Last night in St. Louis, the American League defeated the National League 4-3. It was the AL’s fourth straight one-run win, but far more impressive is that it was their twelfth straight All-Star Game victory. The AL has not lost since 1996!
The thing is, the mid-summer classic is known for long winning streaks. The National League won 19 of 20 from 1963-1982, during which they had win streaks of 11 and eight games. The AL won 12 of the first 16 games, starting with the first-ever contest in 1933.
Even with all these long streaks, the overall record is very close, with the senior circuit posting a slightly better record of 40-38-2.
Perhaps it’s the designated hitter, a more talented team, luck, or a combination of all these factors that has led to the American League’s recent dominance. Just don’t be surprised if the NL goes on another long winning streak in the near future.
Speaking of the DH…
Why isn’t there one in every All-Star Game? Does anyone want to see Roy Halladay hit? No, but last night he did since the game was in a National League ballpark. Now I’m not in favor of the DH, but if you’re going to have it, why not use it in the one game it makes perfect sense?
The trend in recent All-Star games is to get as many players into the game as possible, so this would help the managers do that. Fans watch the game to see the star hitters hit and the star pitchers pitch.
I don’t expect Bud Selig to come up with what would be an overwhelming well-received rule change, but perhaps the next commissioner will.
Home Field Advantage?
While the use of the DH is rarely discussed, the debate over whether or not the All-Star Game should determine home-field advantage in the World Series rages on.
I don’t feel strongly about this one way or the other, but if I had to choose I’d say I’m in favor of the current rule. Anything that might make the players take the game more seriously and, in turn, produce a more competitive game, is fine with me. But is it fair that, say, a guy like Heath Bell, last night’s losing pitcher and member of the last-place Padres, contributed to the NL not getting home-field advantage in this year’s Fall Classic?
No it’s not, but is it a big deal? There have been six World Series’ since the All-Star game has been “meaningful,” and while the American League has had home-field advantage in all six, they’ve only been victorious three times. So far, no real advantage.
The Sportswriting of Andrew Kahn 
How much do all-stars get paid for playing in the all-star game? I think if the winning team members received significantly more money than the losers then everyone on the team would play hard; regardless of their teams place in divisional standings.
I believe they do get paid but I don't know the amounts. One problem is that the managers are expected to do 2 things that don't necessarily go well together: (1) try to win and (2) get everyone in the game
You know the NL has not won since the Brewers switched over from the AL…Sorry.