A.L. Stars Feel The Beat Alomar’s Timely Blast Sparks American League

This time, a Cleveland catcher bowled over the National League.

Sandy Alomar restored some All-Star pride that was lost 27 years ago when Pete Rose flattened Ray Fosse, hitting a two-run homer in the seventh inning Tuesday night that gave the American League a 3-1 win and ended its three-game losing streak.

While N.L. hitters did little no matter what side of the plate they batted from - Larry Walker even turned around after Randy Johnson playfully threw a pitch over his head - Alomar showed the swing that’s produced a 30-game hitting streak.

“You stand up there and everything you see looks like a beach ball,” Alomar said.

“You only get one chance to play before your hometown crowd in an All-Star game,” he said. “I was flying around the bases. I don’t think I’ve ever run so fast around the bases.”

Alomar made the most of his only at-bat with a two-out drive against San Francisco’s Shawn Estes and earned the MVP award.

Before Alomar’s home run, Indians catchers were known for only one thing in All-Star play. It was 1970 when Rose ran over Fosse to score the winning run in the 12th inning at Riverfront Stadium.

“I remember seeing the play with Pete Rose,” Alomar said. “That’s kind of a difficult play to swallow for a catcher.”

Alomar became the first player to homer in his hometown All-Star game since Hank Aaron in Atlanta in 1972, and the first Indians player to connect in the summer showcase since Rocky Colavito in 1959.

The A.L. cut its deficit in the series to 40-27-1.

Kansas City’s Jose Rosado wound up the winner despite giving up a tying, solo home run to Javy Lopez in the seventh. Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees pitched a perfect ninth for a save, finishing a combined three-hitter for eight A.L. pitchers.

Edgar Martinez homered in the second inning for the A.L. as home runs accounted for all of the scoring. The same could be true next summer when the game is played at Coors Field in Denver.

The sellout crowd of 44,916 gave Alomar, who is just over halfway to DiMaggio’s record 56-game hitting streak, a rousing ovation after his home run, which was enough to make him the first player to win the All-Star MVP award at his home ballpark.

Alomar, who backed out of Monday’s home run derby, connected one out after Bernie Williams drew a walk from Estes.

“Well, I kept his hitting streak alive for him,” Estes said.

Besides seeing Alomar win the game, the fans had a few other treats, too.

They got to boo Albert Belle in his first return to the Jake since the Chicago White Sox visited in June, an appearance that prompted the former Cleveland star to make an obscene gesture at his former rooters.

Belle was booed in pregame introductions, but did not play.

The crowd also saw an All-Star highlight for the ages.

Walker, who leads the majors in batting at .398 and the N.L. with 25 homers, made his much-anticipated lefty vs. lefty matchup with Johnson, baseball’s most overpowering pitcher.

Last month, Walker sat out an interleague game when his Colorado Rockies took on Johnson and the Seattle Mariners, but there was no ducking him this time.

Johnson, in a scene reminiscent of his 1993 All-Star duel with John Kruk, threw the first pitch far over Walker’s head and hit the backstop on the fly. Walker, laughing, turned his helmet around, moved to the other batter’s box and took a pitch for a ball right-handed.

Walker then went back to batting left-handed, and drew a walk.

“He had fun with it, and so did I, and I think the fans did, too,” Johnson said.

The two could meet Aug. 28 when interleague play resumes. Among the games that night is Seattle at Colorado.

Lopez, one of seven Atlanta players on the N.L. team, opened the seventh with a drive off the left-field foul pole that tied it at 1.

The shot off Rosado made Lopez the 11th player to homer in his first All-Star bat, and the first since Jeff Conine in 1995. Lopez also continued the recent trend of power provided by N.L. catchers - Mike Piazza won the MVP award in last summer’s game with a home run and double.

Before Lopez connected, N.L. hitters had been held to just one hit, a single by Jeff Blauser in the third off Roger Clemens. David Cone, Justin Thompson and Pat Hentgen combined to set down eight straight batters before Lopez led off against Rosado, Kansas City’s lone representative.

This was the first year that fans elected a designated hitter to the All-Star team, and they obviously made a smart choice in Martinez.

Martinez, batting .342 with 16 home runs for Seattle, led off the second with a drive off Greg Maddux that landed among the fans standing above the 19-foot wall in left field.

American 3, National 1 National AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Biggio 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Womack 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Gwynn dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000

b-Galarraga ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Bonds lf 2 0 0 0 1 1 .000

SFinley lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Piazza c 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000

JLopez c 1 1 1 1 0 0 1.000

CJohnson c 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Bagwell 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000

MaGrace 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

LWalker rf 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Alou rf 2 0 1 0 0 0 .500

Caminiti 3b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000

ChJones 3b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Lankford cf 2 0 0 0 1 1 .000

Blauser ss 2 0 1 0 0 0 .500

Clayton ss 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Totals 29 1 3 1 4 7 American AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

ByAnderson lf-rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .500

ARodriguez ss 3 0 1 0 0 2 .333

Garciaparra ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Griffey Jr cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .000

TMartinez 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000

McGwire 1b 2 0 0 0 0 2 .000

EMartinez dh 2 1 2 1 0 0 1.000

a-Thome ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

O’Neill rf 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000

BeWilliams lf 0 1 0 0 1 0 —

CRipken 3b 2 0 1 0 0 0 .500

1-Cora pr-2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Knoblauch 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

IRodriguez c 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000

SAlomar c 1 1 1 2 0 0 1.000

RAlomar 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Cirillo 3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Totals 30 3 7 3 1 8

National 000 000 100 - 1

American 010 000 20x - 3

a-grounded out for E.Martinez in the 7th. b-struck out for Gwynn in the 8th.

1-ran for Ripken in the 5th.

LOB-National 5, American 4. 2B-ByAnderson (1). HR- EMartinez (1) off GMaddux; SAlomar (1) off Estes; JLopez (1) off Rosado. RBIs-JLopez (1), EMartinez (1), SAlomar 2 (2). SB-Bonds (1). CS-EMartinez (1).

Runners left in scoring position-National 3 (Gwynn, LWalker, Clayton); American 2 (ByAnderson, Griffey Jr).

Runners moved up-Biggio, Bagwell, IRodriguez.

National IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

GMaddux 2 2 1 1 0 0 34 4.50

Schilling 2 2 0 0 0 3 40 0.00

KJBrown 1 1 0 0 0 0 19 0.00

PJMartinez 1 0 0 0 0 2 12 0.00

Estes L,0-1 1 1 2 2 1 1 23 18.00

BJJones 1 1 0 0 0 2 25 0.00 American IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

RaJohnson 2 0 0 0 1 2 30 0.00

Clemens 1 1 0 0 0 0 13 0.00

Cone 1 0 0 0 2 0 17 0.00

JuThompson 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 0.00

Hentgen 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.00

Rosado W,1-0 1 2 1 1 1 1 22 9.00

RaMyers 1 0 0 0 0 2 16 0.00

MRivera S,1 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.00

WP-Schilling, Estes. PB-JLopez.

T-2:36. A-44,916 (44,916).