Elias Says...
Special to ESPN.com
MLB
GIANTS COME UP BIG FOR THE NATIONAL LEAGUE
From Elias: Matt Cain was the winning pitcher and his Giants teammate Pablo Sandoval drove in three runs with a bases-loaded triple in the first inning to lead the National League to a victory over the American League in the All Star Game on Tuesday night. It is only the third time that a player drove in at least three runs in an All Star Game in which his teammate was the winning pitcher. In 1934, Earl Averill drove in three runs while his Indians teammate Mel Harder was credited with the win and in 1937 Lou Gehrig had four RBI behind winning pitcher Lefty Gomez, his Yankees teammate.
ALL STAR MVP GOES TO A GIANT FOR THE SIXTH TIME
From Elias: San Francisco's Melky Cabrera was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 All Star Game. It is the sixth time that a Giants player has won that Award, previously accomplished by Willie Mays in 1963 and 1968, Juan Marichal in 1965, Willie McCovey in 1969 and Bobby Bonds in 1973. Only one other franchise has had as many as six All Star Game MVPs: the Orioles (six).
MELKY GOES DEEP IN HIS OLD HOME
From Elias: Melky Cabrera smacked a two-run home run to help lead the National League to an 8-0 victory over the American League in the All Star Game. Cabrera's home run came in Kansas City, a place he called home during the 2011 season. Only two other players have hit a home run in an All Star Game that was hosted by a team for whom he once played for. Detroit's Ray Boone hit a home run in Cleveland in the 1954 game after playing for the Indians from 1948 to 1953 and St. Louis' Frankie Frisch went deep in 1934 at the Polo Grounds after spending eight seasons with the New York Giants from 1919 to 1926.
N.L. ROUGHS UP VERLANDER IN THE FIRST INNING
From Elias: The National League scored five runs in the first inning off of Justin Verlander en route to an 8-0 win over the American League in the All Star game on Tuesday night. Verlander is only the fifth pitcher in major-league history to allow at least five runs in a single inning in an All Star Game. Atlee Hammaker gave up seven runs in the third inning in 1983, Roger Clemens allowed six runs in the first inning in 2004, Sandy Consuegra gave up five runs in the fourth inning in 1954 and Blue Moon Odom allowed five runs in the third inning in 1969.
NATIONAL LEAGUE TRIPLES THEIR PLEASURE
From Elias: Pablo Sandoval, Ryan Braun and Rafael Furcal each hit a triple for the National League in the All Star Game on Tuesday night. That is the most triples hit by a single team in an All Star Game in major league history. The National League hit only one triple in the 13 All Star Games played from 1999 to 2011 (Carlos Beltran 2007).
REIGNING MVPs SQUARE OFF IN THE ALL STAR GAME
From Elias: Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player, hit a double off 2011 American League MVP Justin Verlander in the first inning of the Major League All Star Game on Tuesday night. It marked only the third time in major-league history that the two reigning league MVPs faced each other in an All Star Game. In 1934, Jimmie Foxx (A.L.) struck out against Carl Hubbell (N.L.) and in 1940, Joe DiMaggio (A.L.) flew out against Bucky Walters (N.L.).
National All-Stars, American All-Stars
TWO YOUNGSTERS MAKE AN ALL STAR APPEARANCE
From Elias: Bryce Harper (19 years old) and Mike Trout (20 years old) both appeared in the All Star Game on Tuesday night. That marked only the second time that two players under the age of 21 appeared in the same All Star Game. That happened in the second of the two All Star Games played in 1959, when the Orioles' Jerry Walker (age 20) was the starting pitcher for the American League and the Reds' Vada Pinson (20) pinch ran for the National League.
National All-Stars, American All-Stars
PRINCE JOINS CECIL AS A TIGER ALL STAR
From Elias: Prince Fielder made his first All Star appearance as a member of the Tigers, the team that his father Cecil represented in three All Star Games in the 1990s. The Fielders are the fourth father-son tandem to each play in an All Star Game for the same franchise. They join Felipe and Moises Alou (Giants), Bobby and Barry Bonds (Giants) and Ken Sr. and Ken Jr. Griffey (Reds).
CHIPPER SINGLES IN HIS FINAL ALL STAR APPEARANCE
From Elias: Chipper Jones singled in his only trip to the plate in the All Star Game on Tuesday night. Jones is the first player at least 40 years old to get a hit in an All Star Game since Cal Ripken homered at the age of 40 in the 2001 game.