After a blip in 2023, the American League is back to doing what it almost always does in the MLB All-Star Game: convincingly beating the National League.
Behind big hits from New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto, Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and Cleveland Guardians breakout star David Fry, the AL defeated the NL 5-3 on Tuesday at Globe Life Field. After dropping last year's All-Star Game, the AL has now won 10 of the past 11 Midsummer Classics and 22 of the past 27.
Duran won All-Star MVP honors for his efforts, which included the go-ahead homer. He's the first member of the Red Sox to win the award since J.D. Drew in 2008.
The AL responded quickly. Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien led off the bottom of the third with a single, followed by a walk from Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians. Soto, another star who changed leagues this offseason, then came through with a double to cut the lead to one. That was followed by a pinch-hit single from Fry to tie it.
The go-ahead runs came in the fifth inning, when Duran took Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene deep for a two-run homer.
The AL played with fire for the rest of the game — especially when Seth Lugo of the Kansas City Royals allowed two baserunners, one of them being Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz, in the seventh inning — but the bullpen held firm.
Perhaps the most dominant performance of the night belonged to the Oakland Athletics' Mason Miller, who took the mound in the fifth inning and proceeded to inflict carnage. After getting Ketel Marte to fly out, he struck out Ohtani on four pitches, the last a wipeout slider, and then threw the fastest pitch ever measured by Statcast in an All-Star Game against Trea Turner, who also struck out.
With the win, Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy joined Tony La Russa as the only managers to win the All-Star Game with both leagues, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Here's how the whole game played out, with live commentary from Yahoo Sports:
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AL secures 5-3 win, shuts down NL hitters for final 6 innings
Shohei Ohtani got the party started with a third-inning, three-run home run, but Jarren Duran's bat proved to be the difference in the game. The Red Sox outfielder broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run, fifth-inning home run for a 5-3 AL lead that stood as the final score. Duran earned MVP honors for his effort (1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI).
AL pitchers kept the NL off the board for the final six innings, and Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase closed the ninth inning with a strikeout of Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds. The AL has now won 10 of the past 11 All-Star games.
Yahoo Sports Staff
Red Sox' Jarren Duran wins All-Star Game MVP
Duran's fifth- inning home run broke a 3-3 tie to put the AL on top for good. He's the first Red Sox player to win the award since J.D. Drew in 2008.
Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman combine to keep AL off board in the 8th
Tanner Scott sat down two, and Jeff Hoffman came in to secure the final out of the bottom of the eighth for the NL. Hoffman and Kyle Finnegan are the only NL pitchers remaining as the AL holds a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth.
Pete Alonso's up first as the NL looks to extend the game.
Kirby Yates sits down NL side in front of home fans
Rangers closer Kirby Yates got the job done in an efficient top of the eighth inning, sitting down three NL batters on 10 pitches. The AL holds a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
NL manager Torey Lovullo is committed to using all his pitchers, apparently
Robert Suarez exits after two outs and is replaced by the Phillies' Matt Strahm. The NL has three pitchers remaining after him: Kyle Finnegan, Jeff Hoffman and Tanner Scott.
Seth Lugo gets Marcell Ozuna to end the threat
With two runners on base, including the fastest man in baseball at second, Seth Lugo forced an easy grounder from Braves DH Marcell Ozuna to protect the 5-3 AL lead. Here comes Padres reliever Robert Suarez to keep it close for the NL.
Elly De La Cruz thought about going for a double
The Reds phenom hit a scorching single and absolutely thought about going for two, but Jarren Duran made a clean play in deep center to discourage him.
Reynaldo López blows away Salvador Perez to end the inning
We'll see if he's back out there in the seventh. Meanwhile, the Royals' Seth Lugo takes the mound for the AL.
The umpires determine Naylor's foot (aided by Freeman) hit the bag before Freeman, and it doesn't matter if Naylor was blocking his path. To the bottom of the sixth we go, with the Phillies' Christopher Sánchez pitching for the NL.
Controversy!
Freddie Freeman hits into what should have been an inning-ending double play, but it looks like Josh Naylor's foot was in the way as he reached first base. We now have a replay review challenge in the All-Star Game.
Bryce Harper nearly got a run back for the NL
He hit an opposite-field fly ball that dies at the warning track. As an aside, it's the sixth inning and the NL still has its starters in, while the Al has completely turned over its lineup. Some fans will like it, others will not.
Jordan Shusterman
Jarren Duran puts the AL ahead with statement homer
An outstanding breakout campaign for Jarren Duran continues with a huge homer in the All-Star Game to put the AL ahead 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth.
Duran really cemented himself as an every-day player in 2023 but has taken it up to a, well, All-Star level in 2024, and he deserves further national recognition as one of the best all-around outfielders in the American League.
Moments like his home run tonight should help bolster his reputation within the game. He’s an excellent player.
Manager Bruce Bochy gets it. Royals lefty Cole Ragans enters the game, and so do teammates Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.
I was certainly looking forward to seeing A’s breakout closer Mason Miller pitch in the All-Star Game, but I had no idea when it would happen. Would Bruce Bochy save him for later in the game, when he more traditionally enters?
Well, let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t have to wait that long. Miller entered in the fifth inning and annihilated the three batters before him in spectacular fashion. Ketel Marte swung at the first pitch at 101 mph and flew out to left, a far more respectable outcome than what happened to the next two batters.
Ohtani came up looking for another show-stopping moment and instead looked completely overwhelmed by Miller’s outrageous arsenal, as the fastball climbed to 102 mph before a wicked slider finished the job with a swinging strike three. And there was somehow another level to climb for Miller’s fastball against Trea Turner, as he touched 103.6 mph for ball one before working the count back into his favor and finishing Turner off with a slider on the inner half called for strike three.
Simply nasty stuff from Miller.
That's the first Red Sox HR in the All-Star Game since Adrian Gonzalez in 2011.
Jarren Duran breaks the tie with a two-run homer, AL leads 5-3
Anthony Santander followed Seager's near-miss with a single, then Jarren Duran continued a dream season with a 413-foot homer. The AL has scored five unanswered runs.
Corey Seager comes a few feet short of a solo homer
Facing Reds standout Hunter Greene, the reigning World Series MVP pulled a ball with home run distance into his home park's stands, then hit another fly ball to the warning track (a home run in 17 of 30 MLB ballparks). You can tell Globe Life Field wanted that one.
Mason Miller throws the fastest pitch in the history of the All-Star Game (measured by Statcast)
The A's flamethrower hit 104 mph (OK, 103.6 per Statcast) to blow away Trea Turner to end the top of the fifth. That's the fastest pitch ever measured by Statcast in the All-Star Game.
The hardest thrower in the big leagues just made Ohtani look foolish. The sequence: 100.6 mph fastball, 88.7 mph slider, 101.8 mph fastball, 89.2 mph slider. That was really mean.
Jordan Westburg, Josh Naylor, Isaac Paredes, Jarren Duran, Anthony Santander, Corey Seager and Riley Green all come in to replace most of the AL starting lineup.
Shota Imanaga continues stellar rookie year with 1-2-3 inning
The Japanese left-hander has been a breakout star for the Cubs in his first season in the U.S. and he continues that with a perfect inning in the fourth. Here comes A's relief star Mason Miller to face the top of the NL order, including Shohei Ohtani.
Crochet keeps it tied 3-3, Shota Imanaga takes over for NL
Alec Bohm got a single, but Crochet works around it, with a strikeout of Teoscar Hernández, to the game even at 3-3. Gunnar Henderson has a nice play at the end of the inning. Shota Imanaga is coming in for the NL.
We’ve got ourselves a ballgame! After Marcus Semien and Steven Kwan reached to start the third inning, Juan Soto drove them both in with a hustle double to center field — a hard ground ball up the middle that center fielder (?!) Teoscar Hernandez was not especially quick to field and get into the infield, allowing Soto to reach second with relative ease.
Judge then grounded out to third, failing to drive in his teammate, but fear not, AL fans: Guardians utilityman David Fry to the rescue! Fry pinch-hit for Yordan Alvarez — imagine reading that sentence a few months ago — and delivered a game-tying RBI single to left field, scoring Soto and tying things at 3.
Let’s see how the NL responds — and if Ohtani gets to hit again.
White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet, a prime trade deadline target, is in for the AL
The White Sox have been very bad, but Crochet has been very good. Some other team's fanbases should be pretty interested in what they see here.
This is already one of the more eventful MLB All-Star Games in recent memory
Per @Stathead the last time both teams scored 3+ runs in the All-Star Game was 2019.
Guardians breakout star David Fry pinch hits and comes through with a single to score Soto and we have a new ballgame. That's already more runs scored than last year's game in Seattle, which ended 3-2 for the NL.
It didn't take long for the AL to strike back after Ohtani's homer. Logan Webb got into trouble with a Marcus Semien single and Steve Kwan walk, then Juan Soto made him pay with a two-run double. It's a one-run game in Texas.
Paul Skenes puts up a zero against AL's best hitters
After weeks of debate and discourse, one of the most anticipated innings in recent All-Star Game history finally arrived, as rookie sensation Paul Skenes took the mound for the bottom of the first. Leadoff man Steven Kwan wasted no time in his efforts to spoil the Skenes’ moment by coming out swinging at the first four pitches, fouling off two, swinging through one and finally popping out to shortstop Trea Turner.
Gunnar Henderson then tapped one back to Skenes for an easy out No. 2, bringing up Juan Soto. After whiffing at a first-pitch “splinker” from Skenes at 94 mph — Skenes said Monday how he refers to the pitch, prompting Statcast to change its classification of it from splitter to sinker — Soto dialed in his iconic approach and managed to work a seven-pitch walk, though not without some minor controversy: Ball four came on a 100 mph heater that appeared to nick the inside corner for a strike, but catcher Willliam Contreras completely whiffed on the catch, allowing the ball to reach the backstop and Soto to reach base on a walk.
And so, up came Judge for the at-bat everyone was most eager to see. Rather than work a long at-bat like his Yankee teammate, Judge went up there hacking immediately. He swung at a first-pitch heater at 100 mph … and grounded out to third base for a relatively anticlimactic finish to the frame. Although the final outcome of this highly anticipated inning was unremarkable, that it happened at all is still an astonishing accomplishment for the 22-year-old right-hander — and it's likely not the last time we’ll see him start an All-Star Game.
Logan Webb coming for the NL
After a Dodgers slugger put the NL ahead, the Giants' ace will take over to pitch the bottom of the third.
Jake Mintz
Ohtani does Ohtani things
Would ya look at that? Dodgers supernova Shohei Ohtani opened the All-Star Game scoring with a monster, three-run tank to right field. The blast came on a meaty 2-0 splitter from Tanner Houck that didn’t get down enough, and the two-time MVP took advantage.
An instant before Ohtani's swing, a mic’ed up Aaron Judge was on the broadcast describing Ohtani as “incredible.” Coincidence? Or just Ohtani being Ohtani?
Ohtani makes Dodgers history with 1st All-Star Game homer
His 400-footer was the Dodgers' first long ball in the All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996. It's also his first career All-Star homer.
Ohtani opted out of the Home Run Derby due to his recovering elbow, but his power was on full display. He crushed one to right off Tanner Houck to put the NL up 3-0.
The Tigers ace made quick work of Christian Yelich, Alec Bohm and Teoscar Hernández. Still 0-0, with Max Fried coming in for Paul Skenes.
Tarik Skubal takes the mound for AL
Corbin Burnes will only get one inning. Here comes his top competition for the AL Cy Young Award, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
Paul Skenes gets Aaron Judge on a first-pitch fielder's choice to end a hitless first inning
The youngest All-Star starting pitcher since Dwight Gooden forced a pop-out by Steven Kwan, a soft groundout by Gunnar Henderson, a close, full-count walk to Juan Soto and gets AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge on a fielder's choice. He hit 100 mph five times in the inning. Quite an All-Star debut.
Paul Skenes was drafted first overall by the Pirates this time last year, and now he's throwing gas against Steven Kwan.
Corbin Burnes works around 2 baserunners to post a scoreless 1st inning
William Contreras grounds out to end the inning. Here comes Paul Skenes, his triple-digit heat and the "splinker" dominating baseball.
Bryce Harper gets the first hit of the ASG
The NL cleanup hitter ripped an opposite-field double to advance Shohei Ohtani (who walked) to third. NL has runners on second and third with two outs and William Contreras at the plate.
Teoscar Hernández is the NL's starting center fielder
Teoscar Hernández has not played center field in a game since 2021. But Christian Yelich (right field) hasn't played there since 2019 and Jurickson Profar (left field) also hasn't since 2021, so that's how these things work out sometimes
All-Star team introductions are underway, complete with live horses
There are horses on the field. Not mascot version either. It's MLB's first rodeo, apparently.
