the second time since the ballpark opened in 1994. In 1997, the All-Star Game was played at what was then named Jacobs Field. Later that season, it became the tenth ballpark to host an All-Star Game and a World Series in the same season. More from Yahoo Sports: • Bryce Harper winning HR Derby cost the Nationals a lot of money • LaVar’s JBA league still silent on coach’s bullying of player • HR Derby truthers are disputing Bryce Harper’s win • Legends of Summer League: Zero pay, a year-round grind and elusive NBA dreams<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.