NEW YORK (AP) – Cliff Lee struck out his first two batters for the American League and matched zeros with NL starter Ben Sheets as the All-Star game remained scoreless through three innings Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Lee and Sheets both finished with three strikeouts in two innings. Joe Saunders followed with a scoreless inning for the AL, and Carlos Zambrano did the same for the NL.
Enjoying a tremendous turnaround for Cleveland, Lee started the game by fanning Hanley Ramirez and Chase Utley as the AL tried to improve to 11-0-1 in All-Star games since the NL last won in 1996 at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.
Hometown favorite Derek Jeter reached on an infield single and stole second base in the first inning. But Sheets struck out Josh Hamilton and retired Alex Rodriguez on a foul popup to end the inning.
Sheets, the Milwaukee Brewers’ ace, walked two in the second and then escaped trouble when Dustin Pedroia flied out.
Lee fanned Ryan Braun with a runner on second to end the second.
Ichiro Suzuki opened the bottom of the third with a single off Zambrano, but Jeter grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Baseball’s grand salute to Yankee Stadium in its final season began with a pregame spectacle that included 49 Hall of Famers.
First, Ernie Banks addressed the NL All-Stars in their clubhouse, George Brett the AL squad.
Then, greats of the game such as Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Bob Feller walked in from the outfield and stood at their positions. They were introduced one by one, tipping caps from their former teams to the crowd.
When this year’s All-Star starters were introduced, they jogged out to their positions and greeted the Hall of Famers with handshakes and hugs. It was billed as the greatest collection of stars ever assembled on one field.
With all the players still out there, 78-year-old Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was driven to the mound on a cart as cameras flashed all around the 85-year-old ballpark.
The Boss delivered baseballs to Yankees Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson and Goose Gossage for the ceremonial first pitches.
As streamers soared into the air, those four tossed to four current Yankees, including manager Joe Girardi.
Finally, it was time to play ball.
One All-Star was missing from the festivities. San Francisco pitcher Tim Lincecum was hospitalized Tuesday with flulike symptoms and dehydration, preventing him from attending his first Midsummer Classic.
The right-hander was treated and released in the afternoon.
“He’s resting comfortably,” Giants spokesman Matt Chisholm said.
Add A Comment