McClanahan Gets Touched Up in All-Star Game Debut, But American League Wins Again
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan has the lowest earned run average (1.71) in all of baseball, and Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.02) is three spots behind him. But both were human on Tuesday night in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
McClanhan got the start for the American League, just the second Rays pitcher to ever get that honor. David Price was the first, in 2010. He pitched just one inning, and gave up two runs and four hits, including a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals.
But the American League got him off the hook thanks to a three-run fourth inning. Giancarlo Stanton crushed a 457-foot two-run homer off of Gonsolin, and then Minnesota's Byron Buxton did the same just four pitches later, hitting the game-winner 425-feet into the center field seats. Stanton was named the game's MVP.
Neither team would score again.
The National League had only one hit after the first inning, and 20 straight NL hitters went down in order. The AL used 11 pitchers and no one pitched more than one inning. Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth inning to get the save.
It was the ninth straight win for the American League, and the first All-Star Game in Dodger Stadium in 42 years. In the past 25 years, the AL has gone 21-4 in the game.
The NL jumped all over McClanahan. Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. opened the game with a ground-rule double and then Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Mookie Betts drove him in with a single.
McClanahan got San Diego's Manny Machado to hit into a double play on what might have been the play of the game.
Andrés Giménez and Tim Anderson turned about the coolest double play you’ll see in an All-Star Game pic.twitter.com/Wxq7YZIq8N
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) July 20, 2022
Goldschmidt hit his solo home run after the double play, and Trea Turner or the Dodgers also had a two-out single, but McClanahan then struck out Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs to end the threat.
McClanahan has been so good lately, that it was a bit of a surprise to see him give up anything, even in an All-Star Game, his first. In his last seven starts, he has given up four hits or less in all seven.
The Rays resume the regular season on Friday in Kansas City, taking on the Royals for three games. They haven't announced their pitching rotation yet, but it's likely that Drew Rasmussen will start on Friday night.
Jeffrey Springs, who went on the injured list with a calf injury, is expected to return and pitch one of the weekend games, probably on Saturday. McClanahan would then be able to pitch on Sunday on the normal four days of rest.
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.