The American League defeated the National League 4-0 in Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, marking the first All-Star shutout since 2013. Dylan Cease struck out the side in the first inning, and 10 relievers combined on a three-hitter.
Bellinger and Rice Lead Early Offense
All-Star MVP Cody Bellinger delivered a two-run single, and Ben Rice followed with an RBI single in the first inning against Cristopher Sánchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies. Miguel Vargas added an eighth-inning home run off Justin Wrobleski, who was pitching on his 26th birthday, for the game's only extra-base hit.
Pitching Dominance
Pitchers combined for 27 strikeouts, 15 by AL hurlers. Cease struck out Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto, and CJ Abrams around a walk in the first inning, becoming the seventh pitcher to strike out three in an All-Star opening inning. The AL won for the 18th time in 23 games and holds a 49-45-2 overall advantage.
NL Held to Three Singles
Singles by Juan Soto in the fourth, Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth, and Otto Lopez in the ninth were the only hits by the NL, which failed to advance a runner past first. The first All-Star shutout since the AL's 2-0 win in 2013 at Citi Field was completed by Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Drew Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman, and Bryan Baker.
Missing Stars and Milestones
Some starting star power was missing, with Jacob Misoriowski, Paul Skenes, and Shohei Ohtani unavailable. Just six pitches reached 100 mph, the fewest in an All-Star Game since 2021. Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star who hadn't played in the game since 2019 due to injuries, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Injury and Ceremonies
Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero was hit on the left hand by a sinker and left the game, but X-rays were negative. Managers and starters entered through replica Liberty Bells and signed an oversized lineup card with a feathered quill. Fireworks were set off after the fourth inning to a video of Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful."
Future Games
Philadelphia was awarded this year's All-Star Game in 2019 to coincide with the US 250th semiquincentennial. Next year's game is scheduled for Wrigley Field for the first time since 1990 but is threatened by possible labor strife.
