SAN DIEGO -- If the Kansas City Royals reach a third straight World Series in October, they'll have two of their own to thank for the home-field advantage.

Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvador Perez each homered in the second inning -- off San Francisco's Johnny Cueto -- and accounted for all four American League runs in a 4-2 victory over the National League in the 87th annual All-Star Game on Tuesday night before 42,386 at Petco Park.

Hosmer hit a solo homer with one out in the second inning and added an RBI single an inning later for the American League's fourth and final run. Hosmer was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Perez followed a single by Boston's Mookie Betts with the two-run homer that gave the AL a 3-1 lead.

Both home runs landed in the left field stands. Hosmer's traveled 389 feet and Perez hit his 373 feet.

"It's exciting that Salvador and I could help get this win for the American League," Hosmer said. "Hopefully, it could also benefit the Royals and that would make it even better 3 1/2 months from now."

The Royals won the World Series in five games last year. But they lost the 2014 World Series in seven games although they held home-field advantage thanks to the American League's win in the 2014 All-Star Game.

"Hopefully, this is something we can rally upon for the second half and find a way to use that home-field advantage," Hosmer continued. "Having those first two games at home helps."

Hosmer and Perez became the first teammates to homer in the same inning of an All-Star Game since Steve Garvey and Jimmy Wynn of the Los Angeles Dodgers did it in 1975. And they connected off Cueto, a member of the Royals last season.

"I felt like a proud papa out there in that second inning to see both Hos and Salvi connect and give us the lead," AL and Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That was really special for me."

The NL was leading 1-0 thanks to a first-inning, two-out homer by Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant off the first pitch he saw from AL starter Chris Sale of the crosstown rival Chicago White Sox. The shot was also popular with San Diegans because Bryant played college ball at the University of San Diego.

Bryant swung at the first pitch offered by Sale on the advice of his father.

"He told me he thought I was going to get a fastball and go for it," said Bryant, whose drive sailed 410 feet into the left field stands peppered by Giancarlo Stanton during his winning romp in the Home Run Derby the previous night.

Cueto got through the first, allowing a hit and retiring the first hitter he saw in the second. Then Hosmer connected, Betts singled and Perez connected. The NL never recovered.

The AL extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the third against Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins.

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who has announced he will retire at the end of the 2016 season, drew a one-out walk and received an ovation from the crowd and hugs from the AL bench when he came out for pinch-runner Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays.

"That was planned ahead of time," Yost said. "I was going to pinch-run for him if he got on in his second at-bat and give the opportunity to walk off the field. But what he didn't know is that I wanted the team to go out and meet him. That was a cool moment, I thought."

Encarnacion raced to third on a double by Boston's Xander Bogarts and scored on a single by Hosmer, the second RBI by the Kansas City first baseman.

The NL cut the deficit to 4-2 in the top of the fourth. Giants catcher Buster Posey drew a one-out walk from Toronto right-hander Aaron Sanchez and came around on back-to-back singles by Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Marlins center fielder Marcell Osuna.

Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber was the winning pitcher and Baltimore left-hander Zach Britton collected the save. Cueto suffered the loss.

The NL stranded 10 runners and left the bases loaded in the eighth when Houston right-hander Will Harris threw a full-count, called third strike past pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz of the St. Louis Cardinals.

NOTES: During pregame ceremonies, Major League Baseball announced that the batting average titles for both leagues would be named for two of the modern era's leading hitters. The National League batting championship will be named for the late Tony Gwynn, a career-long Padres player who tied the National League record with eight batting championships. The American League batting title will be named for seven-time batting champion Rod Carew. ... Randy Jones, who was the winning pitcher in the 1976 All-Star Game en route to becoming the Padres' first Cy Young Award winner, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... Because the 87th All-Star Game was originally scheduled for an American League city, the National League was the visiting team although the game was played in San Diego. ... The starting nine position players for the American League were all 27 years old or younger, an All-Star Game first. ... There was pregame controversy when Remigio Pereira of the Canadian singing group "The Tenors" went rogue and sang the words "all lives count" into the Canadian national anthem. Afterward, the group issued an apology on Twitter and said Pereira went "lone wolf."