Final score: AL 5, NL 3
Especially without Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez pitching, the headliner of the Phillies’ 2024 All-Star Game presence was their three starters in the infield. They made the most of the moment, each recording a hit and mixing in a defensive gem while together mic’d up just for good measure.
Bryce Harper doubled off Corbin Burnes in the first, Trea Turner singled off Tanner Houck in the third and Alec Bohm singled off Garrett Crochet in the fourth. All those opposing American League arms are legitimate Cy Young contenders.
Between the double and the singles, Turner made a superb diving snag for a forceout at second while his teammates hyped him up on the FOX broadcast.
The Phillies have the best record in baseball at the All-Star Break primarily because of their pitching, though, and a few arms provided the national audience with a very quick snapshot of what led the way in their 62-34 first half.
If you blinked, you missed Cristopher Sánchez’s two-pitch, two-out appearance against Isaac Paredes and Josh Naylor in the sixth.
Matt Strahm struck out Royals phenom and AL MVP contender Bobby Witt Jr. on five pitches in the seventh for the only batter he faced.
And Jeff Hoffman got Willi Castro to ground out to end the eighth for his only batter faced.
The American League’s 23rd win in the last 27 All-Star Games improved its all-time record to 48-44-2. Boston’s Jarren Duran provided the decisive blow with a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth, earning him All-Star Game MVP honors. Had the National League won, that likely would’ve gone to Shohei Ohtani, who got the scoring started with a three-run homer in the third before the AL got all three back in the bottom half.
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