NEW YORK — One by one they came out of the bullpen, hard throwers on a mission to shut down many of baseball’s top hitters.
Max Scherzer and Chris Sale. Felix Hernandez and Matt Moore.
Heat, heat and more heat.
Even with its own studs such as Matt Harvey and Clayton Kershaw, the National League couldn’t match up.
The American League's 3-0 victory at Citi Field on Tuesday night was an arms showcase.
Scherzer, throwing at up to 99 mph, pitched a 1-2-3 first, and Sale followed with a pair of perfect innings.
The NL managed just three hits.
Carlos Beltran’s one-out single to left-center in the fourth against King Felix gave the NL its first baserunner, and pinch runner Andre McCutchen was stranded on third base when David Wright grounded out.
Michael Cuddyer reached on a leadoff walk against Grant Balfour in the sixth, Wright singled softly to center against Greg Holland in the seventh and Paul Goldschmidt doubled to deep right off Joe Nathan in the ninth.