2024-07-17 22:45:07
The 94th MLB All-Star Game featured triple-digit heat from various pitchers, some dazzling defensive plays across the diamond and plenty of big-time power. The Midsummer Classic, held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, ended in a 5-3 final score as the American League avenged its 2023 loss and won for the 10th time in the past 11 All-Star Games.
Even though Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani slugged a huge three-run home run early on, a quick AL rally and a tiebreaking two-run homer by Boston’s Jarren Duran swung things the other direction. With so much action all evening, it might have been difficult to keep tabs on how your favorite team’s All-Stars fared Tuesday.
Here’s how every All-Star contributed to the 2024 Midsummer Classic.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: After Vladdy spent Monday night being Teoscar Hernández’s hitting coach and hype man as his close friend won the 2024 Home Run Derby, Guerrero was the Blue Jays’ lone representative in the big game Tuesday. He was robbed of a base hit in his first at-bat by a diving Trea Turner, and with Turner’s Phillies teammates Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper mic’d up that inning, Guerrero’s out drew a huge reaction on the broadcast. He lost the handle on his bat in the fourth — which is becoming curiously common for him lately — and ended 0-for-2 after facing Max Fried and Shota Imanaga.
Corbin Burnes: The kid who grew up idolizing Nolan Ryan got the All-Star start in Texas and escaped the first inning with a zero. Burnes’ battle with Shohei Ohtani was the highlight, but after Burnes got Ohtani swinging through a fantastic cutter that broke in on his hands, he filled the count and walked the reigning AL MVP. After Bryce Harper slapped a double into the left-field corner, Burnes finally got himself out of the inning by forcing William Contreras to chop one back to the mound. Add in Trea Turner, whom Burnes got to fly out, and the Orioles ace faced five hitters already worth a combined 19.1 WAR (FanGraphs) this season.
Gunnar Henderson: Henderson got his first look at Paul Skenes … and is probably happy that Skenes pitches in the NL. Henderson beat a 93.5 mph sinker into the dirt for a groundout to Skenes in his first at-bat. Henderson’s best moment came with the leather, when he ranged to the third-base side to field an awkward chopper from Jurickson Profar and fired back across to first base to end the top of the fourth. After exiting, Henderson joined the broadcast with David Ortiz, who was roaming the dugout with a microphone and asked the O’s star to take it easy on his Red Sox. “I don’t know if I can do that, Big Papi,” he said, so Ortiz asked him to beat the Yankees instead.
Adley Rutschman: It was like a passing of the torch… in reverse? Rutschman was appearing in just his second All-Star Game, and after going 0-for-2, he handed off to Salvador Perez. The great Royals catcher has appeared in nine All-Star Games and is still going strong at 34. Perez might have a few more in the tank, but it feels like Rutschman is taking over as the AL’s perennial All-Star behind the plate.
Anthony Santander: What a well-deserved All-Star nod for Santander, who has been a staple in Baltimore, even through those down years of 47, 54 and 52 wins. Now, he gets to be part of the new era of Orioles baseball and one of five All-Stars representing them at the Midsummer Classic. Santander held his own, too, as he pulled a single through the right side of the infield off Hunter Greene and scored soon after on Jarren Duran’s home run.
Jordan Westburg: The 25-year-old Westburg recorded the second-to-last out of the game at second base on a ground ball from Elly De La Cruz. Westburg struck out swinging against Robert Suarez in his lone at-bat of the game, but as the Orioles appear poised to send a busload of All-Stars to this game every season for years to come, Westburg could be right in the middle of it.
Isaac Paredes: The 25-year-old Paredes joined some fine company in Evan Longoria as the only two Rays third basemen to be selected to the All-Star Game. Phillies right-hander Cristopher Sánchez got Paredes to ground out, but this was still a great night for the young man from Hermosillo, Mexico, who never thought he’d make it as a pro, “let alone get to the All-Star Game.”
Rafael Devers: The face of the Red Sox opted out of the All-Star Game to rest a nagging left shoulder injury that he’s been playing through since the start of the season. Devers, now a four-time All-Star, is having a career year offensively, batting .295 with 23 home runs and a .977 OPS at the break for the Red Sox, who are suddenly just 4 1/2 games back of the Orioles in the AL East and hold the final Wild Card spot coming out of the break.
Jarren Duran: The man knows how to make an entrance. In his first All-Star at-bat after taking over for Aaron Judge, Duran launched a two-run home run to put the AL ahead 5-3. The 413-foot blast off a Hunter Greene splitter was such a great moment for the young Duran, who struggled in his first two seasons and has been open about mental health issues through his young career. Duran is now one of the most exciting members of the upstart Red Sox and an All-Star MVP … and has an All-Star moment that shined even brighter than his pre-game suit.
Tanner Houck: Houck ended up on the highlight reel in his first trip to the All-Star Game, but not how he wanted. Shohei Ohtani took Houck deep for a three-run, no-doubt shot to right in the third inning to give the NL side the lead. Houck later forced Bryce Harper to ground into a double play and struck out William Contreras to escape the inning, but not before Ohtani delivered the one of the game’s signature moments.
Clay Holmes: This was Holmes’ second All-Star appearance, his first coming in 2022 with the Yankees. He already has more saves in ’24 (21) than he did that year (20) for the Yankees, and he could have been next in line if a closer was needed in the bottom of the ninth. Holmes didn’t see the mound in this one, but he’s been a model of consistency since being traded to New York and could be back next year.
Aaron Judge: We got the matchup everyone had been hoping for, but Paul Skenes got Judge to ground out to third base on the first pitch. In 2022, when Judge broke Roger Maris’ AL record with his 62nd home run, he entered the All-Star Break with 33. This year, he rolled into the Midsummer Classic with 34. Buckle up for the second half.
Juan Soto: Soto gave the people exactly what they wanted when he took a 100 mph fastball from Skenes for ball four off the inside edge to set up Skenes vs. Judge. Next time up, he ripped a base hit back through the middle to score the AL’s first two runs of the game and turned it into a hustle double, which isn’t exactly the type of play you associate with an All-Star Game. As Teoscar Hernández fielded the ball in center and threw it back to the infield slowly, Soto blazed around first and took second base for free.
Emmanuel Clase: Clase might be becoming the AL’s closer. He’s been to the last three All-Star Games and earned saves in two of them, including Tuesday night when he struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to seal the AL’s win. Clase overpowered Pete Alonso with four 100 mph cutters before striking him out with a 93 mph slider. Three pitches to Bryan Reynolds was all Clase needed for that third out, getting Reynolds to swing at a 100 mph cutter to finish it off. Clase’s batterymate, the Royals’ Salvador Perez, knew a thing or two about facing Clase – but the Kansas City catcher sure was glad to be behind the plate with a glove this time around. “One of the things I wanted to do was catch Clase,” Perez said on FOX after the game. “He’s better to catch than to hit against.”
David Fry: Fry was already planning on heading home to Irving, Texas, for the break, but he made a quick detour to the All-Star Game as a first-time All-Star at Globe Life Field in Arlington just down the road. The Grapevine High School grad has had a long journey to get here, from being a player to be named later to a 27-year-old Minor Leaguer to being a Major League All-Star in his hometown. And what a homecoming it was, because when Fry stepped to the plate in the third inning as a pinch-hitter for designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, Fry ripped a game-tying RBI single into left field.
Steven Kwan: Playing in his first All-Star Game, Kwan was the AL’s starting left fielder and leadoff hitter, getting to face Paul Skenes for the first time. The first pitch Kwan saw was a 98 mph fastball that he fouled off. In an 0-2 count, Skenes got Kwan to pop up to shortstop Trea Turner for the first out. Kwan drew a walk in the third inning against Logan Webb that helped fuel the AL’s rally, scoring with Marcus Semien on Juan Soto’s double.
Josh Naylor: The last of the Guardians position players to get his All-Star moment, Naylor replaced Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the top of the fifth inning and played first base. He had a bit of a rough go when Freddie Freeman stepped on his left foot/ankle while trying to run out a double play. Naylor sacrificed his foot for the out, though, as the safe call was overturned following a replay review. At the plate, Naylor went 0-for-1 in his first All-Star Game with a groundout to Freeman in the bottom of the sixth inning.
José Ramírez: After bashing 33 home runs and making a run in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, Ramírez started at third base for the AL on Tuesday night and batted sixth. The Guardians slugger went quietly in his sixth All-Star Game, going 0-for-2. He flied out to center field in the second inning and struck out swinging in the third against Webb after the AL had tied the game.
Seth Lugo: The nine-year MLB veteran got to pitch in his first All-Star Game this year as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Lugo took over in the seventh inning, following his teammate Cole Ragans and throwing to his typical batterymate in Salvador Perez. Lugo worked around two hits to Elly De La Cruz and Bryan Reynolds by striking out Ryan McMahon on a 96 mph fastball and receiving some solid defensive help, first from left fielder Riley Greene and then from a guy Lugo sees make incredible plays all the time. Bobby Witt Jr. handled a hard grounder from Marcell Ozuna deep in the hole and showed off his cannon of an arm to get Lugo out of the jam.
Salvador Perez: Perez entered in the top of the sixth inning at catcher and got to catch two pitchers he’s very familiar with: Lugo and Ragans. It felt “like the regular season,” Perez said with a laugh on FOX after the game. Perez caught the final four innings Tuesday and went 0-for-1 with a strikeout in the bottom of the sixth. Perez has been to nine All-Star Games now as the veteran Royals backstop. And it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever get tired of it.
Cole Ragans: Pitching for the first time in Texas since the 2023 trade that sent him to Kansas City for reliever Aroldis Chapman, Ragans turned in a scoreless sixth inning for the AL. He stood on the same mound he made his MLB debut on back in ’22, when he was a former Rangers first-rounder trying to break into the big leagues as a reliever. Now, he’s an All-Star starter for the Royals, a key piece of their rotation and of their future. The lefty got Bryce Harper to fly out to deep center field for the first out, then allowed a base hit to Will Smith on a tough play for Witt, who ended up throwing the ball into the dugout trying to get the out. But Ragans got out of it with what ended up as a double play on an overturned call.
Bobby Witt Jr.: Fresh off a runner-up finish at the Home Run Derby — blasting the most homers (50) of the entire Derby field this year — Witt took in his first All-Star Game in his home state, growing up just 20 minutes north of Arlington as the son of 16-year veteran pitcher Bobby Witt. The younger Witt is a rapidly rising baseball superstar and got to enter Tuesday’s game in the sixth inning with his teammates — Ragans on the mound and Perez behind the plate. Witt went 0-for-1 with a strikeout at the plate but made a great throw in the seventh to help Lugo get out of a jam.
Riley Greene: Before the bottom of the seventh inning, David Ortiz asked Greene what he was going to do at the plate next, and Greene said, “Try to hit a homer like you.” Alas, Greene struck out swinging on some high heat from Robert Suarez and went 0-for-2 on Tuesday, but that doesn’t diminish the first-time All-Star’s experience in Texas. After replacing Steven Kwan in left field in the fifth inning, Greene made a nice sliding grab in the seventh inning on Jackson Merrill’s hard line drive.
Tarik Skubal: In consideration to start for the AL as one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, Skubal took the mound in the second inning behind Corbin Burnes and followed the O’s ace with a clean frame. A battle with Christian Yelich resulted in a groundout to Gunnar Henderson. Alec Bohm flied out on a hard-hit ball to center field, causing Skubal to quip, “What do I gotta throw to miss a barrel?” as Bohm jogged off the field. Skubal finished the frame by getting Teoscar Hernández to fly out to right field.
Willi Castro: A replacement on the All-Star squad for Jose Altuve, Castro took it all in on Tuesday during his first All-Star Game with his family by his side in Arlington this week. The superutilityman pinch-hit for Fry in the eighth inning and grounded out to third base, staying in the game as the designated hitter.
Carlos Correa: Correa was not active for the game because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, but he still took part in the festivities for his third All-Star Game.
Garrett Crochet: Crochet took the mound in the top of the fourth inning as the White Sox lone All-Star representative and fired a scoreless inning while flashing the elite stuff that makes him Chicago’s ace. Yelich grounded out to José Ramírez for the first out, but Alec Bohm poked a single into right field for an opposite-field base hit. No worries for Crochet, who struck out Teoscar Hernández swinging at high heat: an elevated 98 mph fastball. Crochet got out of the inning with a groundout — and some help from Gunnar Henderson’s nifty play at shortstop.
Tyler Anderson: The veteran lefty was named an All-Star for the second time in his career and the first time since 2022 with the Dodgers. But just like at Dodger Stadium in ‘22, Anderson didn’t see action in the game in Texas.
Jose Altuve: Altuve, voted by fans as a starter at second base, opted Thursday to skip the All-Star Game after being hit on his left hand by a pitch last week. Altuve, selected to his ninth All-Star Game, hasn’t played in the game since 2018. The Venezuela native was previously named an All-Star in 2012, ’14-18 and ’21-22. Marcus Semien replaced him as the starting second baseman.
Yordan Alvarez: Alvarez, a three-time All-Star, was elected as the starting designated hitter by the fans for the first time in his career. The Cuba native batted sixth for the AL squad and drew a five-pitch walk against Braves lefty Max Fried to open the second inning. Cleveland’s David Fry replaced him as a pinch-hitter in the third and ripped a game-tying RBI single.
Kyle Tucker: The outfielder was selected as an All-Star for a third straight year but has been out since he fouled a ball off his shin on June 3 and missed the game. He was elected an All-Star by the players and was also a reserve in both ’22 and ’23. Baltimore’s Anthony Santander was named his replacement.
Mason Miller: The flamethrower made his All-Star debut with a scoreless fifth inning and his fastball reached as high as 103.6 mph, which is the hardest pitch thrown in an All-Star Game in the pitch tracking era (since 2008). The right-hander has electric stuff and has already established himself as a premier closer. He got Ketel Marte to fly out on a 101 mph fastball to open the inning and then had one of the highlights of the night when he struck out Shohei Ohtani with a wicked 89 mph slider. He finished his outing by striking out Trea Turner looking on a 3-2 slider that was perfectly located up and away.
Logan Gilbert: The right-hander was named an All-Star for the first time in his four-year career but wasn’t eligible to pitch after throwing seven scoreless innings against the Angels on Sunday. Gilbert, though, still made the trip to Texas to take in the festivities for the first time. Teammate Andrés Muñoz took his spot on the roster.
Andrés Muñoz: Muñoz was a late addition to the AL squad, getting selected on Friday to replace Gilbert. The Los Mochis, Mexico native, however, didn’t see action in the game.
Corey Seager: Seager was named an All-Star for the third straight year with the Rangers and for the fifth time in his career. He was added to the roster on Sunday to replace injured Twins shortstop Carlos Correa. He entered the game in the fifth inning as a defensive replacement for Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. He nearly delighted his home fans with a go-ahead homer in the fifth, but his deep drive off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene was caught at the warning track in center.
Marcus Semien: Semien, a three-time All-Star, replaced Jose Altuve as the starting second baseman for the AL, getting the nod in front of the home crowd in Texas. Semien, hitting ninth, didn’t disappoint, as he came through with a leadoff single off Giants right-hander Logan Webb to open the third. It helped spark a three-run rally for the AL. He batted again in the fourth, lining out sharply to left field against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.
Kirby Yates: The right-handed closer was named an All-Star for a second time and the first time since 2019 with the Padres. He didn’t see action in his first Midsummer Classic but threw a 1-2-3 eighth in his familiar setting at Globe Life Field. He struck out CJ Abrams and Heliot Ramos before getting Will Smith to ground out to third.
Max Fried: Fried pitched a scoreless second inning in his second All-Star appearance. After issuing a leadoff walk to Yordan Alvarez, he retired José Ramírez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Adley Rutschman to end the inning unscathed.
Reynaldo López: López was one of baseball’s best surprises in the first half, and he capped it on Tuesday. He replaced Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and struck out Salvador Perez swinging on a 1-2, 96.6 mph fastball to end the inning.
Marcell Ozuna: Ozuna made his third All-Star team and his first with the Braves. He replaced Shohei Ohtani in the seventh inning, grounding out to Bobby Witt Jr. to end the inning.
Chris Sale: Sale was in the conversation to start for the NL in his ninth All-Star appearance, but he pulled out of the Midsummer Classic after starting on Sunday.
Tanner Scott: Scott faced former Orioles teammate Anthony Santander to start the eighth inning. Scott, making his first All-Star appearance, got Santander to fly out to right. He got Jarren Duran, who hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, to ground out before being lifted from the game.
Pete Alonso: Alonso replaced Freddie Freeman at first base in the bottom of the seventh. Making his third consecutive All-Star appearance and fourth overall, Alonso struck out swinging against Emmanuel Clase on an 0-2 slider for the first out in the ninth.
CJ Abrams: Abrams made his first All-Star appearance, replacing Phillies shortstop Trea Turner in the bottom of the sixth inning. Abrams faced Rangers reliever Kirby Yates in the eighth but struck out swinging on an 0-2 splitter.
Kyle Finnegan: Finnegan was a late replacement to the NL roster, taking Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley’s spot. Finnegan did not appear in the game.
Alec Bohm: Bohm made the semifinals in Monday’s Home Run Derby, then singled to right field in the fourth inning against the White Sox’s Garrett Crochet for the first hit of his All-Star career. Bohm finished 1-for-2.
Bryce Harper: Remarkably, because of injuries in recent seasons, this was Harper’s first All-Star appearance with the Phillies. He slapped an 0-2 cutter from Corbin Burnes to left field for a two-out double in the first inning. He flied out to the warning track in left-center field in the sixth. He finished 1-for-3.
Jeff Hoffman: NL manager Torey Lovullo told Hoffman before the game that he would be the NL’s closer. “Look, I’ve got good news and bad news,” Lovullo said he told Hoffman in an interview on MLB Network Radio. “I said the good news is you’re going to be the closer.” He said, “Well, what’s the bad news?” I said, “Well, there might not be a ninth inning, a bottom of the ninth.” He said, “Oh no, we’re winning this game.” The NL didn’t win, but Hoffman still got to pitch. He got Willi Castro to ground out to end the eighth inning.
Cristopher Sánchez: Sánchez made his first NL All-Star team as a replacement for Chris Sale. He retired two batters on two pitches in the bottom of the sixth inning before leaving the game. Phillies manager Rob Thomson couldn’t have minded that.
Matt Strahm: Strahm sported a belt made of his own baseball cards, paying homage to his favorite hobby and TV show “The Card Life.” He replaced Robert Suarez with two outs in the seventh and struck out Bobby Witt Jr. swinging on a 93 mph fastball to end the inning.
Ranger Suárez: Suárez hoped to pitch in his first All-Star Game, but he pulled himself from the team on Saturday because of a back issue that popped up in his last start in Philadelphia.
Trea Turner: Turner made a fantastic diving stop in the second inning, flipping the ball to second baseman Ketel Marte for an out. The best part? Turner and his fellow Phillies infielders were mic’d up at the time. Turner then singled to left in the bottom of the second inning against the Red Sox’s Tanner Houck. He finished 1-for-3.
Zack Wheeler: Wheeler was named to his second NL All-Star team, then immediately marked inactive because he had been scheduled to start Sunday against the A’s. He wouldn’t have pitched anyway because he has been bothered recently by back spasms.
William Contreras: AL starter Corbin Burnes threw to Contreras eight times last season when both played for the Brewers, so there were no secrets as Contreras dug into the batter’s box with runners at second and third in the first inning. Contreras worked Burnes for six pitches, but Burnes won the battle, getting his former batterymate to tap a comebacker to the mound for the inning-ending out. Contreras finished 0-for-2.
Christian Yelich: Yelich, in the midst of a resurgent season that made him the top vote-getter among NL outfielders in both rounds of fan balloting, grounded out in both of his at-bats in his first All-Star Game appearance since 2019.
Ryan Helsley: The two-time All-Star elected not to pitch this time around after logging his Major League-leading 32nd save on Sunday in his first appearance in eight days. It’s the first year since 2007 that no Cardinals played in the Midsummer Classic.
Shota Imanaga: The Cubs have seen a lot of what the Japanese lefty showcased in the fourth inning: three up, three down on 15 pitches, 11 strikes. Just like that, Imanaga authored the NL’s first clean inning.
Bryan Reynolds: The veteran was a late-game replacement and singled in the bottom of the seventh to put the tying runner on base for the NL, but that rally fizzled. Reynolds got one more chance representing the tying run in the ninth, but he struck out to end the game.
Paul Skenes: For the second straight start, Skenes was pulled from an outing with a no-hitter in the works. But unlike last week in Milwaukee, after his sensational seven-inning outing put the finishing touches on Skenes’ case to start the All-Star Game as a rookie, there was no second-guessing this decision. Skenes’ celebratory start was highlighted by a pair of triple-digit fastballs to Juan Soto, who walked, and a 99.7 mph first pitch to Aaron Judge that was just close enough to the hands to induce an inning-ending fielder’s choice.
Elly De La Cruz: MLB’s stolen base leader sported pink Louis Vuitton spikes and might have thought about running after leading off the bottom of the seventh inning with a sharp single to left-center field, but didn’t get his chance with the NL down two runs.
Hunter Greene: The righty started his inning by winning a Greene vs. Greene matchup against Tigers outfielder Riley Greene, but it got tougher after that. First, hometown star Corey Seager put a charge into the crowd by launching a 402-foot flyout. Then Anthony Santander extended the fifth inning with a two-out single and Jarren Duran of the Red Sox hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer.
Ketel Marte: In his second career All-Star Game, Marte became the second D-backs player ever to lead off a Midsummer Classic, joining Luis Gonzalez, who did it in 2001. Marte went 1-for-3 and came around to score on a Shohei Ohtani homer.
Mookie Betts: Betts did not make the trip to Arlington as he continues to recover from a fractured left hand. Instead, Betts, an eight-time All-Star, stayed back at Dodger Stadium and started to field ground balls for the first time since his injury.
Freddie Freeman: Freeman has turned into one of the most consistent players of his generation, and his eighth All-Star appearance backs that up. In this Midsummer Classic, however, Freeman didn’t record a hit, grounding into an inning-ending double play in his lone at-bat.
Tyler Glasnow: Glasnow, a first time All-Star, wasn’t able to participate on Tuesday as he recovers from a back injury that landed him on the injured list last week. Despite that, Glasnow wanted to make the trip to enjoy the festivities for the first time. He was the lone Dodger to stay through the end of Monday’s Home Run Derby, serving as Teoscar Hernández’s personal water boy and hype man.
Teoscar Hernández: It was quite the week in Arlington for Hernández. After winning the Home Run Derby on Monday in thrilling fashion, Hernández was the starting center fielder for the National League on Tuesday, replacing the injured Fernando Tatis Jr. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a flyout.
Shohei Ohtani: Ohtani has been looking for his All-Star moment, and he got it on Tuesday. The two-time unanimous American League Most Valuable Player — and the current favorite for NL MVP — mashed a three-run homer off Tanner Houck in the third inning to give the NL a 3-0 lead. It was the first All-Star homer by a Dodger since Mike Piazza in 1996. Despite the NL’s loss, Ohtani made a compelling case to be named the game’s MVP.
Will Smith: Making his second consecutive All-Star appearance, the Dodgers star catcher went 1-for-2 at the plate and caught a few innings behind the plate.
Heliot Ramos: Not many players in Arlington have a better story than Ramos, who took a massive leap in his development this season in order to become a first time All-Star with the Giants this season. The 24-year-old Puerto Rican outfielder went down swinging against Kirby Yates in his only at-bat of the game.
Logan Webb: It wasn’t the outing Webb wanted as he made his first All-Star Game appearance, allowing three runs over one inning of work. Webb faced the heart of the American League order and was a victim of a Juan Soto two-run double.
Luis Arraez: The 2023 NL batting champion decided to sit out of Tuesday’s game to nurse an injured left thumb. It was Arraez’s third All-Star Game nomination.
Jackson Merrill: In his first taste of the All-Star Game, Merrill lined out sharply to Hunter Greene in his first at-bat and then hit an infield single off Emmanuel Clase in the ninth that had a 37 mph exit velocity. Merrill became the youngest Padre (21 years, 88 days as of Tuesday) to be selected and appear in a Midsummer Classic.
Jurickson Profar: Coming up as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, making a Midsummer Classic seemed like a given for Profar. But the 31-year-old had to grind his way to his first All-Star Game and was named a starter with a career-best first half of the season. Profar celebrated his achievement with a leadoff single in the third that helped jumpstart a three-run frame for the NL.
Robert Suarez: Suarez needed just eight pitches to show his electrifying stuff on the mound. The first time All-Star lit up the radar gun and struck out Jordan Westburg and Riley Greene, the only two hitters he faced Tuesday.
Fernando Tatis Jr.: Tatis is still dealing with a stress reaction in his right femur and was forced to miss the Midsummer Classic.
Ryan McMahon: McMahon has been a really consistent performer over the last few seasons, but the third baseman was finally rewarded with his first All-Star nod. McMahon showed off his versatility, replacing Ketel Marte at second base, but he struck out in his only at-bat.