Well, Allen Craig will be able to tell his grandkids that he got to face Mariano Rivera in the final All-Star Game for the game's greatest closer. Craig made a solid connection, too, lining out to left to lead off the eighth inning.
Right fielder and eight-time All-Star Carlos Beltran had one of the National League's three hits. His ground ball single off Felix Hernandez in the fourth, in fact, was the NL's only hit through six innings.
And those, Cardinals fans, were your All-Star highlights for the six players representing St. Louis and the NL at Citi Field on Tuesday night.
Yadier Molina, batting sixth, flew out to center in the second and a grounded to short in the fifth.
Matt Carpenter, who also went 0 for 2, struck out in the ninth without taking the bat off his shoulder. Of course, he had no business swinging. All of the called strikes were below his knees and, additionally, the final two were half a foot outside.
Adam Wainwright opted out of a chance to pitch to open a spot on the roster for closer Edward Mujica. The Chief warmed up but did not appear in the game.
At least the Cardinals appeared to emerge from the game with their health and their spirits intact. But the NL's 3-0 loss means the American League will have home-field advantage for the World Series.
For that to matter to the Cardinals, they will have to reach the World Series. To do so, they'll need their All-Stars to make a lot more noise than they did at the All-Star Game.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @stanmcneal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
