The Hall of Fame right fielder was killed in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve 1972.

“Roberto was a hero in every sense of the term,” Selig said.

With several National Leaguers admittedly tired of losing, they certainly came out to play.

Garner smartly worked his pitcher-batter matchups — as he said he would — and the NL employed a drastic overshift against Boston slugger David Ortiz.

The AL’s 41-year-old starting pitcher, Kenny Rogers of Detroit, made a hard dive for Chase Utley’s infield single in the second.

NL starter Brad Penny of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Monday his nerves would be “flowing,” and maybe that helped him at the outset.

Popping the mitt of Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca — the two were traded for each other nearly two years ago — Penny struck out Ichiro Suzuki, Jeter and Ortiz in succession with a series of 98 mph fastballs.

The only other pitcher to start an All-Star game with three straight Ks was Boston’s Pedro Martinez at Fenway Park in 1999, when he set down former MVPs Barry Larkin, Larry Walker and Sammy Sosa.

Guerrero hit his first All-Star homer in the second off Penny, over the short porch in right field. Wright, who hit 16 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby before losing to Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard in the finals Monday night, connected in the bottom half against Rogers.

“I got a lot of practice last night,” Wright said.

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Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran each stole a base in the third against strong-armed catcher Ivan Rodriguez, an 11-time Gold Glove winner and 13-time All-Star.

Soriano was on second when Beltran singled, but Toronto’s Gold Glove center fielder, Vernon Wells, cut down the speedy Soriano with a perfect throw to the plate.

Beltran reached second on the throw and stole third with two outs — with Albert Pujols at the plate. The Mets’ center fielder then scored on a wild pitch by Roy Halladay that glanced off Rodriguez, giving the NL its first lead since that eighth inning in 2003.

“I was prepared to close the game out. I prepared like it was a regular-season game, and came out and threw strikes, but sometimes it happens,” Hoffman said.

Notes: Some players and umpires wore yellow wristbands with the initials RCW for Roberto Clemente Walker. Even pitchers were allowed to wear them, on their glove hands. Young’s special wristband is headed to the Hall of Fame. ... The NL lost for the first time in five All-Star games in Pittsburgh. ... Wright became the 13th player to homer in his first All-Star game at-bat. ... Beltran played all nine innings, the first All-Star to do it since Ken Griffey Jr. and Ray Lankford in 1997. ... At 2:33, this was the fastest All-Star game since it took 2:26 in 1988. ... A third baseman for most of his career, Glaus shifted to first base for the ninth inning. He’s never played the position in a regular-season game. “That made me nervous,” he said.

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