The National League remains in the lead in the all-time MLB All-Star game series, owning a 43-40 advantage. But the American League has been doing some serious damage since the beginning of this Century and, more specifically, since the new rule that the winning league of each year’s Midsummer Classic would earn homefield advantage in that year’s World Series. The Junior Circuit won seven games in a row from 2003-2009. The NL bounced back with three consecutive wins from 2010-12 before the AL won in each of the last two years. So since the homefield advantage rule was implemented, the American League has hosted nine World Series’ while the National League has hosted just three times. Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park will host the 86th MLB All-Star game Tuesday (7:30 p.m., FOX), with Houston’s Dallas Keuchel (11-4, 2.23 ERA) getting the start for the AL and the Dodgers’ Zack Greinke (8-2, 1.39 ERA) getting the nod for the NL. Multiple Royals (Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar) and multiple Angels (Mike Trout, Albert Pujols) will be in Ned Yost’s AL starting lineup while Bruce Bochy’s NL lineup is a little more diverse. Washington’s Bryce Harper will hit out of the three-hole with Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt hitting clean-up. Last year’s 5-3 AL victory at Target Field in Minnesota had some controversy as St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright said he gave the retiring Derek Jeter some easy pitches to hit. Jeter’s double in the first inning helped the AL get out to a 3-0 lead.
2015 MLB All-Star Game preview (baseball TV start, begin time)
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