The World Series will begin in the home park of the American League Champion...again.

Two members of the World Series Champion Kansas City Royals made sure the home field advantage would stay with the AL, driving in four runs to defeat the National League 4-2 at Petco Park in San Diego Tuesday night.

The NL got its only lead in the first inning when Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit the first pitch he saw off American League starter Chris Sale into the left field seats for a home run and an early 1-0.  Bryant leads the NL in homers with 25.

But Royals' first baseman Eric Hosmer answered with his own homer to left in the bottom of the second inning off National League starter Johnny Cueto of San Francisco to tie the game at 1. Then, after Mookie Betts singled, Royals' catcher Salvador Perez untied it with a two run blast off Cueto to make the score 3-1.  Cueto was a teammate of both Hosmer and Perez last season.

In the third, Hosmer, who was named the game's MVP, struck again with an RBI single, scoring pinch runner Edwin Encarnacion.  Encarnacion was running for David Ortiz, the Red Sox DH playing in his final All-Star game, who was hit by a pitch.  Ortiz received a long standing ovation from the crowd in San Diego as he left.

The National League scored its other run in the fourth when Marcel Ozuna of the Miami Marlins drove in Buster Posey of the Giants with a single to cut the lead to 4-2.

Former Louisiana Ragin' Cajun Jonathan Lucroy, named to his second All-Star team, entered the game in the seventh inning and singled in his only plate appearance in the eighth off New York Yankees reliever Andrew Miller  He went to second on a single by Starling Marte and a walk loaded the bases.  But Astros' reliever Will Harris came on to strike out St. Louis rookie Aledmys Diaz to end the threat.

The American League now has a 16-4-1 lead in the last 21 All-Star games.

 

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