Crawford, who was named the MVP of the All-Star game, says his catch was a first.

Said Crawford: “He hit it pretty good off the bat and I didn’t think it was going to carry that far. I don’t think I’ve ever robbed a home run before, so I picked a good time to do it tonight.”

Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox was on the mound when Hawpe smashed the would-be home run. Papelbon agreed with Crawford being honored.

“Obviously, it was a game-changing play,” said Papelbon. “He won MVP because of that play and deservedly so.”

On the season, Crawford is hitting .309 with eight homers, 39 RBIs and 58 runs. Most impressively, Crawford is leading all of baseball with his 44 stolen bases.

Even Crawford’s own manager was impressed with the catch.

“I’ve never seen him do that,” said Joe Maddon, who was the coach of the American League All-Star. “The way he got to the position on the ball was great. And the catch, obviously, was fantastic.”

Here is a video of Carl Crawford’s catch in the All-Star game:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

In his nine innings of work, Josh Beckett gave up only three hits while striking out seven and walking none. Beckett is now 11-3 on the season with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

Aaron Bates was the hottest bat in the Red Sox lineup. The first baseman had three hits in four at-bats, scored a run and batted in a run.

Beckett will be joined in the All-Star game by fellow Red Sox starting pitcher Tim Wakefield. Beckett and Wakefield are the only two pitchers in the American League with 11 wins.

With the win, Boston improved to 54-34 on the season. They are three games up in the AL East and boast the best record in the American League. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only team with a better record.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

First Basemen
1) Kevin Youkilis – 600,175
2) Mark Teixeira – 506,339
3) Justin Morneau – 483,226
4) Miguel Cabrera – 444,492
5) Chris Davis – 320,912

Second Basemen
1) Ian Kinsler – 787,619
2) Dustin Pedroia – 641,281
3) Robinson Cano – 413,605
4) Aaron Hill – 388,457
5) Placido Polanco – 277,033

Third Basemen
1) Evan Longoria – 1,036,071
2) Michael Young – 441,912
3) Alex Rodriguez – 428,690
4) Mike Lowell – 315,686
5) Scott Rolen – 284,723

Shortstops
1) Derek Jeter – 1,017,560
2) Jason Bartlett – 435,456
3) Elvis Andrus – 393,906
4) Marco Scutaro – 349,922
5) Cesar Izturis – 178,701

Catchers
1) Joe Mauer – 769,320
2) Jason Varitek – 406,788
3) Jarrod Saltalamacchia – 401,375
4) Victor Martinez – 396,708
5) Jorge Posada – 393,431

Outfielders
1) Jason Bay – 729,590
2) Josh Hamilton – 685,463
3) Ichiro Suzuki – 481,263
4) Ken Griffey Jr – 452,849
5) Carl Crawford – 439,870
6) Torii Hunter – 422,220
7) Nick Markakis – 412,824
8) Johnny Damon – 397,963
9) Nelson Cruz – 390,903
10) Adam Jones – 384,774
11) Jacoby Ellsbury – 374,662
12) Grady Sizemore – 348,660
13) J.D. Drew – 297,174
14) Curtis Granderson – 279,687
15) Bobby Abreu – 265,211

Jason Bay - Leading the AL All-Star Voting (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

JD Drew was named the MVP of the game, in large part due to his game-tying two-run homer. Even though Albert Pujols was on his side, Brad Lidge gave up the winning sacrifice fly. Here is a video of Lidge talking about giving up the winning run:

Post from: Knuckle Curve