Thankful for the All-Star Game

I have always thought that Major League Baseball’s use of the All-Star game to determine home field advantage for the World Series was one of the dumbest ideas ever.

Today I’ve determined it’s pure genius.

So thank you All-Star MVP Mike Trout (Angels), winning pitcher Max Scherzer (Tigers), closer Glen Perkins (Twins) and of course Derek Jeter (Yankees) for your efforts on July 15th in keying a 5-3 American League win and giving the Kansas City Royals the chance to host four games in October at Kauffman Stadium.

Because of you and the rest of the AL roster a Game 7 will be played tonight in the Heartland. And the Royals are one game away from their second World Championship. An electric crowd last night re-energized the home team after two tough losses in San Francisco, as the Boys in Blue routed the Giants 10-0 to even the series at three games apiece.

The offense used a series of well-placed hits to bludgeon the Giants with a seven-run second inning and start the party early. Every batter in the Royals starting lineup had a hit. Mike Moustakas provided bookends to the scoring as he drove in the first run of the game with a double and the last with a solo home run in the seventh.

And what can you say about Yordano Ventura! Dedicating his night to the Cardinals’ Oscar Taveras, his friend and countryman who died in a car crash on Sunday, the 23-year-old Dominican threw seven shutout innings and allowed only three hits. When he hit a bump in the road by walking three consecutive batters in the third, Giants catcher Buster Posey bailed him out by swinging at the next pitch and grounding into a double play. After that Ventura and the Royals were on cruise control, and the only mystery remaining was how high Game 7 prices would go on Stubhub. It was the most lopsided shutout victory in a World Series since…the Royals beat the Cards 11-0 in 1985.

Looking for more karma, consider these nuggets:

• In this year where Korean SungWoo Lee has become the unofficial Super Fan of the Royals, a team from South Korea also won the Little League World Series. The last time that happened was…1985.
• In 1985 pitcher Bret Saberhagen’s wife had a baby during the World Series. That baby Drew grew up to play baseball at Western Carolina University with Royals closer Greg Holland, whose wife just had a baby during the 2014 post-season.
• A visiting team has not won Game 7 of a World Series in 35 years.

In a Series that has featured mostly one-sided games, I look for a different formula tonight. With little drama after Tuesday’s second inning both managers were able to rest their best relief pitchers. Starters Jeremy Guthrie (35) and Tim Hudson (39) will be the oldest Game 7 pitching match up in history, but they may not be around for long. The managers will mix and match early, and for both staffs it will be all hands on deck. That could include an appearance by the menacing Madison Bumgarner for San Francisco.

No matter the outcome, this is one date we will never forget. Enjoy it, Kansas City, and good luck having a productive day at the office.