Baseball had its big night Tuesday, as the American League and National League squared off in the 88th Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The All-Star Game is always fun, with a couple dozen awesome players duking it out on the same field, but this edition was particularly enjoyable. The AL eventually prevailed thanks to a 10th-inning home run from Robinson Cano, but both sides—and MLB as a whole—can feel good about a well-played game.
We’ll catch you up on the All-Star Game, plus the rest of Tuesday in sports, right here in The Cheat Sheet.
Robinson Cano homers in the 10th to lift AL in thrilling All-Star Game
A day after MLB hosted one of its most entertaining Home Run Derbys ever, the league’s good fortune continued with a highly enjoyable All-Star Game.
Tuesday’s game was dominated by pitching, with 18 pitchers combining to allow only three runs in 20 total innings. Starters Chris Sale and Max Scherzer allowed some hits but no runs, while the teams’ deep bullpens mostly put up zeroes.
The AL got its first run in the fifth inning on a bloop single by Miguel Sano, and the NL countered the next inning with a game-tying home run from Yadier Molina. The score remained tied until the 10th, when Cano stepped to the plate against Wade Davis and did this:
Cano joined three Hall of Famers on the list of players to homer in extra innings of an All-Star game.
#ASG history for @RobinsonCano. @Mariners #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/t5inSV1zCW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 12, 2017
Cano was named the All-Star Game MVP, one more accomplishment in a Cooperstown-caliber career. Robbie has played in eight All-Star Games, finished in the top six in MVP voting five times and won a couple Gold Gloves. He’s also got a reasonable shot at 3,000 hits and 400 home runs, remarkable figures for a middle-infielder. This guy has been a stud for a long time, and Tuesday only added to his bulging resume.
Meanwhile, the victory for the AL continued the junior circuit’s recent dominance in this event. The AL has now won five All-Star Games in a row and 17 of the past 21 (with one tie). At long last, the league has pulled even with the NL in the all-time Midsummer Classic standings.
I wasn't sure I'd see it in my lifetime, but after being down 20-37-1 in All-Star Games all-time thru 1987, the AL has tied it up, 43-43-2.
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) July 12, 2017
Overall, MLB could not have asked for much more from the All-Star Game or from All-Star week. We’ll see if the good vibes carry into the second half.
Quick hits
– Now that we’re not pretending the All-Star Game counts for something, players can have a little more fun. Such as by taking an in-game photo with the umpire, as Nelson Cruz did.
The Selfie Heard Around the World – Picture via Nelson Cruz https://t.co/06CzIlG5WZ pic.twitter.com/lmI2Arppv3
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) July 12, 2017
– One guy who did not have a great All-Star Game: The Freeze.
.@EvanWFitzgerald your boy The Freeze lost again!! #AllStarGame style.#FOX35 pic.twitter.com/wgtRcCNqWc
— Adam Shadoff (@FOX35Adam) July 12, 2017
– Former NFL receiver Calvin Johnson explained why he retired abruptly after the 2015 season.
– Speaking of retired football players, Fred Taylor made his Hall of Fame case in a passionate series of tweets.
– The Atlanta Hawks’ CEO is paying for the wedding of a couple that met at the team’s “Tinder Night.”
– Paul George said he received reassurances about playing in Oklahoma City from, of all people, Kevin Durant.
– In a somewhat odd move, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed a one-year, $18 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
– As he prepares for his fight against Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor showed off a highly profane suit. Look carefully at those pinstripes.
The suit pic.twitter.com/jSqV9m2eNK
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 11, 2017
– Season 2 of Stranger Things will arrive on Netflix on Oct. 27 .
– Did a blogger just disprove History Channel’s theory about Amelia Earhart?
One last moment of procrastination
Enjoy this thoroughly bizarre rendition of the Canadian national anthem complete with an unexplained giggle.
The reactions from Joey Votto & Justin Smoak during the Canadian anthem, was, uhh, something? What's with that laugh? #Remix #MLBAllStarGame pic.twitter.com/QaofBFbVK8
— Grady Sas (@GradySas) July 12, 2017