MLB: American All Stars

American League continue All-Star dominance with marathon victory.

Last updated: 16th July 2008

MLB All Star Game

All Stars: Morneau celebrates winning run

The American League continued their dominance over the National League as they edged the longest All-Star Game in history with a 4-3 win in the early hours of Wednesday morning in New York.

In a fitting final All-Star Game to be held at the current Yankee Stadium before it is torn down, the thrilling encounter lasted just ten minutes shy of five hours, and only came to a climax at 1.37am.

The win extended the American League's 12-year unbeaten run in the Midsummer Classic and gave them home field advantage for their representative in the best-of-seven World Series.

Michael Young's sacrifice fly only ended the contest ion the 15th inning as he enabled Justin Morneau to run into home plate after facing Philadelphia pitcher Brad Lidge with the bases loaded.

Boston outfield JD Drew was named MVP for the game after his two-run home run upset the partisan New York home fans who never tired of booing all of the Red Sox contingent.

Pitching in

The two teams used 23 pitchers in total in the four-hour and fifty-minute marathon, a full hour longer than the previous longest All-Star Game, with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Scott Kazmir taking the win after pitching a scoreless 15th inning for the American League.

Red Sox and American League manager Terry Francona was reluctant to use Kazmir, his last available pitcher, after he played on Sunday, and MVP Drew could have been stepping up to the mound had the game gone on even longer.

"He might have been a little more of an MVPer if we went a couple more innings. He might have pitched," said Francona.

"He's been begging me a long time to pitch, and we almost got close."

Drew seemed again to get on the mound, saying: "I would have thrown some stuff up there.

"I got a little sneaky stuff here and there. I don't know if I would have got anybody out, but..."

The game was a fitting send-off in All-Star terms to Yankees Stadium, with the franchise moving from the 'House that Ruth Built', which opened in 1923, to a new stadium across the street next season.