Rays/MLB

Young star of old story

The Rangers' Michael Young hits a go-ahead triple that rallies the AL to a 3-2 win, making it 9-0-1 in the past 10 Midsummer Classics.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published July 12, 2006

	[Getty Images]
	Scott Kazmir, the Rays' first-time All-Star, delivers during his perfect sixth inning. Kazmir got a groundout and two flyouts. Below, Rangers shortstop Michael Young strokes a go-ahead two-run triple in the ninth inning off veteran Padres closer Trevor Hoffman, lifting the AL to the victory and earning him game MVP honors.
	[Getty Images]

PITTSBURGH - Let's get serious.

That was the message National League manager Phil Garner wanted to get across to his players before the 77th All-Star Game.

The American League was on an 8-0-1 streak, and Garner during Monday's session with reporters said he believed the AL, at least recently, had taken the game more seriously.

NL players said before the game they were focused. Not that it mattered, as the AL continued its domination with a dramatic 3-2 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 38,904 at PNC Park.

Rangers shortstop Michael Young had the big blow, a two-out, ninth-inning triple off Padres closer Trevor Hoffman that scored two and erased a 2-1 NL lead.

"I knew I had my work cut out for me," said Young, who was named game MVP. "I was looking fastball first pitch, fouled it off. Thought he might throw a changeup second pitch, fouled that one off. Clearly my thinking was doing me no good. So I'm just going to try to see the ball and make some contact."

Even more painful for the NL was that Hoffman, who is closing in on all-time saves leader Lee Smith, got two quick outs before Paul Konerko singled and Troy Glaus hit a ground-rule double into the leftfield stands to put runners on second and third.

Young's triple gave the AL its first runs since Vlad Guerrero's second-inning home run gave it a 1-0 lead. It also erased the potential embarrassment of losing on Roy Halladay's third-inning wild pitch that scored the Mets' Carlos Beltran and gave the NL the lead.

"Once I saw Michael Young was coming up, I knew we had a good chance of at least a tie," Devil Rays first-time All-Star Scott Kazmir said. "It's incredible, and we did it in dramatic fashion."

The victory gives the AL homefield advantage in the World Series.

Perhaps that was the source of some of Garner's angst. Garner last season managed the Astros into the World Series and lost four straight to the White Sox, who played the first two games at home.

"No, it doesn't sting at all," Garner said. "This was a well-played ballgame, a nice game. You tip your hat to those guys who came back in the ninth inning."

As All-Star Games go, this one was well-played. There was one error and just one walk.

NL starter Brad Penny had the stands buzzing with his brilliant first inning in which he struck out Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz.

Penny threw three 99 mph pitches and several others that hit 97 and 98.

There was a little chink to start the second as Alex Rodriguez at last touched the ball on a groundout.

And Penny's mistake against Guerrero was to throw only 96 mph as the Angels outfielder swatted the eye-high pitch the opposite way into the rightfield seats.

The NL answered in the second inning when David Wright drove a line drive into the leftfield seats. He became the 13th player to homer in his first All-Star at-bat.

The score was 2-1 in the third when Beltran scored on Halladay's wild pitch. The thrill of that inning, though, came courtesy of Toronto's Vernon Wells.

The AL centerfielder threw a one-hop strike to Ivan Rodriguez at the plate to erase Alfonso Soriano trying to score from second on Beltran's single.

Pirates shortstop Sanchez gave the home crowd a thrill in the fifth inning by recording two outs.

First he almost ran over third baseman Wright while tracking down Guerrero's foul pop. He ended the inning with a leaping grab of Mark Loretta's line drive.

The normally potent AL had all kinds of trouble with NL pitching and had just three hits through seven innings.

A promising start in the seventh when Konerko singled to lead off went for nothing. Milwaukee pitcher Derrick Turnbow got Glaus to hit into a double play and Young to fly out to rightfield.

Mauer, the AL's leading hitter, got his first at-bat in the eighth inning. But Phillies closer Tom Gordon struck him out swinging.

Gary Matthews singled and moved up on Jim Thome's groundout to second. Matthews ran on the pitch, which avoided a double play.

No matter: Sanchez, playing second, made a nifty, sliding backhand stop of Grady Sizemore's grounder for the third out.

[Last modified July 12, 2006, 06:53:42]