Last year, the National League snapped a nine-year All-Star Game losing streak by earning its first win since 2012 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Although that was a one-off. Tuesday’s win was the AL’s 22nd win in the last 27 All-Star Games. The All-Star rivalry has been extremely one-sided lately. As noted, the all-time series is fairly even: 48–44–2 in favor of the AL.
Here are five takeaways from the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.
1. Ohtani gave the people what they wanted
The game’s biggest star opened the scoring Tuesday night. Ohtani hit a long, emphatic three-run home run against Red Sox ace Tanner Hawk, giving the National League a (short-lived) 3–0 lead in the third inning. That’s about as much doubt as the doubters get,
Ohtani is the first Dodgers player to hit a home run in the All-Star Game since Hall of Famer Mike Piazza went deep off Charles Nagy in the 1996 Midsummer Classic at the old Veterans Stadium. He is the tenth Dodgers player overall to hit a homer in the All-Star Game.
It was Ohtani’s fourth consecutive All-Star Game and he entered Tuesday having gone 1 for 4 with two walks in his previous three All-Star Games. He also pitched 1-2-3 innings as the AL’s starting pitcher in 2021.
2. We got Skanes vs. the Judge
AL manager Bruce Bochy opted to bat Aaron Judge, MLB’s leader in home runs and OPS, to cleanup in the All-Star Game, which meant a quick 1-2-3 first inning gave us Judge vs. Paul Skenes will take away the matchup. Thankfully, Judge’s partner in crime with the Yankees, Juan Soto, worked to get Judge to the plate in the first inning. Soto also called his shot.
Soto drew a seven-pitch walk and had his most competitive at-bat to date against the ‘Skins. Giving us a Judge vs. Skanes matchup, And then Judge threw him out of the ground harmlessly on the first pitch. Anti-climate! At least we got a chance to see the world’s best hitter vs. arguably already the world’s best pitcher in the All-Star Game. This is better than leaving the judge on deck.
Here’s Skenes’ innings:
Soto scored two runs in the half inning after Ohtani homered to give the NL a 3–0 lead. Unexpectedly, All-Star David Fry drove in Soto with a single to tie the game 3–3. Ohtani gave the NL a 3–0 lead and Giants righty Logan Webb gave it back in the next half inning. Shohei must have felt like he was playing for the Angels again.
3. Duran breaks the tie
The NL took a 3–0 lead on Ohtani’s homer, and the AL responded with five unanswered runs. Soto and Frye drove in three runs in the third inning, then, in the fifth, Red Sox center fielder Jaren Duran broke the tie with a two-run homer off Reds flame-thrower Hunter Greene. Like Ohtani, Duran also converted an error away.
Duran is the first Red Sox player to hit a home run in the All-Star Game since Adrian Gonzalez in 2011. Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off Cliff Lee at Chase Field. In those days, Lee seemed untouchable.
Two innings after his homer, Duran made a nice play to center to quickly get back Eli de la Cruz’s base hit and limit him to a single. Brian Reynolds singled in the bottom of the inning and De La Cruz certainly would have scored had he been on second base. Duran gave up two runs and helped save one run in the ground. This earned him All-Star Game MVP honors,
4. Miller flirted with 104 mph
Given the increase in velocity, it’s almost certain that the Athletic’s Mason Miller threw the fastest pitch in All-Star Game history on Tuesday night. He threw a 103.6 mph heater – 103.6 mph! — In the best innings of his work. This is certainly the fastest pitch thrown in an All-Star Game in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Here’s Miller’s summer:
OK, so pitching in the dirt isn’t very exciting, but still, 103.6 mph! Miller threw eight pitches of 100 mph or better on Tuesday, along with one pitch of 99.9 mph. Before Miller, the fastest All-Star pitch ever thrown was a 103.4 mph heater by Aroldis Chapman in 2015.
5. Turner made a clever play while turning on the mic
Look, nobody likes in-game interviews. They’re distracting, they’re rarely entertaining, and sometimes the player on the mic will make a mistake. If it happens in the All-Star Game, whatever. But in a meaningful regular season game, the player with the mic messes up something, which is always serious. Alas and alas, in-game interviews aren’t going anywhere. it is what it is.
However, I have to admit that an extremely cool thing happened when a player was being given the mic at the All-Star Game. When Turner made a slick diving play to take a hit from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., all three Phillies infielders – Alec Boehm, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner – were turning on the mic and joking. His friends loved it:
I admit it was a good moment. You are now free to go back to the hate filled in-game interviews. I know I will.
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