In the bottom of the first inning during last night's All-Star Game, Derek Jeter led off for the American League; a decision made by the team's manager John Farrell. The Yankees shortstop did not disappoint, as he sliced a double into right field and received an overwhelming ovation from the crowd.
"I tried to tell him to pick it up -- let's go," Jeter said of Adam Wainwright, who was pitching for the NL in the first inning, via this ESPN article. "But he took a moment and let the fans give me an ovation which I will always remember."
Mike Trout stepped up to the plate following Jeter's double and smashed a triple off the right field wall to give the American League a 1-0 lead. Next up was the reigning AL MVP, Miguel Cabrera, who ripped a screaming line drive into the first row just over the left field wall. It was an inauspicious start to the game for Wainwright, but he managed to get out of the inning with the damage left at 3-0.
The NL answered back in the top of the second inning after they no longer had to face Felix Hernandez. They scored two runs off of Jon Lester thanks to RBI doubles by second baseman Chase Utley and catcher Jonathan Lucroy. Lester gave up three hits, two runs, and threw 22 pitches in just one inning of work, which were all highs for the AL pitching staff on the night.
Jeter led off the bottom of the third inning and faced Cincinnati Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon. The 14-time all-star poked a single into right field, but the next three batters recorded outs. Jeter took the field in the top of the fourth and was substituted for in a classy fashion. Manager John Farrell sent Alexei Ramirez to replace Jeter at the beginning of the inning. They hugged each other and Jeter received a standing ovation from the crowd while Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" was playing throughout the stadium. The unscripted moment left Jeter being embraced by the AL players and coaches while receiving an uncontrollable applause from the crowd. He gave the fans one last curtain call before he went back into the dugout for the remainder of the game.
Although Jeter left the game, the atmosphere remained electric. There were a number of diving plays in the field, close plays at first, and hard throwing by the game's 21 total pitchers. The NL tied it up with another RBI double by Jonathan Lucroy shortly after Jeter exited, but the AL capitalized in the fifth and never looked back. Mike Trout hit an RBI double to take the 4-3 lead and then Jose Altuve hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Jeter's replacement, Alexei Ramirez. In another class move by AL manager John Farrell, he put in Minnesota Twins closer Glen Perkins to finish of the NL in the top of the ninth. In front of his home crowd in Minneapolis Minnesota, Perkins retired the first three batters he faced and the AL won 5-3. They will now have home field advantage in this year's World Series.
For all who watched last night, you were lucky enough to witness history. Mike Trout became the second youngest MVP of the game, only behind Ken Griffey Jr. in 1992, who was just a few days younger. Trout recorded two hits, two RBIs (the first one of the game and the go-ahead in the fifth), and one run. But most importantly, the fans had the opportunity to watch Derek Jeter play in his final All-Star game as one of the greatest shortstops to ever play baseball. With his two-hit effort, Jeter amassed a career .487 batting average (13-27) in the 14 All-Star Games he's played in, which is only behind Charlie Gehringer's record of .500 (10-20). Jeter will be remembered as one of baseball's greats, and last night's event was a memorable way to send him off.
You can read more about the All-Star Game in this ESPN article.
