It has been five years since the National League has won the MLB All Star game, and oddsmakers believe it will be six. Sportsbooks have made the NL the 3/2 underdog to win for the first time since 2012.
The American League is at 2/3. Last year the NL was favored, despite losing the previous four games. They were at -115, while the AL was at -105. The NL lost in 10 innings, 2-1. This year’s game is at the Washington National’s ball field.
The best bet for the game might be on the weather. The forecast for the Washington D.C. area is for rain. The National Weather Service does post a rosy picture.
“A chance of showers, then showers and thunderstorms likely after 1pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 88. Southwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible,” the website said.
Rain, Rain Go Away
If it does rain, Pat Courtney, baseball’s chief communications officer, told the Washington Post the league is working on a contingency plan.
“It would be dependent on a lot of factors, the forecast being the main one,” Courtney said on Sunday. He added the league would be in close contact with both Fox Sports, its broadcast partner, and the MLB Players Association over any weather-related decisions.
They will try and play the game even if there is rain, and hope they can complete as many innings as possible before umpires decide the field in unplayable. They would then make a decision on whether to call the game, or try and wait out the storms.
There have been two Mid-Summer Classics that have been shortened because of rain. In 1961 at Fenway Park in Boston, the second of two All Star games was called in the ninth inning because of weather. The teams were tied at one. In 1952, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, the game lasted only five innings because of heavy rain. The National League was awarded a 3-2 victory.
Trout Trying to Reel in Historic MVP Award
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout will try and do something never before done in the 56 years the most valuable player award has been handed out. The 26-year-old will try and win the MVP award for a third time.
Willie Mays, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter, and Cal Ripken Jr. have all won the award twice. Trout is the only one to win in back-to-back years. He won in 2014 and 2015.
Oddsmakers have him at 7/2 to take home the hardware. Boston’s Mookie Betts is next at 4/1, and Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman follows at 7/1.
Trout joined some elite company this year when he was named to his seventh consecutive All Star game. He, Joe DiMaggio, Ivan Rodriguez, Rod Carew and Mickey Mantle are the only AL players to start at least six All-Star Games before turning 27.
“It’s pretty cool just to be in the same conversation,” Trout said. “They are guys who paved the way, and to be in the same comparison is pretty cool.”