MLB All-Star Game 2015: Ticket Info, TV Schedule, Rosters and Predictions

What made the All-Star Game so noteworthy in the 1960s and '70s was the specific identities of the American League and National League.

Players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente were identified as quintessential National League baseball players, and when they stepped onto the field in an All-Star game, they wanted to win for their league just as they wanted to win for the Giants, Braves and Pirates, respectively, during the regular season.

American League players like Al Kaline, Carl Yastrzemski and Reggie Jackson were clearly identified with their league as well, and they wanted to win just as much as the National Leaguers. However, they simply did not have anything close to the talent level of their National League counterparts.

The game has changed so much since those memorable days. Free agency and interleague play are two of the major factors that have taken away or dulled each league's specific identity.

As Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson lead the American League into the All-Star Game and Bryce Harper and Buster Posey do the same for the National League, is there the same feeling of league pride on either side?

Former major league commissioner Bud Selig came to the conclusion that neither side had the inspiration to compete in the All-Star Game the way it once did. As a result, Major League Baseball attached home-field advantage to winning in the All-Star Game.

This innovation, which came about after the infamous 7-7 tie in the 2002 edition, has been widely ridiculed since then. Since managers are trying to get as many players in the game as possible, which often seems to be the top priority, the critics have a point.

American League	Batting Order	National League
Mike Trout, CF, Los Angeles Angels	1	Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays	2	Todd Frazier, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
Albert Pujols, 1B, Los Angeles Angels	3	Bryce Harper, RF, Washington Nationals
Nelson Cruz, DH, Seattle Mariners	4	Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Lorenzo Cain, RF, Kansas City Royals	5	Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
Adam Jones, LF, Baltimore Orioles	6	Anthony Rizzo, DH, Chicago Cubs
Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals	7	Jhonny Peralta, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros	8	Joc Pederson, LF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Alcides Escobar, SS, Kansas City Royals	9	DJ LeMahieu, 2B, Colorado Rockies
Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros	SP	Zack Greinke, Los Angeles Dodgers

However, home-field advantage merely alternated back and forth between the two leagues prior to the Selig decision. Home-field advantage in playoff games in the NFL and postseason series in the NBA and NHL go to teams that earned the best regular-season records.

Baseball never went that way, so Major League Baseball never lost anything.

Some of the juice has returned to the All-Star game, and while it may not be at the same level as it was when Mays was running circles around the American League and Johnny Bench was blasting long home runs, fans will get a chance to see the best players in each league attempt to put their imprints on the sport and win for their leagues on Tuesday night.

It may not be perfect, but it is quite a bit better than what the NBA and NHL offer and miles better than the NFL's weak link of a Pro Bowl.

When: Tuesday, July 14

Where: Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati

TV: Fox

Ticket Info: Score Big

Broadcast Start Time: 7 p.m. ET

Game Time: 8 p.m. ET 

	American League
	National League
Position	Starter	Team
C	Salvador Perez	Kansas City Royals
1B	Miguel Cabrera*	Detroit Tigers
2B	Jose Altuve	Houston Astros
3B	Josh Donaldson	Toronto Blue Jays
SS	Alcides Escobar	Kansas City Royals
OF	Mike Trout	Los Angeles Angels
OF	Lorenzo Cain	Kansas City Royals
OF	Alex Gordon*	Kansas City Royals
DH	Nelson Cruz	Seattle Mariners
Position	Reserve	Team
C	Russell Martin	Toronto Blue Jays
C	Stephen Vogt	Oakland Athletics
1B	Albert Pujols	Los Angeles Angels
1B	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees
2B	Brock Holt	Boston Red Sox
2B	Jason Kipnis	Cleveland Indians
2B	Brian Dozier	Minnesota Twins
SS	Jose Iglesias	Detroit Tigers
3B	Manny Machado	Baltimore Orioles
3B	Mike Moustakas	Kansas City Royals
OF	Brett Gardner	New York Yankees
OF	Jose Bautista	Toronto Blue Jays
OF	Adam Jones	Baltimore Orioles
OF	J.D. Martinez	Detroit Tigers
DH	Prince Fielder	Texas Rangers
Position	Starter	Team
C	Buster Posey	San Francisco Giants
1B	Paul Goldschmidt	Arizona Diamondbacks
2B	Dee Gordon*	Miami Marlins
3B	Todd Frazier	Cincinnati Reds
SS	Jhonny Peralta	St. Louis Cardinals
OF	Bryce Harper	Washington Nationals
OF	Giancarlo Stanton*	Miami Marlins
OF	Matt Holliday*	St. Louis Cardinals
Position	Reserve	Team
C	Yadier Molina	St. Louis Cardinals
C	Yasmani Grandal	Los Angeles Dodgers
1B	Anthony Rizzo	Chicago Cubs
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	Los Angeles Dodgers
2B	DJ LeMahieu	Colorado Rockies
2B	Joe Panik	San Francisco Giants
SS	Brandon Crawford	San Francisco Giants
3B	Nolan Arenado	Colorado Rockies
3B	Kris Bryant	Chicago Cubs
OF	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates
OF	Joc Pederson	Los Angeles Dodgers
OF	A.J. Pollock	Arizona Diamondbacks
OF	Justin Upton	San Diego Padres
OF	Ryan Braun	Milwaukee Brewers
Position	Pitcher	Team
SP	Max Scherzer**	Washington Nationals
SP	Gerrit Cole	Pittsburgh Pirates
SP	Zack Greinke	Los Angeles Dodgers
SP	Shelby Miller	Atlanta Braves
SP	Jacob deGrom	New York Mets
SP	Madison Bumgarner	San Francisco Giants
SP	Michael Wacha	St. Louis Cardinals
SP	A.J. Burnett	Pittsburgh Pirates
RP	Trevor Rosenthal	St. Louis Cardinals
RP	Mark Melancon	Pittsburgh Pirates
RP	Aroldis Chapman	Cincinnati Reds
RP	Jonathan Papelbon	Philadelphia Phillies
RP	Francisco Rodriguez	Milwaukee Brewers
SP	Clayton Kershaw	Los Angeles Dodgers

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

History

There have been three major chapters written as the 86th All-Star Game gets ready to take center stage.

The American League dominated in the early years of the game, winning 12 of the first 16. However, that changed in 1950, when the National League began to turn things around. From that year through 1982, the National League was nearly unbeatable, rolling off a 30-5-1 streak.

The American League rebounded with a memorable 13-3 triumph in Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1983, and the Junior Circuit has pulled off an impressive 22-9-1 run heading into the 2015 game. The AL has often had the more talented starting lineups and greater depth since the 1983 game, which may be the case again this year.

The National League lineup features slumping rookie Joc Pederson (.230, 20 HR, 40 RBI) of the Los Angeles Dodgers and second baseman DJ LeMahieu (.311, 4, 35) of the Colorado Rockies in the eighth and ninth spots. Those two could be weak spots for National League manager Bruce Bochy, even though Pederson was impressive in the Home Run Derby.

The American League has Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar (.290, 2, 33) in the ninth spot; he does not measure up with the other Junior Circuit starters.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The bigger advantage could come off the bench. The American League is going to be able to bring in difference-makers like Manny Machado (.298, 19, 48), Stephen Vogt (.287, 14, 56), Jason Kipnis (.323, 6, 37), Prince Fielder (.339, 14, 54) and J.D. Martinez (.289, 25, 59).

The National League will try to counter with Yadier Molina (.284, 2, 32), Adrian Gonzalez (.283, 18, 55), Nolan Arenado (.293, 24, 70) and Justin Upton (.253, 14, 48). 

The pitching appears to be relatively even on both sides, with Chris Sale (157 K, 2.72 ERA, 0.947 WHIP) of the Chicago White Sox having had the most impressive first half thanks to his consistent ability to strike out top-level hitters.

Prediction: American League 7, National League 5

MVP: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI). Trout will become the first player to win back-to-back All-Star MVP awards.