After nearly five hours, Classic ends just in time

Both managers were close to pitching position players in the AL’s marathon 4-3 victory.

NEW YORK (AP) — Marquee starters were long gone. So were nearly all the other pitchers.

His bullpen empty, National League manager Clint Hurdle approached David Wright and asked whether he had the right stuff to take the mound and close out the All-Star game. Did the New York Mets third baseman think chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon or general manager Omar Minaya would mind?

“Don’t worry,” Wright remembered saying. “They’re probably sleeping by now. Nobody will know.”

What began Tuesday night as a matchup between Ben Sheets and Cliff Lee nearly ended Wednesday with Wright pitching for the NL and Boston Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew toeing the rubber for the American League.

Just as that possibility was becoming very real, Justin Morneau slid home just in time on Michael Young’s sacrifice fly in the 15th inning, giving the AL a 4-3 victory that extended its unbeaten streak to 12.

Yankee Stadium, hosting its final All-Star game, was the stage for a 4-hour, 50-minute marathon that ended at 1:37 a.m. Given the ticket prices — $525-$725 in the lower deck, $150 in the bleachers — fans deserved something extra. They got it.

“Anyone who needed proof that Yankee Stadium is the grandest stage in baseball got it last night,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. “The 2008 All-Star game was one of the greatest experiences in my life and in franchise history.”

Many of the 49 Hall of Famers honored during pregame pageantry likely were in bed by the final out. There would be no repeat of 2002’s 7-7, 11-inning tie in Milwaukee, which caused commissioner Bud Selig to expand the rosters.

“The commissioner has made it clear: He didn’t care if it was 25 innings. The game was being played to conclusion,” said Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer.

Wright guessed he hadn’t pitched since Little League.

“I would have made up stuff on the mound,” he said Wednesday through team spokesman Jay Horwitz. “In a way, I wish it would have happened. It would have been thrill for me to remember for the rest of my life.”

Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who had thrown about 100 warmup pitches in the bullpen, pitched the 15th for the NL. He maybe could have gone another inning. Scott Kazmir entered in the 15th for the AL, two days after a 104-pitch outing for the Devil Rays. He had only an inning or so left.

“We were going to go on hours, not pitches,” AL manager Terry Francona said.

Hurdle had used every player on his roster except Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, who was too sick to play. Francona had used all 32 of his players on his roster.

“The only thing I could think to do was put [DH Evan] Longoria in the game and pitch J.D.,” Francona said. “But we were still a little ways away from that.”

Drew has volunteered to pitch in an emergency for the Red Sox, but Francona has never taken him up on the offer.

“I would have thrown some stuff up there,” Drew said. “I got a little sneaky stuff here and there. I don’t know if I would have got anybody out.”

By the 13th inning, MLB dispatched senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. to remind the managers that the game would be played until there was a winner.

“I was doing Chinese arithmetic from the sixth inning on,” Hurdle said. “I felt like I was in algebra class. It got wild.”

Morneau started the winning rally with a leadoff single against Lidge, and the AL loaded the bases on Dioner Navarro’s single and Drew’s one-out walk.

Young lofted a fly to right, and Corey Hart’s throw home bounced and was slightly to the first-base side of the plate. Catcher Brian McCann gloved the ball and tried a sweep tag, but Morneau sneaked his right foot in, barely ahead of the tag.

“It was a little deep for me,” Hart said.

Drew was picked as the MVP, with his two-run homer in the seventh making it 2-all. Being from Boston, he was booed when presented with his trophy.

American 4, National 3

15 innings

NATIONALAMERICAN

abrhbiabrhbi

HRmrz ss3120ISuzuki rf3010

Tejada ss3120JDrew rf4122

Utley 2b3010Jeter ss3010

Uggla 2b4000MiYong ss4011

Brkmn 1b2001Hmlton cf3010

AdGzlz 1b3011Quentin lf4000

Pujols dh3020ARdrgz 3b2000

DWrght dh3010Crede 3b1000

CJones 3b3010CGuilln 3b3010

ArRmz 3b0000MRmrz lf2000

CGzmn 3b3000Szmore cf5110

Hlliday rf3111Brdley dh2000

Hart rf3000Lngoria dh4011

Braun lf3000Yukilis 1b2000

Ldwick lf2000Mrneau 1b4220

Fkdme cf2000Mauer c1010

McLuth cf4010Kinsler 2b5010

Soto c2000Pedroia 2b1000

Martin c3010Varitek c0000

McCan c0000Nvarro c4010

Totals523133Totals574144

National000011010000000—3

American000000210000001—4

Two outs when winning run scored.

E—HRamirez, Uggla 3, Navarro 1. DP—National 1, American 2. LOB—National 11, American 17. 2B—CGuillen, Longoria, Morneau. HR—Holliday JDrew. SB—Tejada, JDrew, Jeter, Hamilton, Sizemore, Bradley, Kinsler. CS—CGuzman, Kinsler. S—Martin. SF—Berkman, AdGonzalez, MiYoung.

IPHRERBBSO

National

Sheets210023

Zambrano210001

Haren220012

Volquez122202

BWilson2-300001

BWagner1-321100

Dempster100003

Cook340031

Marmol100002

Webb100002

Lidge (LP)2-321110

American

CLee210003

Saunders110000

Halladay110001

ESantana111102

Duchscherer131101

Nathan100001

Papelbon111002

FRodriguez1-300010

MRivera1 2-320002

Soria1 2-320022

Sherrill2 1-310002

Kazmir (WP)100011

Umpires—Home, Derryl Cousins; First, Ed Rapuano; Second, Tom Hallion; Third, Mark Wegner; Left, Greg Gibson; Right, Phil Cuzzi. T—4:50. A—55,632.