Category: MLB

PHILADELPHIA — A 2019 NL MVP whose stock had more plunged than dropped in the years afterward, nontendered by the Dodgers and salary-dumped by the Cubs, returned to the All-Star Game for the first time in seven years transformed. No longer is he the 47-homer monster he was with the Dodgers. And no longer is he the .165-hitting shell of himself that he was in 2021. 

Cody Bellinger is a different player, which was reflected in his first-inning at-bat. 

Cody Bellinger is a different person, which was reflected by his companions to the podium after the game: Caiden and Cy, his two young daughters and a significant reason Tuesday meant so much to him. 

The reinvention of Bellinger already had been complete, but it was on display during the American League’s 4-0 victory at a sold-out, rocking, booing and Red, White and Blue’ing Citizens Bank Park, where a player who does just about everything well joined a club of Giancarlo Stanton, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter as Yankees All-Star Game MVPs. 

“Pretty special,” Bellinger said after driving in half the game’s runs with one easy swing. “My first few years in the big leagues — I was here I think two of my first three years, and I was like, ‘I’ll be here every year.’ 

“It took a long time to get back.” 

He got back, getting past nose-diving years with the Dodgers and merely solid seasons with the Cubs, by relying upon his athleticism and smarts more than his power. With the Yankees, he excels with two strikes, knows when to shorten up and knows when to unleash. 

In Tuesday’s first inning, the AL had loaded the bases with two outs against Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sánchez, against whom lefties had hit .137 with a .328 OPS this season. 

Bellinger went down, 0-2. He laid off a sinker and a changeup. And he got a sinker in the middle of the plate and shot it up the middle for a two-run single. 

“I just tried to keep it simple,” said Bellinger, who could not have known at that moment that the AL wouldn’t need another run. 

And yet they scored again one batter later, Ben Rice following it up with another left-on-left single against Sánchez. 

“Ben’s really just been doing it all year,” Bellinger said of Rice. “He’s such a good player. He’s really smart. He’s fun to talk hitting with.” 

“I was so fired up for him,” Rice said of Bellinger, who dislocated his shoulder in the 2020 World Series, statistically was one of the worst players in the league in ’21 and not offered a contract by the Dodgers after ’22. 

He landed with the Cubs and rebuilt his value but only partially, leading to the trade ahead of last season in which Chicago was on the hook for some of Bellinger’s salary. 

With the Yankees, and particularly in a Yankee Stadium that suits him, a new Bellinger has emerged. 

“It’s such a competitive league. It’s hard to be an All-Star,” Bellinger said. “The performance, it all has to come together. 

“Honestly, this one, I just really enjoyed it.” 

Two swings from Bellinger and Rice — “A couple knocks from the Yankee boys,” in the words of AL and Blue Jays manager John Schneider — represented the only scoring outside an eighth-inning homer from the White Sox’s Miguel Vargas. Eleven pitchers on the AL pitching staff combined for a three-hitter while walking two and striking out 15. 

The game will be remembered for the pitching, Bellinger and the pageantry — enough to make theater directors blush. The league went to great lengths to celebrate both baseball and the United States, including through introductions in which players entered through giant Liberty Bells, then signed their names with quills on a lineup scroll that was styled like the Declaration of Independence, and that was before the mid-game fireworks display and seventh-inning, “Happy Birthday,” America singalong. 

So it was only appropriate that the star of the All-Star Game was one of those Yankees from the north.

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.

Ozzie Albies

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

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:

Matt Olson

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

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.

Chris Sale

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.

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.

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?

(That is a rhetorical question.)

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.

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA — Jacob Misiorowski's second trip to the MLB All-Star Game was much different than his first.

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."

MLB All-Star Game: AL wins behind first shutout in 13 years

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.

The main reason Misiorowski's second trip to the Midsummer Classic was different than the one last year, which caused a bit of controversy as it came just five games into his big league career, was the fact that he was ineligible to pitch.

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

— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) July 15, 2026

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.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jacob Misiorowski 'ready to go for the second half' despite arm fatigue concerns

Cody Bellinger can add another accolade to his storied career.

The Yankees outfielder was named 2026 MLB All-Star Game MVP after going 1-for-3 with a two-run single.

Bellinger's hit came in his first at-bat in the first inning. National League starter Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies labored in his one inning at the Midsummer Classic. Sanchez allowed a hit and walked two to bring up Bellinger with two outs. Bellinger, hitting sixth in the American League lineup, worked back from an 0-2 count, taking two offspeed pitches for balls before Sanchez made the mistake of leaving a 96 mph sinker over the heart of the plate. Bellinger laced a 101.1 mph single to open up the scoring.

"Baseball’s a funny game. He’s such a dominant pitcher and his stuff is so good," Bellinger said of his first-inning at-bat. "Really, for me, it’s all the guys in front of me. Base hit, a walk. Bobby [Witt Jr.] had a great at-bat in front of me. Saw like eight pitches. Bases loaded, two outs, just tried to keep it simple.

"Pitching today was just dominant; it was nasty. Hard to score some runs. Just try to stay within myself and try to get the job done there."

Bellinger later admitted that he didn't think his single in the top half of the first inning would hold up to grab the Ted Williams Award.

"Not in the moment," he said. "As the game went on, the pitching was just absolutely dominant."

In the game, the AL had three of their seven hits in a three-run first inning, and the NL didn't tally a base hit until the fourth as they managed just three singles and were shut out for the first time in over a decade.

Cody Bellinger drives in the first two runs of the All-Star Game! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xJJtsi5om4

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 15, 2026

Yankees first baseman Ben Rice followed up with a single to drive in another run. It was more than enough as the AL pitching staff struck out 15 batters in the 4-0 win.

"I was so excited for him, especially seeing him drive in those two runs early from the on-deck circle," Rice said of his teammate. "I was so fired up for him.

"I was just so happy for him and his family."

It's the third All-Star appearance for Bellinger, but his first since 2019, when he won NL MVP as a member of the Dodgers.

"Took a long time to get back," Bellinger said of his 2026 All-Star experience. "It’s such a competitive league. It’s hard to be an All-Star. Health, performance, it all has to come together. This one, I just really enjoyed it." 

With the honor, Bellinger became just the fifth Yankee to win the award, joining Derek Jeter (2000), Mariano Rivera (2013) and Giancarlo Stanton (2022). 

"It’s special, man. Wearing this jersey, I feel proud wearing it," Bellinger said of joining that list. "It comes with a lot. I try to put my best foot forward and give it everything I got."

Ben Rice with an RBI single!

Yankees hitters drive in all three runs for the American League in the first inning 👏 pic.twitter.com/AFFbSaYJnC

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) July 15, 2026

Last year the All-Star game was decided by a home run swing-off, to which the National League ultimately prevailed. This year, nine innings were more than enough for the American League to secure a shutout victory for their first All-Star Game win since 2024.

Cristopher Sánchez gave the hometown crowd an electric start by striking out Mike Trout to begin things in the top of the first inning. The excitement was short-lived, as Yordan Alvarez singled up the middle before Sánchez walked Shea Langeliers.

Junior Caminero moved both runners over on a ground out, but a walk to Bobby Witt Jr. loaded the bases with two outs. The duo of Yankees helped the American League strike first, as old friend Cody Bellinger drove in two on a single up the middle and Ben Rice drove home Witt in identical fashion. Sánchez ended the first inning with a strikeout of Riley Greene, but needed to face eight hitters to let the National League lineup take over.

For the American League’s starting pitcher, Dylan Cease, he faced just four hitters in the bottom of the first, allowing a two-out walk to Freddie Freeman while striking out three.

Both offenses stifled over the next two innings, as Parker Messick and Michael Wacha allowed zero baserunners to complete three combined no-hit innings on the mound for the AL. Juan Soto broke up the no-hit bid with a single to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, but that was all the NL could muster against right-hander Joe Ryan.

The AL pitching kept holding their own against the NL, as their only baserunner after the Soto single was a walk to Sal Stewart from Drew Rasmussen with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The only highlight during that time for the NL was Justin Wrobleski’s All-Star debut, as the now 26-year-old celebrated his birthday by striking out the side in a perfect top of the seventh inning.

The left-hander returned for the top of the eighth inning, but his old teammate Miguel Vargas produced the first run of the game since the first inning with a towering 433 foot home run to left field, increasing the AL lead to four. Wrobleski bounced back after the home run to add his strikeout total on the night to five.

Pete Crow-Armstrong and Otto Lopez had the only other hits for the National League with a single in the bottom of the eighth, but three hits in one game for any side was the least amount of hits in an All-Star Game since 2013 when the NL team had three hits. It is the first time that any team has been shut out in the All-Star Game since 2013. The NL struck out an All-Star Game record 15 times on Tuesday.

Final lines for Dodgers All-Stars

• Freddie Freeman— 0-1, walk, strikeout
• Max Muncy— 0-2, 2 popouts
• Andy Pages— 0-2, strikeout, groundout
• Justin Wrobleski— 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, 29 pitches

All-Star Game particulars

• Home runs— Miguel Vargas
• WP—Dylan Cease: 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
• LP—Cristopher Sánchez: 1 IP, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
• ASG MVP— Cody Bellinger: 1-3, 2 RBI

Up next

The Dodgers kick off the second half of the 2026 regular season on Friday, facing the New York Yankees in the Bronx (4:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA).

New York Yankees players were met with arguably the loudest boos during the All-Star Game festivities in Philadelphia.

So it was only natural that a Yankees player got the last word.

Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger was named the All-Star Game MVP during the American League's 4-0 victory, their 11th win in the past 13 Midsummer Classics.

Bellinger's two-out, two-run single got the AL on the board in the top of the first inning off Philadelphia Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez. Ben Rice, Bellinger's Yankees teammate, followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

Juan Soto feels re-energized coming out of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game as the Mets look to bounce back from a disappointing first half of the season.

"I'm really positive, I think this break was really good for me," Soto said after coming out of the game for the top of the fifth inning. "Get to see so many players, grab so much advice for them, and tried to put in work for my team."

Asked what he expects from the season's second half, the Mets' All-Star said the plan is to turn the page.

"A turnaround, that’s what I’m expecting,” he said when asked about the remaining 65 games. “Try to get these guys going. We have a lot of talent in there and talent that can do damage. I feel like we have guys that, they can do it all."

While it was a "first half to forget," Soto said the intention is to stay positive. "It’s a long season with plenty of games left, and we’re going to try to win as many as we can," he said, adding later that the plan is to put the first half "behind us, and start from scratch."

On the field during the Midsummer Classic, a 4-0 victory for the American League, Soto struck out swinging in the bottom of the first before driving a leadoff single up the middle to start the fourth, the first hit for the squad representing the Senior Circuit.

"It's always great," he said of his All-Star Game hit. "To be here and get a knock against the best pitchers in the league, it's always good."

Asked about his approach against the American League's Dylan Cease and Joe Ryan, Soto laughed, "Just see it and hit it. That was kinda what we got in there, just try to see it and try to do damage."

Before the game, Soto got a hearty welcome from the fans in Philadelphia, as was expected from the citizens of the City of Brotherly Love. 

"It's great," the Mets' slugger said. "Like they always say, 'If they booing you, you doing things right.' So, I just embrace it, enjoy it, take it. Take a deep breath, keep moving."

Soto said he wasn't surprised about the boos, calling Philly fans "really passionate."

And those passionate fans extended the same honor to Mr. and Mrs. Met.

Juan Soto receives his boos as he’s introduced at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia 😂 pic.twitter.com/g9LtO0hqgz

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 15, 2026

Mr. & Mrs. Met receive loud boos as they’re introduced in Philadelphia for the All-Star Game 😂 pic.twitter.com/3qhYPDM3WA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 14, 2026

Sometimes, the All-Star Games are thrillers, last year being the one that jumps immediately to mind thanks to recency bias the swing off to win the game. Other times, there are snoozers where not a whole lot happens.

Tonight was definitely the latter.

The American League pitching staff dominated the National League lineup, striking out 15 NL hitters on the night and taking the game, 4-0. Luckily, this is an exhibition again and means nothing in terms of the World Series. However, this is where we focus on the Phillies. It leads to the question: how did the Phillies do in the game to represent our great city?

Well…

Cristopher Sanchez

Yikes.

Sanchez was given the honor of starting the game for the National League, a deserved honor based on his body of work last year and this year where he has continued his ascent to the top of many starting pitcher rankings. Tonight? That wasn’t the case. Sanchez struggled quite a bit in his inning of work, allowing three runs in the opening frame thanks to control that was largely nonexistent. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was nerves, but Sanchez had a hard time landing his stuff where he wanted it to go, leading to uncharacteristic walks and hard hit balls. He struck out Mike Trout to start the inning before Yordan Alvarez singled up the middle, followed by a walk to Shea Langeliers. Junior Caminero grounded out for the second out and it looked like Sanchez would sneak out of trouble, but another walk to Bobby Witt, Jr. loaded the bases.

Then, the Yankees hit. Back to back singles from Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice plated three before Sanchez struck out Riley Greene to end the frame. It wasn’t the greatest performance by a Phillies pitcher, but hey, it’s just an exhibition.

Kyle Schwarber

A large theme of the night was the National League not hitting at all. Schwarber was a culprit on the night, going 0 for 2 with a strikeout, not covering himself in glory. He did give a great soundbite though.

FOX chose to mic up several players on the evening, Schwarber being one of them. His earpiece fell out after a swing, which meant a mid at bat adjustment.

Classic.

Brandon Marsh

If Schwarber didn’t do anything, Marsh may have done less. Making his All-Star debut, Marsh was able to get two at bats in the game…..and struck out in both. Like I said the other day, Marsh looks like he needs some time off from baseball, but he did make a kid’s night on the field during that Sandlot thing.

Bryce Harper

Hey look! Another Phillies hitter striking out! Cool though is that there was another soundbite since, again, FOX!

Jesus Luzardo

As rough of an outing as Sanchez had, Jesus Luzardo was pretty much the polar opposite. He looked great in his inning of work, getting the fourth inning for the National League and setting the American League down in order. He even got Riley Green to strike out on a nasty, nasty sweeper that has come to define him in his tenure here in Philadelphia.

Jhoan Duran

Almost an afterthought, Dave Roberts was able to get Duran into the game in the ninth inning after Mason Miller got the first out of the innings. Duran came in (maybe he had his entrance, maybe he didn’t, who knows because again – FOX!) and got two outs after allowing a single to Randy Arozarena.

Sometimes you have to tune out the haters.

Juan Soto did just that in Philadelphia when he was introduced at Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game. In enemy territory, Phillies fans booed him so loudly that he couldn’t help but smile.

Making his fifth All-Star appearance, Soto went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout against a pair of pitchers he’s historically struggled against. The AL defeated the NL 4-0, with Soto’s knock among the NL’s three hits.

Batting second and starting in left field, Soto struck out by chasing an outside fastball against AL starter and Toronto Blue Jays’ ace Dylan Cease. Soto is just 2-for-11 with five strikeouts and a home run against Cease all-time.

Soto finally got the better of Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, singling up the middle in the fourth inning. Soto is 0-for-7 in his career against Ryan. Soto’s single was the only NL hit until Chicago Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong singled in the eighth inning.

Soto was brilliant for the Mets in the first half of the season despite missing multiple weeks with a leg injury. He’s second in the NL in OPS (.967) and tied for seventh in home runs (21).

The Mets are back in action Thursday against the Phillies at 7:10 EDT on ESPN.

The American League entered this night as winners of 11 of the last 13 All-Star Games, the exceptions being a National League win in 2023 in Seattle and last year’s swing-off in Atlanta, with Kyle Schwarber the swing-off hero and MVP of the game.

That continued Tuesday evening as the AL thoroughly dominated the NL in a 4-0 win at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. It’s the first All-Star shutout since 2013, when the AL defeated the NL 3-0 at Citi Field.

Playuer introductions included each player in the starting lineup going to sign a lineup card set to look like the Declaration of Independence. Did you like that? [VIDEO]

After that, American League hitters took it out on Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies, one of the better pitchers im MLB this year, who had a 50.2 inning scoreless streak earlier in the year. Not on this night — he allowed three hits and a pair of walks, leading to a three-run American League first inning. In 20 starts during the regular season, know how many times Sánchez walked at least two? Six times, and he threw at least 5.1 innings in each of those six. Somehow, in front of his home fans, he fell apart with a 34-pitch outing.

Two of those AL runs were driven in on a single by former Cub Cody Bellinger [VIDEO].

The other AL run in the first was driven in by Ben Rice of the Yankees, leading to this fun fact:

After that the game kind of screeched to a halt for a while. The NL didn’t have a hit until Juan Soto of the Mets singled leading off the fourth. But the AL stars couldn’t score again either, and had just two other hits through the top of the fifth.

There was a scary moment in the third, when Junior Caminero of the Rays was hit, apparently on the hand, by Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien [VIDEO].

Caminero didn’t even go to first base before being replaced by Miguel Vargas of the White Sox, instead going to the clubhouse for treatment. The good news is that he’s okay:

Here’s a play worth watching: Ernie Clement of the Blue Jays retiring Andy Pages of the Dodgers with this great throw to end the fifth [VIDEO].

Nice pick there by former Cub Willson Contreras, too.

The only Cubs representative, Pete Crow-Armstrong, entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the sixth. In the eighth they mic’d him up and what did he talk about? The Chicago Bears!

While that PCA conversation was going on, the AL finally broke the scoring drought when Vargas sent this home run into the second deck in left field [VIDEO].

PCA got the NL’s second hit of the night with one out in the eighth, a single to center, but he was stranded.

The NL wound up with a third hit, by Otto Lopez in with two out in the ninth, avoiding becoming the second team to get only two hits in an All-Star game. That was the NL at Wrigley Field in 1990. Next year, of course, the All-Star festivities will return to Wrigley — presuming the 2027 season goes off as scheduled. Let’s hope so.

The 2026 MLB season resumes Thursday with a single nationally televised game, also from Philadelphia, as the Phillies host the Mets on ESPN. The Cubs will resume play Friday at Wrigley Field at 7:05 p.m. CT with TV coverage via Marquee Sports Network.

With Jordan Walker shocking the baseball world by winning the Home Run Derby, safe to say the St. Louis Cardinals have had an eventful week in Philadelphia. The Cardinals presence in the actual All-Star game was underwhelming with one very big exception. More on that later.

The American League did what it seems the American League always does in All-Star games as they jumped out to a lead in the first inning. After Mike Trout struck out, Yordan Álvarez singled up the middle and Shea Langeliers walked. Junior Caminero then grounded out moving both Álvarez and Langeliers up to second and third with two out. Bobby Witt Jr. drew a walk to load the bases. Back-to-back singles by Cory Bellinger and Ben Rice gave the AL a quick 3-0 lead.

The first St. Louis Cardinal to enter the All-Star game was Riley O’Brien and to say he had an eventful top of the 3rd inning would be an understatement. After giving up a leadoff single to Shea Langeliers, Riley lost control of a 97 mph sinker which plastered Junior Caminero in the left hand fingers causing him to collapse to the ground in pain. The good news is the x-rays taken at the park came back negative for broken bones according to the TV broadcast.

Leave it to Riley to create a crisis and then pitch his way out of it. He got Bobby Witt Jr. to ground out to third for what looked like a double play, but was denied on a challenge. O’Brien got Cody Bellinger to fly out to left and then struck out Ben Rice to end the top of the 3rd inning with no runs scored. Drama, but no runs has been the story of many St. Louis Cardinals bullpen moments in the first half of the season, so including it in an All-Star game appearance makes sense.

Brief Editorial Rant: I am a lifelong diehard baseball fan, but I was honestly bored to death for the first 7 innings of this All-Star game. There were no extra base hits until the top of the 8th inning. That streak was interrupted by Miguel Vargas who launched a 88 mph slider into one of the upper decks of Citizens Bank Park to make it 4-0 American League. Combine that dearth of offense with awkward pauses in the game for MLB skits and you get a recipe for a substandard All-Star game. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I also sat impatiently waiting for Cardinals not named Riley O’Brien to enter the All-Star game. I know it must be a challenge for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to work all the players into the game, but how did Jordan Walker not make a more prominent appearance after his stunning Home Run Derby appearance? Iván Herrera finally was given an at-bat in the bottom of the 8th inning with PCA on first base. He grounded into an inning-ending force out at 2nd.

Jordan WalkerFINALLY entered the All-Star game in the bottom of the 9th inning. He was first up to face Aroldis Chapman. Chapman didn’t seem to want to throw Jordan a fastball as he threw 2 splitters and 2 sinkers to strike Walker out with only 1 four-seam fastball in the mix.

For the night, the National League only managed three miserable hits (all singles). The American League notched 7 hits and 4 runs including the 1 exciting home run, but even that seemed dull overall. Oh, PCA did say that he likes the turf in Busch Stadium during his in-game interview with the Fox broadcasters, so that was news. Can it be Friday any faster so we can resume the real entertaining baseball season again?

The fireworks were delayed, but Miguel Vargas made sure it was worth the wait.

The Chicago White Sox third baseman woke up Citizens Bank Park with an absolute bomb for the first home run of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in the top of the eighth inning. Vargas connected on a slider on the inner half of the plate from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski and boomed it 433 feet into the second deck in left field to put the American League up 4-0.

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game has been all about the pitchers, and the top of the seventh inning was no exception for Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski.

Wrobo rung in his 26th birthday by striking out the American League side, putting down Cleveland Guardians rookie Travis Bazzana, Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela and Tampa Bay Rays slugger Yandy Díaz in order on 12 pitches.

Through all three batters, the first-time All-Star was aggressive in the zone and showed exceptional command of his fastball, drawing five whiffs on the six times he threw it, two of which punched out Rafaela and Díaz for the third strike.

Wrobo strikes out the side in his first career All-Star Game. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/eIBJlFeI3z

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 15, 2026

It's a departure from Wrobleski's usual style of pitching for contact, though the third-year pitcher out of Oklahoma State finished off the first half of the season with 20 strikeouts over his last two starts, an uptick from his 21% K rate and 10% whiff rate.