CINCINNATI -- Credit those ballot-stuffing fans in the Bay Area for discovering a way for the American League to beat the National in an All-Star Game.
Oakland fans, as expected, voted Athletics sluggers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire onto the AL's starting lineup of the 59th All-Star Game. The fans then sprung the unexpected, sending Terry Steinbach and his .217 average to the mid-summer classic.
But Steinbach, a 26-year-old catcher in his second full season in the majors, acquitted himself in grand style Tuesday night, hitting a homer and a sacrifice fly to lift the AL to a 2-1 victory.
'I've never doubted my hitting,' said Steinbach, the lowest-hitting position player in the game. 'I'm not happy with the numbers I've put up going into the All-Star Game. But I expect to turn it around in the second half.'
He started toward that goal by winning the game's MVP honor and becoming the eighth player in All-Star history to homer on his first at-bat. The blast leading off the third inning came against starter Dwight Gooden of the Mets.
'The guys were teasing me,' Steinbach said. 'I hit a home run in my first major-league at-bat in Cleveland and my first at-bat as an All-Star. They're already saying I'm the answer to a trivia question.'
The triumph was just the AL's third in the last 17, each coming with Whitey Herzog of St. Louis managing the NL. The previous time the AL won was 1986, with Gooden the starter and loser. The NL has won 22 of the last 26 All-Star Games and leads the series 37-21-1.
Minnesota's Frank Viola, last year's World Series MVP, started for the AL and earned the victory with two perfect innings.
The NL managed just five hits off Viola, Boston's Roger Clemens, Kansas City's Mark Gubicza, Toronto's Dave Stieb, Texas' Jeff Russell, Cleveland's Doug Jones, Milwaukee's Dan Plesac and Oakland's Dennis Eckersley. Eckerlsey, leading the majors with 26 saves, earned the save by retiring the side in order in the ninth.
The AL limited the NL to its fewest runs since 1968, when the NL won 1-0.
'The whole AL pitching staff pitched well,' said Herzog, who also lost to AL Manager Tom Kelly in last year's World Series when Minnesota won in seven games. 'Those guys got the big outs when they had to and they also played great defense.'
Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly, Milwaukee second baseman Paul Molitor (who has not played that position this year) and Baltimore shortstop Cal Ripken all made impressive plays in the field.
The only hit of the first two innings was by Boston's Wade Boggs, a one-out single in the first.
Steinbach led off the third by lifting an 0-1 pitch from Gooden to right. The ball hit the top of the wall, eluding a jumping Darryl Strawberry of the Mets. The homer ended the AL's scoreless-inning drought at 17 innings, spanning three All-Star Games.
'I was ahead of the count and tried to get the ball away, but it wasn't away enough,' Gooden said. 'It was a good pitch, a pop up when he hit it, but it just carried.'
Steinbach received 690,438 fan votes, winning the catching job by more than 80,000 votes over Chicago's Carlton Fisk. It is generally conceded ballot stuffing landed Steinbach on the roster. In the days leading to the game, Steinbach faced repeated questions about his status. He said he would not apologize for making the team.
'I just came here to do my best,' Steinbach said. 'The fans voted me in. I didn't expect to hit a home run, but I wanted to show what I could do.'
In the fourth inning, Steinbach almost placed himself in the All-Star record books. The AL loaded the bases with one out against Houston's Bob Knepper on a double by New York's Dave Winfield, a walk by Ripken and a single by McGwire.
Steinbach then unloaded a high shot to the warning track, nearly becoming the second player in All-Star history to hit a grand slam. But instead of joining Fred Lynn, Steinbach settled for a sacririce fly that gave the AL a 2-0 lead.
'I didn't think it would go out,' Steinbach said. 'It was my job to drive the ball and get in a run.'
Steinbach figured in the NL's opening run in the fourth. Vince Coleman of St. Louis delivered the NL's first hit, a leadoff single. He stole second and continued to third when Steinbach's bounce throw trickled into center. Coleman scored on a wild pitch by Gubicza.
Winfield's double was his seventh in All-Star play, a record. His seven-game hitting streak in All-Star Games tied him for the mark with Joe Morgan and Mickey Mantle.
Rain Sunday and Monday in the drought-stricken city and forecasts of more showers for Tuesday threatened the fourth All-Star Game played in Cincinnati. But temperatures in the high-70s and clear skies greeted 55,837 spectators, the third-largest baseball crowd in Riverfront Stadium history.
A show featuring Mickey Mouse and a first-ball ceremony that included Vice President George Bush preceded the contest.