Jul 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (77) shakes hands with Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) after the second inning for the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
When you pitch a shutout, you’re gonna win.
Someone has to be on the opposite end of that, and playing the role of Tanner Bibee tonight was a group of 9 NL pitchers who gave up 4 runs. 4 runs too many.
10 men pitched for the AL, but we’re focusing only on Parker Messick and Cade Smith because they deserve it. The broadcast paid some attention to Smith, because he was undrafted and Bryce Harper marveled at his pitches while mic’d up, but they completely ignored Messick, who pitched a 1-2-3 inning. It took him just 10 pitches, which ruined their interview plans for that inning. But worry not, they found infinite more amounts of time for things that were not All-Stars Playing Baseball.
The worst pitcher of the night was Something O’Brien, for the NL. Not because he gave up a bunch of runs, but because he came up and in on Let’s Go Former Farmhand Junior Caminero and drilled his hand. X-rays were negative, so hopefully JC is out of the woods safe.
Unrelated Chart Time
Good Joke Time (since last week’s embedded joke to end a Wednesday post didn’t embed for some reason)
Mike Trout walks to home plate in the fourth inning of the All-Star Game. (Matt Rourke / Associated Press)
Pete Crow-Armstrong was 9 years old, maybe 10. He can’t remember for sure. But he clearly remembers the scene: a journey from his San Fernando Valley home to Angel Stadium, for a game featuring Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.
Jeter wasn’t an outfielder, though. Crow-Armstrong sat in right-center field, with a great view of an Angels’ phenom.
“I absolutely followed Mike Trout,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I would have followed him if he were in freaking Seattle.
“He was — he still is — the only one to ever really do what I’ve ever seen him do in my life.”
A decade and a half later, in an All-Star Game that was short on drama and long on tributes to Trout, the hometown hero and future Hall of Famer, Crow-Armstrong shared center field with Trout.
“That,” the Chicago Cubs’ star said, “is a cool nugget I’ll always keep with me.”
With a two-run single in the first inning from All-Star Game MVP and former Dodger Cody Bellinger giving the American League the only runs it would need, the AL shut out the National League on Tuesday, 4-0.
The three Dodgers in the NL starting lineup — Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Andy Pages — went hitless.
Freddie Freeman and Mike Trout embrace during the fourth inning. (Al Bello / Getty Images)
Justin Wrobleski, the lone Dodgers pitcher, gave up a home run to former Dodger Miguel Vargas but pitched two innings and struck out five, the most strikeouts in an All-Star Game since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez struck out five in 1999 — and, before that, Fernando Valenzuela did it in 1986.
Trout went hitless in three at-bats. After he grounded out in his final at-bat, Freeman enveloped him in an impromptu bear hug.
“I love Freddie,” Trout said.
There was a fireworks show after the fourth inning, with kids riding bicycles onto the field a la “The Sandlot.” Trout offered swing tips to one of the kids. Freeman played catch with another.
“One of the cooler moments I’ve ever been a part of on the baseball field,” Freeman said. “It makes you feel like a kid again.”
Mike Trout signs autographs before the home run derby Monday. (Matt Rourke / AP)
Before the game, Freeman addressed his fellow NL All-Stars, followed by Bryce Harper and Chris Sale. Freeman channeled his inner Ferris Bueller, reminding his younger peers to stop and appreciate every moment.
“It’s going fast,” Freeman said. “There’s a lot going on. Make sure you take a step back.”
Trout savored every moment with friends and family, including his two sons, in the festivities. In an interview with MLB Network, his 2-year-old scampered off the stage. His 5-year-old, asked if he would be a better player than his dad, said yes.
“It’s special to be able to sit back and remember the special experiences when you were a kid,” Trout said. “It’s a full circle. Just trying to enjoy every minute of it.”
He got a nice ovation from the Philadelphia crowd, which he knew better than to take for granted. The crowd engaged in lively and targeted booing: mascots Mr. and Mrs. Met; the guy who beat the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber in the home run derby on Monday; a guy who played for the Houston Astros when they beat the Phillies in the World Series four years ago; anyone playing for the Dodgers or any of the Phillies’ NL East rivals.
Juan Soto, especially. But not Trout.
“It means a lot,” Trout said. “I know how Phillies fans are when an opposing player comes in here, and it’s usually boos.”
As he spoke with the media, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays walked by.
“I love you,” Caminero said.
Mike Trout bats in the first inning Tuesday. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
Trout had just saluted a fellow All-Star, Detroit Tigers rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle, who like Trout grew up in the area, rooting for the Phillies. McGonigle was 6 when Trout made his major league debut.
“The way he plays the game, it’s like a young Trout out there, just with how hard he plays,” Trout said.
Trout turns 35 next month, far closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Justin Verlander is retiring at the end of the season, and Freeman said he hoped Trout’s accomplishments would not be lost amid the Verlander accolades at the All-Star Game.
“I know Justin’s been getting his flowers the last couple days, and rightfully so,” Freeman said. “Mike deserves it until he retires, because he’s one of the best players of all time.”
Verlander was all too happy to share the legacy of Trout in the AL clubhouse, and not just for the benefit of the twentysomethings in the room.
“He took the baseball world by storm,” Verlander said, “one of those generational talents that does everything — great outfielder, great baserunner, all the pop you would want. He was a complete player and generational talent for a reason.
“I always loved watching him play. I remember sitting there watching him hit a triple, and — I forget the teammate, but he was literally hitting me on the leg, like, watch him run, watch him run. He was, like, floating. He’s a once-in-a-generation guy for a reason.”
By his standards, Trout was unusually reflective after the game. He was the dominant player of the previous decade, but before Tuesday he had not taken an All-Star at-bat in this decade.
He grew up here, watching Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins play for the Phillies. Now he has youngsters like Crow-Amstrong and McGonigle telling him they grew up watching him.
“It makes you feel like you’ve done something,” Trout said. “For me, since day one, I’ve always played this game how I saw a lot of guys when I was young, watching Utley and JRo and Jeter. Play the game right. Play the game hard.
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 11: Members of the Chicago Cubs celebrate after the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s Tuesday night of All-Star Week here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest gathering of night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the heat. There’s no cover charge. We’ve still got a few tables available. The hostess can seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night I asked you if you could/did watch the Home Run Derby. I thought a lot of you would not have watched it because it was on Netflix and you didn’t subscribe, but the top answer was that 34 percent of you did have Netflix and didn’t watch the Home Run Derby anyways. Another 31 percent said that you didn’t have Netflix but would not have watched it even if you did. So almost two out of three of you just didn’t want to watch it.
On Tuesday nights I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I can take a quick jazz break for those of you interested.
Tonight we have a performance from the Jackie McLean Quintet at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival in 1986. Joining McLean on sax is Woody Shaw on trumpet, Cedar Walton on piano, Buster Williams on bass and the drummer is Billy Higgins.
This is “Cool Struttin’”
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
Since it’s the All-Star Break, which is the traditional midway point of the baseball season even if it falls a little later than that these days, I thought I’d ask you to update your predictions for the Cubs this season.
As things stand now, the Cubs are 54-42, 12 games over .500. Personally, I think that’s pretty good considering all the injuries the Cubs have suffered to their pitching staff. A lot of you have compared this year’s Cubs team to the 1985 team that similarly suffered a ton of pitching injuries. That team went on a 13-game losing streak in June and never really snapped out of the funk. In contrast, this year’s Cubs team has gone 25-16 since they suffered a ten-game losing streak in May.
Of course, the problem is that while the Cubs suffered a cold spell in May, the Brewers got hot and went 19-7 in May and 17-10 in June. They’ve cooled off some in July and the Cubs have gotten within five games of the Brewers in the NL Central. But that’s still a lot to overcome in the second half. But the Cubs are in first place in the Wild Card standings, which brings with it a home series for Wild Card round. The Phillies are a half-game behind the Cubs and the Marlins are 2.5 games back of the Cubs and holding the third and final Wild Card spot. The Cardinals are 3.5 games behind the Cubs and are the first team out of the postseason in the National League.
Fangraphs gives the Cubs a 14.7 percent chance to win the Division and a 61.1 percent chance to get the Wild Card. That also gives them a 24.2 percent chance of missing the playoffs altogether.
But the computer models used by Fangraphs don’t account for any possible moves made at the deadline. Nor are they infalible.
So what’s your pick for how the Cubs are going to finish this year?
Thanks for stopping by. We’re always glad to see you. Tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.
Miguel Vargas mashed a solo homer in his first All-Star appearance. | (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Whatever it is about the All-Star Game that puts a chokehold on the National League should be studied. Once again, the American League prevailed, shutting out the NL in Philadelphia, 4-0. If you had the NL being held to three hits on your bingo card, then congrats, you win, because the bats were borderline silent, and they never even had opportunities with runners in scoring position, leaving all five base runners stranded. The AL now has a 49-45 all-time record in the Midsummer Classic, which doesn’t sound so bad until you look at the most recent years.
Outside of the first inning, there wasn’t much offensive action from either side. The pitching, however, was extremely on point and easily highlighted why they were all named All-Stars. American League starting pitcher Dylan Cease looked as good as ever, striking out the side but losing a battle to Freddie Freeman and walking him for the lone blemish in his hitless outing. He used 24 pitches to get through the inning, mainly because the NL batters kept fouling pitches off, but Cease was able to buckle down and showcase his strikeout ability on the main stage, all while mic’d up.
The AL used 11 arms throughout the game, and the NL bats completely rode the struggle bus, only getting three hits the entire game while striking out a whopping 15 times. In fact, 10 of 11 AL pitchers recorded at least one strikeout, and Bryan Baker only tossed 1/3 of an inning in the ninth, so I think we can let him off the hook. Cease ended up with the win after his three-strikeout frame, and the next seven out of the bullpen earned a hold. On top of that, the AL defense was on point, and even though many fans were annoyed that Ernie Clement was voted in from the fans, he made the best play of the night in the field.
Juan Soto finally gave the NL its first hit in the bottom of the fourth off Joe Ryan, who struck out Freddie Freeman and CJ Abrams to end any potential threat. The bats were silent again for several more innings, until Pete Crow-Armstrong singled up the middle in the bottom of the eighth, but once again, nothing came from it.
In what was essentially garbage time in the bottom of the ninth, Baker entered to get the last out for the AL, but Otto Lopez came up to bat with two outs and ripped a base hit out to right before Baker forced a ground out to end the game. Lopez deserves a lot more recognition on the national level, however, as he’s been having a phenomenal year for the Marlins, and ranks fifth in WAR in all of baseball while holding the top batting average (.334). Think Luis Arraez, but with a bit more power while being an above-average fielder and stealing plenty of bases.
The AL All-Stars had a lot more success at the plate, though they were, too, a bit sporadic. The AL posted seven hits and went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position while leaving six on base, which is seven more opportunities than the NL had, so they’ll take what they could get tonight.
Unfortunately for hometown starter Cristopher Sánchez, he got off to a rocky start, allowing three of the four AL runs and taking the loss. Sánchez started off on a high note by striking out Mike Trout to begin the game, but things got a bit out of hand fairly quickly, and the AL nearly batted through the lineup. Yordan Alvarez flashed his dominance at the plate in his first at-bat, mashing the first hit of the game and later coming around to score. Sánchez had walked Shea Langeliers and Bobby Witt Jr. to load up the bases, but worked a ground out by Junior Caminero to get two outs.
All three runs scored with two outs, as both New York Yankees All-Stars drove back-to-back RBI singles to take a 3-0 lead. Cody Bellinger mashed a 101 mph, two-run single up the middle, and Ben Rice followed suit with an even harder ball (107 mph) hit up the middle to tack on one more. Belli’s two-run single held up throughout the game, even with the Miguel Vargas bomb, and he ended up being named the All-Star Game MVP.
The AL bats quieted down for several innings, sprinkling a few hits throughout the game, but the NL bullpen was fairly solid as well. Riley O’Brien took over in the third, and a pitch got away from him and hit Junior Caminero in the hand in his second at-bat, forcing him to leave the game with Miguel Vargas taking over for him the rest of the way. Thankfully, it sounds like X-rays were negative on Junior’s hand, and he still expects to start the next series beginning Friday.
Miguel was the first of the White Sox to enter the game, and he smoked a 104.3 mph line out to his buddy Andy Pages out in center in his first at-bat, but he still found a good pitch to hit and was seeing the ball as well as he usually does. And he displayed that in his next at-bat, absolutely demolishing a 433-foot solo shot into the second deck out in left field to add an insurance run for the AL, 4-0. Vargas’ long ball was the lone extra-base hit of the entire game, and it just happened to be off of his old Dodgers teammate Justin Wrobleski. It sure was a beauty.
Tristan Peters was the next sub for the South Siders, entering the game to play right field for Bellinger in the bottom of the sixth, and caught a fly ball from William Contreras shortly after entering the game. Munetaka Murakami also eventually came into the game in the bottom of the seventh to play first, and both he and Peters each got one at-bat, and sadly struck out. I appreciated Peters using a challenge because why not, but he didn’t win this one. Mune was dealt a rough hand in having to face Mason Miller, and he, too, struck out on a 102 mph fastball. We’ll take 1-for-4 with a bomb, though, so thank you, Miguel, for picking up your teammates. Strikeouts or not, it was awesome to see these guys on this stage and that the White Sox are relevant and playing meaningful baseball again.
DSL All-Star Sebastian Romero continues to swing a hot bat. | (Sebastian Romero/Instagram)
Three members of the DSL White Sox squad have been named to the 2026 DSL All-Star Game: Ronald Cardoza (C), Yordany Marte (RHP), and Sebastian Romero (OF). Cardoza is hitting .316/.426/.607 with a 1.033 OPS while Romero owns a slash line of .289/.391/.608 with a .999 OPS. Marte is 0-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The three players will represent Chicago’s rookie affiliate at the game on Sunday, July 19.
ACL Angels 9, ACL White Sox 1 Not much to write home about in this one. The ACL White Sox (15-38) didn’t muster a run until the fifth, when Osniel Castillo laced a leadoff triple and rehabbing Billy Carlson followed with an RBI single to center. The Sox tacked on one more in the seventh while trailing 9-1 as Adam Fogel worked a two-out walk before Marcelo Ácala ripped an RBI double to left. Too little, too late, though. Reinder Gomez was the only hurler to hold the Halos scoreless, tossing one frame and allowing just one hit and striking out one. Giving up nine runs is rarely a winning formula, and the offense didn’t do the pitching staff any favors, going just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position while leaving 10 on base.
DSL Cubs Blue 6, DSL White Sox 4 The DSL White Sox (11-20) gift-wrapped this one with three fielding blunders and a passed ball, leading to three unearned runs. The White Sox did showcase some offense, though, as Ronald Cardozo cracked a solo shot in the fourth, and then the bats tried to rally in the seventh. Jose Suarez launched a two-run bomb, Hector Hernandez legged out a triple, and Dionys Medina dribbled an RBI grounder to plate three tallies. Unfortunately, the damage was already done — too many mistakes and just not enough late-game magic.
ACL White Sox 4, ACL Padres 3 (July 13 — 7 innings) The ACL Sox trailed 3-1 to the Padres, then finally put up a crooked number in the fifth. Landon Hodge and Adam Fogel, patient enough to draw back-to-back walks, set the table. Jose Mendoza knocked a single to pack the sacks. The Padres’ pitcher promptly lost the plot with a wild pitch, and Hodge scored. Marcelo Ácala froze for strike three, but another wild pitch let Fogel trot home. Alejandro Cruz hit an RBI single for the go-ahead. Fidel Montero took it from there with four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk.
DSL White Sox 2, DSL Cubs 0 (July 14, suspended, bottom of the first) The Sox took control early in the top of the second. Fernando Graterol drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly before Sebastian Romero added an RBI single. It was Romero’s 34th RBI of the season, tied for sixth-most in the DSL, and gave the Good Guys a 2-0 lead.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during the sixth inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The All-Star Game took place on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, but it was a one-sided affair the whole way. A three-run first inning by the AL gave them a lead that they would hold throughout the game, finishing with a 4-0 victory over the NL.
Even though the hometown ace, Cristopher Sánchez, got the start in this one, pitching at home didn’t help him at all. The AL sent eight men to the plate in the first. The big two hits were an RBI single by Cody Bellinger that scored two, and another RBI single from Ben Rice that scored the third run. Before the NL could even bat, they were down 3-0.
Once they were up to bat, the AL pitching staff nearly held them in check completely. The NL had just two baserunners — a hit and a walk — through the first six innings. They didn’t record their second hit until the eighth inning. As a whole, they struck out 15 batters while allowing just three hits and two walks.
The fourth run for the AL came in the eighth inning, when Miguel Vargas hit a solo home run off Justin Wrobleski. That accounted for the final score of the game.
William Contreras was the lone Brewer to appear in the game. He entered in the fourth inning and caught the next three innings. He got one at-bat in the game, which was a fly out in the sixth inning.
The Brewers kick off the second half of the season on Friday evening at home. They will face the Marlins, who have fought their way into the third Wild Card spot, but also entered the break on a three-game losing streak. No pitchers have been announced for that series yet. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:40 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Phillie Phanatic dances during the seventh inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The American League shutout the National League 4-0 on Tuesday in the 2026 All-Star Game. Here’s some notes I took.
Keeping Score: I decided to watch the All-Star Game this year. Not only that, I decided to score the All-Star Game this year. I recently found my old scorebook and thought it’d be fun, since I’m here recapping this with you anyways. The first game in this scorebook is a Félix Hernández complete game from Opening Day 2011. The last is both halves of a doubleheader between Washington State University and Cal State Northridge in Pullman that I covered for the school paper in 2017. In between there’s the Mariners/Marlins game that was played in Seattle because of a U2 concert in Miami; a game from the Tokyo Dome that I woke up at 2 a.m. for, per my diligent notes; a game started by Blake Beavan that I did not proceed to score after the first inning; the Red Sox first game after the Boston Marathon bombing; a 2013 WBC game; a 2017 WBC game; and a bunch of losing Mariners baseball. I’m not quite sure what the point of scoring games is in 2026, with technology and such. But I’m adding to my corporeal collection of bizarre baseball games that I might not otherwise remember.
Star-Less: The 2026 All-Star Game was relatively starless. No Aaron Judge. No Shohei Ohtani. Yes Ernie Clement. I won’t lie and say that this adds to my interest in the All-Star Game, as I watch pretty much every year, albeit more passively. But it is cool that we’ll get to see a lot more of the B+ quality of player that I think makes the league so interesting these days. My takeaways from the starting lineups are that I think it’s cool CJ Abrams is batting fourth for the NL. What a year it’s been for him. The other takeaway is I initially wrote Freddie Freeman’s team in my book as “ATL” rather than “LAD.” I’m not sure what that means, but it’s the first mistake on what’s sure to be a rather messy scorecard.
The Pregame: I’m writing this as the lineups are being announced. Each player is entering through an MLB-branded Liberty Bell and jogging a few feet to a podium, where they’re signing what appears to be the starting lineups on a large, old-timey document using quill and ink. What I’ve gotten out of this All-Star week is that Philadelphia really wants you to know that their culture is boxing, the founding fathers, and booing other teams players. The only players who didn’t get booed on announcement were the Phillies players and the Philly-born players (like Mike Trout). After all the players were aligned on the chalk — a process that took a bit more than 30 minutes — the Mastercard Kids4Techᵀᴹ entered and shook all the players hands.
The Post-Pregame: Play ball! Er, commercial break… Washington’s Lottery, North Idaho College, RnR RV Center, some sort of sponcon game show called Beat Shazam… and Play Ball! Er, no let’s hear from our hosts tonight, Joe Davis and John Smoltz, who I haven’t seen since the postseason. They’re interviewing Justin Verlander, and hinting at a second interview with Verlander later in the game. I’m already not loving this experience. Play ball! Er, commercial break… Claude, Mastercard, World Cup, Dodgers Yankees on Saturday, 75 Years Of Jack In The Box, North Idaho College. Play Ball! Er, Ben Stiller narrating an All-Star Game Carnival interstitial. I’m starting to think this game starts at 5:30 and not 5 like they advertised. Play ball! Er, Mike Trout is from Philadelphia let’s see what he’s got to say to Tom Verducci. Not much, apparently. Play ball! Hey, there’s Crisotopher Sanchez warming up on the mound. We’re actually about to star this thing! Er, sorry, Bryce Harper is talking to Ken Rosenthal. Play ball…
Cristopher Sánchez Has The Runs: Sánchez did not have it tonight, which was disappointing. He got Trout to strikeout leading off with a nasty changeup. Then he gave up a single, a walk, an out, a walk, a single, and a single — the game was 3-0 AL by the time Sánchez struck out Riley Greene to end it.
Dylan Cease, Mic’D Up: I don’t know why they did this, but it wound up being pretty great. FOX mic’d up both Dylan Cease and Shea Langeliers in the bottom of the first. Initially, Davis tried to ask him questions like an interview, and Cease wasn’t having it. But Davis backed off, and it turned into a nice conversation between Cease and Langeliers, calling pitches, discussing locations, mouth-over-glove type stuff. Smoltz didn’t quite catch the magic that was happening and interjected a few dumb questions. “Shea, how have your challenges been this year?” “Uh, I think they’ve been OK.” Cease was similarly unimpressed with Smoltz calling pitches for him. But Cease did ultimately strike out the side. It was a great inning, and the best of way, way too many in-game interviews that took place in this one.
Justin Verlander, Praise Be: The second inning returned with the aforementioned Verlander-themed pitchers roundtable. They had a bunch of other pitchers mic’d up in the dugout, like Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler, though none of their mics worked well enough to hear most what was said. Davis and Smoltz asked them to say very nice things about Verlander, and asked Verlander to offer some sage wisdom. It was awkward but quick as the AL went down in order in the top of the second. Unfortunately, it was too quick, as they brought it back for the bottom of the inning, which was just as awkward. They glossed over the All-Star facetime for Eduardo Rodríguez and Parker Messick, who each pitched clean innings, in favor of the conversation. Lame. The only good thing was the reminder that Verlander is about to go away.
Yee-ouch: Riley O’Brien smoked Junior Caminero in the left hand in the third inning. He seemed to be in considerable pain and laid on the ground for a while. Then he hopped up and ran right into the locker room. O’Brien looked a bit sheepish. Yikes. The broadcast later reported that Caminero’s hand was not broken.
Ray Charles, Mmmkay: I looked away for a commercial break after the fourth and looked up to some sort of interstitial with narration about baseball and nostalgia but its not actually nostalgia or something — I don’t know, I missed the point. Then we jumped back to the broadcast with the Phillies playing a recording of Ray Charles singing America The Beautiful. All of a sudden a bunch of kids on bikes started riding around the field and talking to the players. There was tons of fireworks, which created tons of smoke for the last half of the game. Was this like a halftime show? An interactive theater art piece? Who was this for? OK, back to commercial.
The Mariners Were Here: Randy Arozarena pinch hit for Riley Greene in the sixth inning and faced Raisel Iglesias with a runner on first. He quickly grounded out to shortstop. Arozarena later caught a ball in the outfield. Then he got a single off Jhoan Duran in the ninth. The Mariners were here.
Birthday Boy: Whoa what a performance from Justin Wrobleski on his 26th birthday. He got the seventh for the NL and struck out the side on 12 pitches. His velocity was way up, looking much more like the reliever version of himself from last year, and not so much like the crafty lefty starter that made him an All-Star this year. There were several great one-inning pitching performances tonight, and this was the best so far.
Hey, C’mon It was His Birthday: I wrote the above point before knowing Wrobleski would come back out for a second inning. He made his only mistake of the night by hanging a slider to Miguel Vargas, who hit a towering, 433-foot homer into the second deck in left to extend the AL’s lead to 4-0. He hit so hard that Pete Crow-Armstrong, the latest in-game interview, couldn’t help but give an “Oh god” from his place in centerfield. Wrobleski would punch out the next two batters, finishing his two innings of work with five strikeouts.
Bryan Baker, Shutout: Suddenly it was the ninth and Aroldis Chapman entered the game. He got two batters out. Then for the sake of extending things a bit longer, John Schneider brought in Bryan Baker to get the final out. After another long commercial break, Baker threw one pitch and got the final out. The AL shutout the NL, allowing just three hits with 15 strikeouts. This game was an exhibition, but it felt like a lot of baseball I’ve watched this year.
MVP: Cody Bellinger won MVP, for his two run single in the first. Cool.
Final Thoughts: This was fun. I enjoy the All-Star Game for what it is. Most of it is tedious, and my attention goes in and out, but every year there’s a thing or two that I enjoy. The Cease/Langeliers conversation was great. Wrobleski was fun to watch. There was also a fun Mason Miller vs. Munetaka Murakami at bat (Miller struck him out) that felt exceptionally All-Star-y. I feel as if I’ve done something productive.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Dylan Cease struck out the side in the first inning, combining with 10 relievers on a three-hitter in a show of pitching dominance that led the American League to a 4-0 win over the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
All-Star MVP Cody Bellinger hit a two-run single and Ben Rice followed with an RBI single in the first against Cristopher Sánchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies.
Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox added an eighth-inning home run off the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski, who was pitching on his 26th birthday, for the game’s only extra-base hit. The AL won for the 18th time in 23 games and holds a 49-45-2 advantage overall.
Singles by Juan Soto in the fourth, Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth and Otto Lopez in the ninth were the only hits by the NL, which failed to advance a runner past first.
Pitchers combined for 27 strikeouts, 15 by AL hurlers.
Cease struck out Kyle Schwarber, Soto and CJ Abrams around a walk in the first inning. He became just the seventh pitcher to strike out three in an All-Star opening inning after Carl Hubbell (1934), Warren Spahn (1949), Jim Palmer (1977), Dave Stieb (1983), Pedro Martinez (1999) and Brad Penny (2006) — four of them Hall of Famers.
Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Drew Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman and Bryan Baker finished the first All-Star shutout since the AL’s 2-0 win in 2013 at New York’s Citi Field.
Some starting star power was missing, with Jacob Misoriowski, Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani all unavailable. Just six pitches reached 100 mph, the fewest in an All-Star Game since 2021.
Bellinger and Rice both singled on up sinkers from Sánchez, who struggled through a 34-pitch inning that included three hits and two walks.
“It just took me a little time to soak it all in and enjoy it,” Sánchez said through a translator.
Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star who hadn’t played in the game since 2019 because of injuries, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Early exit
Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero was hit on the outside of his left hand by a 97.6 mph sinker from St. Louis closer Riley O’Brien in the third inning and immediately left the game. The 23-year-old, fourth in the major leagues with 28 home runs, stayed down for a few moments before he popped up and ran straight into the clubhouse. X-rays were negative.
Documenting the day
Managers and starters entered through replica Liberty Bells in front of each dugout, walked to home plate and used a feathered quill to sign an oversized lineup card, as if they were Founding Fathers affixing names to the Declaration of Independence. The dirt was surrounded by 13 stars, one for each of the Colonies.
Fireworks were set off after the fourth inning to a video of Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful” at Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.
Philadelphia was awarded this year’s All-Star Game in 2019 an unusually long lead time to coincide with the U.S. 250th semiquincentennial. The Phillies hosted the 1976 and ’96 games at Veterans Stadium and the Athletics in 1943 and ’52 at Shibe Park.
At the 1996 game, there was a hard hit even before the first pitch. Cal Ripken Jr.’s nose was broken when struck by a forearm of Chicago White Sox reliever Roberto Hernandez when he lost his balance on a platform during the AL team picture.
Next year’s game is scheduled for the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field for the first time since 1990 but is threatened by possible labor strife.
The American League scored three first-inning runs and went on to a largely uneventful 4-0 win over the National League on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
The NL managed only three hits. The game featured only one extra-base hit, an eighth-inning solo home run by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas.
Using a total of 11 pitchers, the AL racked up 15 strikeouts. They produced the first shutout in an All-Star game since 2013.
Here are the top takeaways
-Perhaps the No. 1 takeaway, unfortunately, was the noticeable lack of star power in the game. Some of that was due to bad luck, with Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani out due to injuries, while Tarik Skubal is just back from his elbow injury.
But some of it was an avoidable problem, with some of the game’s best pitchers out because they pitched on Sunday, the final day games are played before the All-Star break.
-Jacob Misiorowski, the hardest-thrower in baseball, and Paul Skenes, reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, both fell into that category, as did ZackWheeler, though he originally went unselected for the team and then turned down an honorary offer to be part of the team.
In any case, MLB could solve the problem by pushing the All-Star Game back to Wednesday, which seems reasonable since the break has been extended in recent years, as most teams don’t resume until Friday.
As it turned out, pitching dominated anyway, as is often the case in these games, but it's the star power that fans want to see, especially in the form of power arms and high velocity.
-Cam Schlittler fit into that category also, though he chose to sit out, citing the need to rest up for the second half of the season. Though there seemed enough uncertainty that if Blue Jays manager John Schneider had been willing to name him to start the game, Schlittler could have been convinced to pitch.
-With so little offense in the game, the Yankees’ Cody Bellinger was named the MVP, thanks to his two-run single in the first inning that gave the AL a 2-0 lead.
He and fellow Yankee Ben Rice had a big impact early in the game, each driving in runs off NL starter Cristopher Sanchez.
Bellinger came up with the bases loaded and two outs, and on a 2-2 count, lined a single up the middle off a 95-mph sinker from Sanchez, driving home the first two runs of the game.
Rice followed with a similar single up the middle on a 1-0 pitch, a 97-mph sinker that Sanchez left belt-high, to make it 3-0 for the AL.
Both Bellinger and Rice came up with runners in scoring position again in the third. However, Bellinger flied out to Juan Soto in left and Rice struck out swinging – both against Cardinals’ right-hander Riley O’Brien.
-Soto, who was booed loudly by Phillies’ fans during introductions (along with players for the Yankees, Dodgers, and Braves), struck out in the first inning for the NL team against Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, swinging and missing at an 0-2 fastball on the outside corner at 94 mph.
In his second at-bat against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, Soto hit a hard ground ball up the middle for a single. It was the NL’s only hit until Pete Crow-Armstrong singled in the eighth inning.
-In the second inning, FOX tried what play-by-play announcer Joe Davis called a “round-table discussion” with three pitchers, Justin Verlander, Schlittler, and Misiorowski, as well as game analyst John Smoltz, and it didn’t go particularly well.
First of all, the top of the second inning went quickly, 1-2-3, allowing for only one answer from each pitcher. Same for the bottom of the second, another 1-2-3 inning, and neither Misiorowski nor Schlittler was expansive with their answers, leaving Verlander to do most of the talking about his Hall of Fame career.
In retrospect, it was a bad idea, trying too hard to be creative. FOX would have been better off simply interviewing Verlander, who seemed most comfortable talking from the dugout.
-Then there was the in-game interview with Kyle Schwarber during his at-bat in the third inning. I get that FOX wants to try to spice up the telecast, but it’s rare when these interviews turn out to be worth doing.
Schwarber seemed to be a willing participant, trying to offer his thoughts on the at-bat, but his earpiece kept falling out, and he was frantically trying to put it back in between pitches before hitting a hard ground ball to second for the final out of the inning.
At least the interview with Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop during the same inning was going well, with Witt offering enthusiastic answers, but then Davis and Smoltz had to cut that short when Schwarber came up to hit.
FOX tried the at-bat interview once more, with Bryce Harper in the sixth against Guardians reliever Cade Smith, and it did produce a little humor, as he challenged a called strike, the first challenge of the game. However, Harper’s heart wasn’t really in it.
“Why not?” he joked, before admitting: “That’s a strike.”
And sure enough, the call was confirmed and Harper went on to strike out swinging at a splitter in the dirt.
Heck, Contreras did not find a man on the field he could not hug during the Tuesday, July 14 game at Citizens Bank Park. He engulfed home plate umpire Alan Porter in a hug. Ran directly at San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez after a force out – and then wrapped his countryman in a warm embrace.
And, perhaps most poignantly, shared the field with brother William – yes, they hugged at home plate – for the first time in an All-Star Game.
A night earlier, Contreras successfully met the challenge of the Philly fan, advancing past the first round of the Home Run Derby while hometown favorite Bryce Harper was eliminated. Come Tuesday night’s introductions, the crowd at the Bank roared thunderous boos on Contreras, who cupped his hand to his ear.
In short: A lot.
"Man, a lot of stuff. Hanging out with the guys, a bunch of new guys we’ve played against," says Contreras. "You don’t know them as a person. You meet them here. I’m glad to get the invitation to the All-Star Game to meet new guys, new faces.
"Having my family here. Playing with my brother. The Home Run Derby – the fans booing me. There’s a lot of memories I made in two days."
Those feelings were mutual. Contreras is such a force of nature, he couldn't help but energize an AL squad that won for the 11th time in 13 All-Star Games, a 4-0 conquest over the NL. Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has known Contreras a good while - they share an agency, Octagon - and said it was eye-opening to share a dugout with the 11-year veteran for the first time.
"The way he plays the game - hard - it's a lot of fun to be on his side," says Witt. "He loves it. He loves whenever anything like that is going on, so it's special to be around."
One could say few were as deserving. See, Contreras won’t be able to play in the Red Sox’s first game of the second half, serving the final game of a suspension imposed when he had an on-field tiff with Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli, who told Contreras, "Sit down, boy!" after striking him out.
Contreras did not take kindly. And he simply could not return quietly to the dugout.
So this trip to Philly was something of a professional respite, and a chance to reflect on a first half during which he slammed 20 home runs with a .921 OPS for the Red Sox. He plans to sleep in tomorrow, take his family to the beach, and then sit out the final game of his suspension Friday.
And then, back at it, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.
Contreras had one bit of unfinished business to attend to before leaving Citizens Bank Park. A countryman handed him a Venezuelan flag, and Contreras took a few minutes to sign it.
He has been, of course, perhaps the most outspoken and passionate Venezuelan ballplayer to speak on the devastating earthquakes that struck his homeland last month.
And so his message reflected the road ahead for his country, and, one would guess, words he’d live by as well.
Shea Langeliers singled and walked in his first all-star game start. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Major League Baseball’s night to celebrate its own has finally arrived. The 96th Midsummer Classic took place tonight at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. This is the fifth time an All-Star Game has been held in Philly, but the first time at Citizens Bank Park.
The A’s were represented by two deserving All-stars, Shea Langeliers who was the American League (AL) starting catcher, batting third in the lineup and Nick Kurtz who unfortunately couldn’t play due to his thumb injury.
The American League jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning against the Phillies hometown starter Cristopher Sánchez thanks to a Yordan Alvarez base hit, walks to our own Shea Langeliers, and Bobby Witt Jr. and then singles by the Yankees Cody Belanger and Ben Rice.
Shea led off the third inning against the Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien and singled to centerfield. He was erased on a fielder’s choice by Witt.
Through three innings, the American League hurlers have given up no hits and only one walk to protect their 3-0 lead. That streak ended when Juan Soto singled to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning against Joe Ryan of the Twins. He was stranded at first when the inning ended.
MLB captured the spirit of the game during the fifth inning ceremony with kids riding their bikes to the stadium and breaking through the outfield fence to join the major leaguers on the field for a fireworks display set to the classic version of America the Beautiful performed by Ray Charles.
Pitching continued to dominate for both sides. Through seven innings the National League only mustered one hit while the American League only had five hits.
The AL added to their lead with the first extra base hit of the game in the top of the eighth, a monster homer by the White Sox Miguel Vargas. Headed to the bottom of the eighth the American League led 4-0.
Aroldis Chapman, the Red Sox closer, entered the game in the bottom of the ninth to finish off the National League batters. After two outs, Chapman was replaced with Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays. Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins got the third hit of the game with two outs in the ninth. But Baker slammed the door, giving the American League their first shutout in 13 years.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves at bat during the third inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The American League and The National League took the field at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the ninety-sixth All-Star Game. This is the fifth All-Star Game in history hosted in Philadelphia, and the first since 1996.
Speaking of the number five, the Atlanta Braves had five representatives on the NL All-Star roster. Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies were starters, while Matt Olson was a reserve. On the pitching side of things, Chris Sale and Raisel Iglesias were active for the game.
Small little side nugget, Braves legend Hank Aaron holds a tied for the record for most All-Star Games played with twenty-four. It should be noted that for part of his career they played two All-Star Games per year, but it is still a fun Braves stat.
The NL struggled mightily with their bats against the elite AL pitching. Other than the first inning the NL pitching did great as well. Let’s break down what each Braves player was able to accomplish in the game.
Albies, who is having his best season since 2023, was elected as a starter. It is his first All-Star appearance since the aforementioned 2023 season. He hit sixth in the lineup and the first pitcher he saw was Parker Messick in the second inning. Albies swung on the second pitch he saw, which was an outside change up, and grounded out sharply to Bobby Witt Jr. at SS.
In his second at-bat he faced Nick Martinez in the fifth in to a very similar result. This time he swung on a fastball right down the middle on the third pitch from the left side of the plate and grounded out to first baseman Willson Contreras. Albies was replaced in the sixth inning, but he was able to also pick up an assist from second.
Drake Baldwin was also a starter and hit ninth in the order. The first pitcher he faced was Michael Wacha in the third inning. Unfortunately, he struck out looking on the third pitch he saw. Because he was so late in the lineup, that was the only at-bat he got. He was replaced in the fourth inning by former Brave William Contreras.
Baldwin did have a positive outlook on his first all-star experience:
Olson made his fourth career All-Star appearance and third as a Brave. He was a reserve so he did not get into the game until the replaced former Brave Freddie Freeman at first base in the top of the fifth. He had his first at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. Olson faced Drew Rasmussen. He hung in the at-bat for six pitches to include fouling off a potential third strike, but he ultimately hit a routine fly ball to Randy Arozarena.
Matt Olson was able to get a second at-bat in. This time it was in the ninth and he faced ageless wonder Aroldis Chapman. Olson decided to swing on the first pitch he saw, which was a 97 MPH sinker inside, and somehow popped it up to SS. Defensively Olson picked up four putouts.
Raisel Iglesias finally made his All-Star debut this season in his twelfth MLB season. It can definitely be argued that he should have way more than one selection so it was nice to finally see him out there. Iglesias came in to pitch in the sixth inning and pitched a scoreless inning. He was able to get Kevin McGonigle to ground out, followed by a deep fly out from Cody Bellinger. He did give up a single to the red hot Willson Contreras, but recovered and forced a ground ball from Randy Arozarena.
Everyone boo Dave Roberts. He did not put in Chris Sale to pitch his tenth All-Star game when Sale said he was willing to pitch. He also did not put in rival Giants’ Logan Webb. Coincidence?
Overall the game was dominated by the AL pitching. The NL only had three hits the entire game. The NL pitching was not bad except for the first inning for the most part, but they could not get the bats going at all.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Bryan Baker #47 of the Tampa Bay Rays and Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles shake hands after the ninth inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles only got to send one representative to the All-Star game this season, but Adley Rutschman earned the opportunity. Rutschman made his third All Star appearance after slashing .253/.327/.436 in the first half.
Rutschman’s strong start to the season represented a bounceback for the former first overall pick. The Oregon State product posted a below-average 89 OPS+ while missing time with oblique issues in 2025. Baltimore made waves by inking catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year extension and signing free agent Pete Alonso to a five-year deal, but it was Rutschman representing the Orioles in Philadelphia tonight.
Basallo and Alonso have played well for Baltimore. Alonso felt like a legitimate snub after slashing .252/.346/.474 with 21 homers in the first half, but Rutschman deserves credit for finding his way back into the spotlight.
That spotlight came with questions about trade rumors and potential contract extensions. Rutschman handled himself well this week without expressing anything really worthy of discussion. The backstop said he’s had a “phenomenal experience so far with Baltimore,” and reiterated that he doesn’t spend any time thinking about trade rumors or his contract. Rutschman is under team control in Baltimore through next season.
Rutschman was named an All-Star reserve behind AL starter Shea Langeliers and fellow reserve Dillon Dingler. Langeliers entered the break slashing .257/.324/.483 with 21 homers, and Dingler received the nod after slashing .262/.323/.508 with 19 long balls. Langeliers walked and scored a run in the first inning and singled in the third. Dingler struck out in his only at bat.
Rutschman entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning. The backstop fell behind Dodgers’ pitcher Justin Wrobleski 1-2 before grounding out to shortstop in his only at bat. Miguel Vargas followed Rutschman and launched an absolute no-doubt home run to provide the American League a four-run advantage.
The Yankees got the American League on the board with three RBIs in the first inning. Yordan Alvarez, Langeliers and Bobby Witt Jr. all reached to setup scoring opportunities for Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice. National League starter Cristopher Sánchez got ahead of Bellinger 0-2, but the former Dodger lined a base hit up the middle for a two-run single.
Sánchez responded by throwing identical 97 MPH sinkers to Rice. Rice watched the first pitch go by before sending the second pitch 107 MPH back the way it came. Rice’s base hit plated Witt Jr. and provided the American League a three-run advantage.
AL pitchers dominated a National League lineup that featured hometown heros Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Starter Dylan Cease struck out three while chatting with the Fox broadcast booth in the bottom of the first. Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Jacob Latz and Aroldis Chapman pitched without allowing a hit. Joe Ryan allowed a single to Juan Soto in the fourth, and Louis Varland allowed a base hit to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth.
Former Oriole Bryan Baker entered with two outs in the ninth and allowed the NL’s third hit of the game before retiring Sal Stewart to end the contest. Baltimore sent Baker to Tampa last year in exchange for the 37th overall pick in the 2025 draft. The Orioles selected high school prospect Slater de Brun with the pick but eventually traded him to Tampa in the Shane Baz deal.
Rutschman also received pitches from his former college teammate Drew Rasmussen. The former Beaver and Rays starter is 7-5 with a 3.26 ERA this season.
The game featured plenty of talent but lacked a bit of juice without players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, José Ramírez, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Jacob Misiorowski, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Zack Wheeler. The lack of offense led to a lack of fireworks in the game, but MLB entertained fans with a massive Sandlot-inspired fireworks show after the fourth inning. The Fox booth conducted several mid-game interviews with players on the bench and actively playing on the field.
Bellinger was named the MVP after his two-run single in the first. Rays star Junior Caminero exited after taking a HBP off his hand, but Fox Sports reported that X-Rays came back negative.
Rutschman and the Orioles will look to extend their current four-game win streak when play resumes on Friday. Baltimore is currently two games back of the third and final wild card spot.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 14: Cody Bellinger #35 and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees talk during the 2026 96th MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game will not go down in history as one of the most memorable Midsummer Classics in the near-century-long history of the event. Highlights on the field were few and far between, broadcast debacles and poorly-executed ideas compromised the viewing experience, and several distracting pieces of vaguely baseball-themed pageantry bloated the presentation of a contest which would have otherwise flown by.
But for our decidedly narrower purposes here at Pinstripe Alley, the game was a splendid success. The American League defeated the National League 4-0 at Citizens Bank Park, fueled by a first-inning rally which was paid off by both Yankees representatives in John Schneider’s starting lineup. The man who drove in the first two runs, Cody Bellinger, was eventually named All-Star Game MVP, the fourth Yankee to ever win the honor. The AL pitching staff limited the NL to just three hits all night in a tidy victory for the Junior Circuit.
The game was listed as beginning at 8pm ET, but fans needn’t have worried about missing the first pitch, which came almost a full half-hour later. All the pomp and circumstance gave way to a dream start for the AL—and the little Yankee contingent nestled within their starting lineup. Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez received the opportunity to start the All-Star Game on his home mound, but he may have been a bit nervous. His command was sporadic as the AL built a rally on a Yordan Alvarez single and a pair of walks. With two outs, Cody Bellinger came up with an opportunity to stake his side to an early advantage.
There are more ideal scenarios to face Bellinger than with two runners in scoring position and a left-handed pitcher on the mound.
Sánchez actually got ahead of Cody 0-2 with a pair of sinkers, then missed low with yet another. He turned to his signature changeup but missed badly inside. Having lost some confidence on that pitch, Sánchez returned to the sinker and left it belt-high in the strike zone. Bellinger swatted it up the middle and past shortstop CJ Abrams to score a pair.
Thanks to this early knock in the low-scoring game, Bellinger was awarded the All-Star Game MVP. He joins Derek Jeter (2000), Mariano Rivera (2013), and Giancarlo Stanton (2022) as the lone Yankees to win the honor. Congrats to Cody!
Ben Rice wasted little time coming up with a nearly-identical result two pitches later. The first-time All-Star took a first-pitch sinker from the desperate southpaw, who was fully scared off from his changeup. Another sinker came down the pipe, and Rice capitalized. He found the same hole Bellinger did, grounding it up the gap to the right of second base to bring in yet another run. Thanks to the two hard-hit singles from the Yankees, the AL led 3-0. Who needs Aaron Judge?
The NL failed to respond in kind to Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease, who struck out three batters and walked one in a scoreless opening frame. Cease and Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers wore microphones which they could use to communicate with each other—neither seemed all that interested in providing engaging radio in the process. It’s clear FOX was trying to replicate the success of mic’ing up Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino back in 2022 without recognizing what made that pairing work—they were Yankee teammates, for starters.
The second proceeded with little incident, as Eduardo Rodríguez and Parker Messick provided scoreless innings. Things went pear-shaped in the third inning though. Cardinals breakout reliever Riley O’Brien entered for the road third, and misfired on a fastball to Junior Caminero—the pitch hit the burgeoning Rays superstar on the wrist. Caminero fell to the ground, then wasted little time racing down the dugout tunnel and out of the game. X-rays taken during the game were negative, but it was a scary moment that put a damper on the festivities.
The show had to go on, however. After a truly pointless and unsuccessful All-Star Game challenge(???), the Yankee duo got more opportunities to drive in runs with two runners aboard. They were decidedly less successful the second time: Bellinger popped out to Juan Soto—of all people—on the first pitch he saw from O’Brien. Rice struck out swinging on a nasty 1-2 changeup to retire the side. Hey, at least they came through in the first.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ben Rice exited the game to make way for fellow AL East denizen and Home Run Derby competitor Willson Conteras. Bellinger remained in right field, but Twins righty Joe Ryan pitched a scoreless inning without a ball being hit his way.
The folks at Citizens Bank Park appeared to expend their entire pyrotechnic budget in between the fourth and fifth. On what, I’m not entirely sure. But there were a lot of fireworks. When we came back from that display, the playing field was swamped by a thick layer of smoke—just another complication in an absurd presentation put on by MLB tonight.
Interestingly, Bellinger joined Mike Trout as the only two All-Star starters to take three plate appearances tonight. Cody got his third turn at bat in the top of the sixth inning against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, and gave the 1-0 offering a good ride to the opposite field. Corbin Carroll tracked it down in the gap, though. Iglesias worked around a two-out single from Contreras to put up yet another zero on the box score—those three Yankee ribbies continued to stand up as the only scoring entering the game’s latter third.
In the top of the seventh, breakout Dodger lefty Justin Wrobleski turned in one of the better pitching performances of the night by striking out the side. While Wrobleski and his bottom-of-the-inning counterpart, Drew Rasmussen, are deserving All-Stars, their appearances underscored another unfortunate aspect of this year’s game: a relative lack of household names taking the mound.
To wit, here are just a few starting pitchers who didn’t participate in the game tonight: Paul Skenes, Jacob Misiorowski, Chris Sale, Shohei Ohtani, and Yankees breakout star Cam Schlittler. Of course, this is an annual issue with the All-Star Game, but the timing felt particularly poor for this year’s crop of star hurlers.
We finally got another run in the top of the eighth inning courtesy of White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas. Vargas drew in for the injured Caminero in the third, and in his second at-bat, he took Wrobleski to the second deck in left field for a massive solo shot, giving the American League a good-measure insurance run.
I got one last chuckle out of this game when John Schneider pulled Aroldis Chapman from the game with two outs in the ninth to give the final out to a Ray. Bryan Baker did the honors by fielding a comebacker from Sal Stewart to record the first All-Star Game shutout since 2013. Was that fun? I’m not sure.
Enjoy the rest of the All-Star Break, everybody! The Yankees have even more reasons to enjoy it given the way Bellinger and Rice represented them tonight. Their first assignment out of the intermission will come in the Bronx on Friday, as the defending back-to-back champion Dodgers come to town. First pitch for the series opener is set for 7:05 PM, with coverage on YES.
The Milwaukee Brewers' young pitching phenom seems to be okay with that.
"Honestly, I think it was a little bit more fun in a way," Misiorowski said in a media scrum outside of the National League clubhouse in the basement of Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, July 14. "There's no stress that comes with it. I didn't have to worry about pitching, and I could just have fun, talk to guys, really just soak it all in."
He said he spent his two days in Philadelphia — where he was greeted by Phillies fans with a rather Brotherly Love welcome during pregame introduction on Tuesday — spending time on the field and talking to pitchers like the Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale, the Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes and the San Francisco Giants' Logan Webb.
Originally scheduled to pitch the Brewers' final game of the first half against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, but the National League Central standings leaders skipped that start due to arm fatigue. Misiorowski was slated to go head-to-head against Skenes.
"A little forearm stuff," Misiorowski said on July 11 after his start was pushed back. "Nothing crazy. Just didn’t bounce back. A little quick on the days off between but nothing crazy. We also have this long break."
So how is Misiorowski feeling with a little bit more rest since his last start on July 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals, where he struck out 11 hitters over seven innings of work? For starters, it doesn't seem he is concerned about missing his next start after the All-Star break.
"We're good, yeah," said Misiorowski, who leads the majors with 167 strikeouts on the season. "Ready to go for the second half."
Jacob Misiorowski does not sound like someone concerned about missing his next turn through the rotation. pic.twitter.com/fYQadvPd1P
Misiorowski, who went 10-4 with a 1.62 ERA in 18 starts in the first half, will spend the rest of the All-Star break in Milwaukee and get further treatment.
"Can go back home and get some treatment from our trainers and work out, get ready for whatever game they decide I'm going to throw," Misiorowski said. "Nothing too crazy."
As for a target date for his first start of the second half, the 24-year-old, who is in contention for his first National League Cy Young Award, said there isn't one, but he'll be ready for whenever Brewers manager Pat Murphy and his staff tell him he has the ball next.
"First game, second game, third game, fourth game, fifth game, somewhere in there. I don't know," Misiorowski said with a smile.
The Brewers open the second half of the season on Friday, July 17 against the Miami Marlins at 7:40 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
