J.D. Drew, left, homers off Edinson Volquez in Tuesday's MLB all-star game. (Bill Kostroun/Associated Press)

A home run would have provided a fitting end to the final all-star game at the House That Ruth Built, but the American League happily settled for a sacrifice fly — if only to end the nearly five-hour marathon.

Michael Young's run-scoring sacrifice fly in the 15th inning lifted the AL to a 4-3 victory over the visiting National League in Major League Baseball's 79th all-star game in New York on Tuesday night.

It was the longest midsummer classic in history — four hours, 50 minutes — and the last to be played at Yankee Stadium, not to mention the first extra-inning affair since the infamous 6-6 tie at Milwaukee in 2002.

"Yankee Stadium is tough, I'm telling you," Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera said. "Didn't want it to end."

The AL loaded the bases off Philadelphia Phillies reliever Brad Lidge to set the table for Young, who delivered Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., from third base with a sacrifice fly to right field.

"That was the longest 4½ seconds of my life," Morneau said of his winning sprint to home plate.

"I'm probably giving myself credit, it was probably more like 5½ seconds. That is something that will be up there in my list of memories for the rest of my life."

Morneau led off the inning with a single, took second on a single from Tampa Bay Rays catcher Dioner Navarro and moved to third on a walk to J.D. Drew of the Boston Red Sox.

"Guys were getting pretty frustrated," Morneau said. "It was dragging on, we wanted to win it, they wanted to win it and guys were getting mad when they were making outs.

"Usually, you don't see too many guys snapping at an all-star game. The intensity was definitely there."

Morneau led the Canadian contingent with two hits and two runs scored.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, from Chelsea, Que., went 1-3 with a sacrifice bunt and made a couple of critical fielding plays in extra innings.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, a native of Gibsons, B.C., who went eight years between all-star appearances, retired the side on strikeouts in the ninth inning.

"It has been a long day," he said.

Halladay represents Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays were represented by Roy Halladay, who yielded one hit in the fourth inning.

After Halladay struck out Berkman to open the inning, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals smacked a sharp single to the right-field corner that he tried to stretch into a double, but Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki threw him out at second base.

Halladay then retired Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves on a routine grounder to short.

"There is always so much buildup," Halladay said. "It seems like it is over before you know it.

"When you go out there you know it is going to be quick, so you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun."

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir was credited with the win, while Lidge suffered the loss.

"It had to be like that — so dramatic," said Kazmir, the last arm available for the AL.

With the win, the AL clinches home-field advantage in the World Series for the sixth straight season.

The AL is 11-0-1 in the last 12 all-star games, surpassing the unbeaten streak set by the NL from 1972-82.

The junior circuit hasn't lost since a 6-0 setback at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium in 1996.

"It was pretty awesome, it was hard to grasp," Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. "The best game I was ever in."

Ballpark to be demolished

Yankee Stadium has hosted four all-star games (1939, 1960, 1977, 2008), but the fabled ballpark will be demolished in favour of a new facility slated to open next season.

The all-star game also was held at New York's Polo Grounds, (1934, 1942), Ebbets Field (1949) and Shea Stadium (1964).

"Definitely, it was good," Rivera said. "This one was top of the line."

"When I was running from the bullpen to the mound, I was a little bit shaking," Cubs reliever Carlos Zambrano recalled. "I said, 'Man, seven years in the big leagues and you still feel butterflies in your stomach.'"

Drew, named the most valuable player in the contest, homered for the AL (37-40-2), which is 17-3-1 in the last 21 showdowns between the rival leagues.

"One of those undescribable events," he said. "To be voted in by the players and to be in this position is really an honour."

Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies homered in a losing cause for the NL (40-37-2).

Holliday broke a scoreless deadlock in the top of the fifth inning as he led off with an opposite-field home run off Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels.

Lance Berkman of the Houston Astros drove in the NL's second run with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins and Chase Utley of the Phillies singled to put runners at the corners for Berkman, who cashed Ramirez with a sacrifice fly to centre field off Oakland Athletics reliever Justin Duscherer.

But Drew tied it 2-2 in the seventh inning with a two-run home run off Cincinnati Reds reliever Edinson Volquez in his first all-star at-bat.

Drew's homer into the right-field seats scored Morneau, who had doubled.

Pabelbon booed mercilessly

Jonathan Papelbon of the Red Sox, the Yankees' rival, was booed mercilessly by the New York faithful as he took the mound in the eighth inning, and the jeers intensified as he permitted a leadoff single to Miguel Tejada of the Astros.

"It is part of what goes on in the rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox," Papelbon said.

Tejada later stole second base and took third as Navarro's throw bounced into the outfield.

Tejada tagged and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres.

However, New York Mets reliever Billy Wagner failed to hold the lead as he surrendered a single to Cleveland Indians slugger Grady Sizemore, who stole second and scored on a ground-rule double to left field by Rays rookie Evan Longoria to tie it 3-3.

Both teams have chances to end it earlier in extra innings, with the AL forcing out two runners at the plate and needing a slick fielding play from Tejada on Morneau's slow roller to short to escape a jam in the 10th.

Navarro nearly scored on a single to centre by Young in the 11th, but he was thrown out at the plate by Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Nate McLouth.

Carlos Guillen of the Detroit Tigers led off the bottom of the 12th inning by stroking the first pitch from Rockies reliever Aaron Cook for a double to left.

Guillen advanced to third base on Sizemore's groundout, but Cook fanned Longoria and walked Morneau to get to Ian Kinsler of the Rangers, who grounded out to end the threat.

"It was just crazy how it seemed like it lasted forever," Kinsler said. "It was the last year for Yankee Stadium, the last all-star game, and it is, kind of, fitting that it seemed like it lasted forever."

Ben Sheets earned the start for the NL, the first member of the Milwaukee Brewers so honoured.

Sheets (10-3, 2.85 ERA) surrendered one hit and two walks with three strikeouts in two innings.

Indians left-hander Cliff Lee (12-2, 2.31 ERA) was equally efficient for the AL, giving up one hit and fanning three batters in two innings pitched.

Next year's all-star game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

With files from the Canadian Press