Minnesota Twins: Brian Dozier Hits Home Run, AL Wins All-Star Game
Brian Dozier is going to win the American League MVP at this pace. Seriously, the guy is raking and it didn’t stop in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.
Dozier didn’t get his first action in the game until the 8th inning, but, boy, did Dozier make his opportunity count. With two strikes on him and Mark Melancon on the mound, Dozier hit a ball to straight away centerfield that just kept going and going until it nicely landed over the fence for an All-Star Game home run. Dozier joins only two other Twins to hit a homer in the All-Star Game.
Those two being Harmon Killebrew and Kirby Puckett. That’s pretty good company.
.@briandozier joins two of the @twins franchise four - Killebrew and Puckett - as only Twins to homer in an All-Star Game...
— TwinsRadio (@TwinsRadio) July 15, 2015
Dozier was also only the 16th player in All-Star Game history to hit a home run in their first All-Star Game at-bat.
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The blast from Dozier gave the American League a 6-2 lead which ironically took the save chance away from fellow Twins All-Star Glen Perkins. The lack of a save opportunity didn’t stop Perkins from getting the bottom of the ninth.
Perkins came in and, of course, shut the door, because Perkins is the best closer in the game and perfect in save opportunities. We won’t mention that perfectly placed triple by Ryan Braun to leadoff the inning.
The victory gives the American League home field advantage in the World Series. So Game One will be at Target Field… maybe wishful thinking, but anyway it goes, a pair of Twins had a huge impact on giving that advantage to the American League.
Next: Carlos Gomez a Twin again?