July 15 (Bloomberg) -- Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game started with a presidential first pitch and ended with a record-setting save by Mariano Rivera and a familiar result: an American League win.

The AL extended its unbeaten streak to 13 years with a 4-3 victory over the National League at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 tie, while the New York Yankees’ Rivera and six other AL pitchers held the NL scoreless over the final seven innings.

“It was great to do this in a game that means something,” Rivera said in a televised interview. “I’m glad the guys gave me the opportunity to shut the game down.”

The AL improved to 12-0-1 against the NL in the midseason exhibition since 1996. As a result of the victory, the team that wins the AL Championship Series will get to host four games in the best-of-seven World Series.

Barack Obama, wearing a Chicago White Sox jacket, became the first sitting U.S. President to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the game since 1976. At that time, the NL was in midst of an 11-game winning streak.

The AL last night benefited from stellar pitching and an All-Star defensive play by Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford. The NL mustered only one hit over the final seven innings.

Papelbon’s Win

Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon was credited with the win after pitching a scoreless seventh inning, when Crawford leapt at the wall to steal a leadoff home run from Colorado’s Brad Hawpe.

“I don’t think I’ve ever robbed a home run before,” Crawford, who went 1-for-3 and was voted the game’s Most Valuable Player, said during a televised news conference. “I definitely picked a good time to do it.”

The game ended in two hours and 31 minutes, a year after a 15-inning All-Star marathon at New York’s Yankee Stadium that lasted a record four hours, 50 minutes.

The AL scored twice off San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum in the top of the first inning, taking advantage of two singles, a hit batsman and an error by NL first baseman Albert Pujols of the hometown Cardinals.

The NL answered with three runs against Toronto’s Roy Halladay in the bottom of the second inning. After two-out singles by David Wright of the New York Mets and Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina delivered a run-scoring single. Victorino scored the tying run on a throwing error by AL center fielder Josh Hamilton of Texas.

AL Regains Lead

Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder, who won the Home Run Derby two days ago, gave the NL a 3-2 lead by ripping a double down the left-field line that scored Molina.

The AL tied it in the fifth inning as Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, who leads the major leagues with a .373 batting average, hit a two-out double off Chad Billingsley of the Los Angeles Dodgers to score Derek Jeter of the Yankees.

Granderson tripled over the head of Arizona’s Justin Upton in the eighth inning and Jones followed with a sacrifice fly off San Diego’s Heath Bell to put the AL in front 4-3.

St. Louis native Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies missed a chance to put the NL ahead in the bottom of the eighth inning, striking out against Minnesota’s Joe Nathan with runners on second and third base.

Rivera then pitched his eighth straight scoreless inning in All-Star play to seal the win and break the saves record he shared with Dennis Eckersley. The American League has won the past four All-Star Games by one run.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 15, 2009 00:45 EDT