ARLINGTON, Texas — No one knows what the All-Star Game and the week will bring as baseball’s best face off in the annual summer showcase. And this year’s All-Star Game had storylines for everyone. For traditionalists, the game was about the biggest superstars becoming superstars. For casual fans, it was a glimpse into baseball’s future as 37 first-time All-Stars were selected.
But no matter what side you’re on, the 94th Midsummer Classic, won by the American League 5-3, was a fitting game of stars.
Ohtani hits his first home run at the All-Star game
Shohei Ohtani may be Thanos, as he’s sure to be a two-time MVP. There’s something special about a player who has the talent to thrive in a situation, and the fact that the best player in the world is doing it makes it even better.
In a game designed for stars to shine, baseball’s biggest star shone brightest on Tuesday, when Ohtani hit a mammoth three-run homer to score the team’s first run of the game.
After walking in his first at-bat against Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, Ohtani was clearly eager to bat in his second at-bat against Boston’s Tanner Hawk. Trailing 2-0, Hawk hit a split ball down the middle of home plate, and the $700 Million Man didn’t miss it.
The four-time All-Star smashed a 400-foot shot into the right-field stands, stunning the 40,000-plus fans at Globe Life Field as if they couldn’t believe Ohtani had risen to the occasion again. Yankees right fielder Juan Soto didn’t budge.
“I wasn’t hitting very well overall in the All-Star Game, so I’m relieved to have been able to hit the ball well,” Ohtani said after the game. “I just focused on taking my turn at bat like I normally do in the regular season. [game].”
It was Ohtani’s first career All-Star home run, making him the first Dodgers player to do so since Mike Piazza in 1996.
There’s been a lot of discussion in baseball about how to improve marketing for its stars, a discussion that goes far beyond the All-Star Game, but if there’s one player who doesn’t need help in that area, it’s Ohtani, who has practically singlehandedly helped market baseball since arriving from Japan in 2017.
Prior to Tuesday’s ceremony, the Dodgers superstar received perhaps the biggest ovation from the sold-out crowd outside of Rangers all-stars Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Kirby Yates and hometown boy Bobby Witt Jr. And, as he has done for the last decade or so, Ohtani proved there’s nothing he can’t do.
“I tried to enjoy the three or so hours I had on the same team as him because it probably only happens once a year,” NL starting pitcher Paul Skenes said with a smile after the game. “I’ve never faced a better hitter in my career, so it was a surreal moment to be in the dugout with him.”
Skenes allows one scoreless inning in All-Star debut
In an event-packed week filled with some of baseball’s biggest names and biggest names, the most anticipated moment in Arlington was when Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes would face off against some of the best hitters in the American League. And with the world watching, a spectacular stage was set for Skenes and his electric right arm to take center stage.
There was no better way for Skenes to start the game than facing the top hitter in baseball, Steven Kwan. Kwan, who was batting .352 for the Cleveland Guardians and had a major league-best average in his All-Star game, hit a pop fly to second base after walking four pitches. Skenes then got the next batter, Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles, to ground out to second.
Then came the moment fans most wanted to see: After walking Juan Soto on seven pitches, Skenes, arguably the most exciting starting pitcher in the game right now, found himself facing the best hitter in the world, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. In a battle of power vs. power, Skenes won the 2022 AL MVP award, and Judge ended the inning with a fielder’s choice.
“From the first pitch, I was just there. I don’t think I lost consciousness when I was there, but I was pretty close,” Skenes said after the game. “It was good to be on that mound, to share this moment with my family and have them here and just experience it.”
Skenes has been the talk of the baseball world since arriving in the big leagues just two months ago, pitching a scoreless inning at a top speed of 100.1 mph, and that excitement and anticipation has been backed up by an incredible start to his career for a player who was the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft.
With an astounding 6-0 record and a 1.90 ERA in his first 11 major league games, Skenes became just the fifth pitcher in MLB history to be selected as an All-Star starter, the first since Hideo Nomo in 1995. Given such an incredible start to his career, it will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh’s rising star performs in the second half of the season.
Duran wins All-Star MVP award with game-winning home run
While the National League stole the show in the first three innings, the American League got the final word with heroics from a first-time All-Star. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was electric for Boston earlier in the season and delivered when the American League needed inspiration on Tuesday.
Duran, in his first at-bat in the All-Star Game after appearing as a defensive replacement for Judge, hit a game-winning two-run homer off Reds right-hander Hunter Greene to give the AL a 5–3 lead in the fifth inning. Duran’s homer was the first by a Red Sox player in the All-Star Game since Adrian Gonzalez in 2011.
The center fielder made history by winning the All-Star Game MVP award, named after Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Duran, 27, knows Boston history well, and after the game, it was clear his respect for Williams and his commitment to representing the Red Sox wasn’t just lip service. It really means a lot to him.
“It’s an honor,” Duran said. “Who else would you want to follow in his footsteps other than him being not only a great baseball player but a great person as well? He was a great person. I’m honored to receive this award.”
