CINCINNATI -- One of the major storylines heading into the All-Star Game was the massive Royals presence -- see, I wrote about it -- and it shined through on Tuesday night, as Ned Yost's AL team secured home-field advantage in the World Series for some fortunate team come late October with a 6-3 win over the NL squad.
Alcides Escobar singled off Clayton Kershaw and Wade Davis threw well in relief. Lorenzo Cain, though, was the Royals' shining star on this night.
For all the national hand-wringing about the Royals having so many guys here, Cain was someone who should have easily avoided any complaints. One of the best defenders in all of baseball, he also brought in a .316/.373/.491 line with 19 doubles and 17 stolen bases. I specifically bring up the latter two for a reason.
Cain singled and stole a base in the third inning. Then, in the fifth inning -- when the AL took control of the game for good -- Cain doubled home a run to give the AL a 4-2 lead.
The final line: 2 for 3, double, stolen base, RBI. No one else had more than one hit in the game.
After the Royals' run to the World Series last season, dominating the fan voting in the first half and owning the second-best record in baseball, it would've been fitting if they had the MVP of the All-Star Game. Cain's performance was certainly MVP-worthy as well, but there's no shame in losing out to the best player in baseball, as Mike Trout now already has two All-Star Game MVPs.
Overall, though, the Royal takeover as a theme for the half-week here in Cincinnati definitely carried over to the Midsummer Classic itself, and Lorenzo Cain was the main man for Ned Yost.
