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ARLINGTON, Texas — You never know what an All-Star Game will bring, and a week of baseball’s best teams squaring off in the annual summer showcase. And this year’s All-Star Game had a story for everyone. For traditionalists, the game featured its biggest superstar being a superstar. For the casual fan, the 37 first-time All-Stars offered a glimpse into the future of baseball.
But regardless of which side you’re on, the 94th Midsummer Classic, which the American League won 5-3, provided exactly what an All-Star Game should provide.
Ohtani hits his first career home run as an All-Star
Shohei Ohtani could be Thanos, as the fact that he’s a two-time MVP is unavoidable. There’s something special about a player who seems to have a knack for rising to the occasion. And the fact that it’s the best player in the world doing it makes it that much better.
In a game made for stars to shine, baseball’s biggest star shined brightest as Ohtani hit a towering three-run homer to open the scoring Tuesday.
After drawing a walk in his first at-bat against Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, Ohtani clearly wanted to hit in his second at-bat, this time against Boston’s Tanner Houck. Houck fell behind 2-0 before hitting a splitter right to center of the plate, and the $700 million man didn’t miss.
The four-time All-Star hit a 400-foot shot that no doubt reached the right-field seats, leaving the 40,000-plus fans packed into Globe Life Field stunned, almost as if they couldn’t believe Ohtani had risen to the occasion once again. Yankees right fielder Juan Soto didn’t even move.
“I haven’t hit very well in general during the All-Star Game, so I’m relieved to put a good ball in play,” Ohtani said afterward. “I was really focused on having a regular at-bat, like I was in a regular-season game.”
It was Ohtani’s first career All-Star homer, and with it, he became the first Dodger to homer in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996.
There’s a lot of talk in baseball about how to better promote the sport’s stars, and that conversation extends far beyond the All-Star Game. But if there’s anyone who doesn’t need any help in that regard, it’s Ohtani, who has single-handedly helped promote the sport since arriving from Japan in 2017.
Before Tuesday’s event, the Dodgers superstar received arguably the biggest ovation from the sellout crowd, along with Rangers stars Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Kirby Yates and hometown boy Bobby Witt Jr. Then, as he has for the better part of a decade, Ohtani proved there’s nothing he can’t do.
“I tried to enjoy the three hours I was on the same team with him because that probably only happens once a year,” National League starter Paul Skenes said after the game with a smile. “I don’t know any hitter I’ve faced that’s better than him in my career, so being able to share the dugout with him was a surreal moment.”
Skenes pitches scoreless first inning in All-Star debut
In a week packed with events, celebrities and the biggest names in baseball, no moment in Arlington was more anticipated than Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes facing the best hitters in the American League. And with the stage set for greatness and the world watching, Skenes and his electric right arm took center stage.
There was no better way for Skenes to start the game than facing the best hitter in baseball, Steven Kwan, from the start. Kwan entered his first All-Star Game hitting an MLB-best .352 for the Cleveland Guardians, but he popped up to second base on four pitches. Skenes got the next batter, the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson, to ground out.
Then, fans got the moment they most wanted to see. After a seven-pitch walk to Juan Soto, Skenes, perhaps the most electrifying starter in the game right now, faced Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the world. In the battle of power versus power, Skenes edged out the 2022 AL MVP, as Judge hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
“From the first pitch, just being there. I don’t think I passed out when I was there, but I was pretty close,” Skenes said afterward. “It was great to be on that mound. Just being able to share this with my family and have them here and be able to experience it.”
Skenes, who topped out at 100.1 mph in his scoreless inning, has been the center of attention in the baseball world since arriving in the Majors just two months ago. And that expectation and excitement has been backed up by an incredible start to his career, even for the first overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft.
After going 6-0 with a scandalous 1.90 ERA in his first 11 major league starts, Skenes became just the fifth rookie pitcher in MLB history to start an All-Star Game and the first since Hideo Nomo in 1995. Given such a phenomenal start to his career, it will be interesting to see what the second half holds for Pittsburgh’s rising star.
Duran wins All-Star Game MVP award after game-winning homer
While the National League stole the show through the first three innings, the American League got its own heroics — and the final word — from another All-Star rookie. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was electrifying for Boston in the first half of the season, and when the American League needed a boost Tuesday, he delivered.
In his first All-Star at-bat after coming on as a defensive replacement for Judge, Duran hit a two-run homer off Reds right-hander Hunter Greene to give the American League a 5-3 lead in the fifth. Duran’s homer was the first by a Red Sox player in the All-Star Game since Adrian Gonzalez hit one in 2011.
The center fielder etched his name into the history books by winning the All-Star Game MVP award, an award named after Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Duran, 27, is well aware of Boston’s history, and after the game it was clear that his reverence for Williams and representing the Red Sox isn’t just lip service. It actually means something to him.
“It’s an honor,” Duran said. “Who else would I want to follow in the footsteps of a guy like him, who was not only a great baseball player but also a great human being? That guy was incredible and I’m honored to be able to receive this award.”