ARLINGTON, Texas – It will always be known as the coming-out party of Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skane, but Shohei Ohtani once again reminded everyone at the All-Star Game Tuesday night that he is still the greatest player in the world. A new chapter was added to Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran’s storybook breakout season.
The American League won the All-Star Game 5–3, with Duran joining Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski as the only Boston Red Sox outfielders to win the MVP award.
Still, even after pitching the first inning of the game without a strikeout, everyone was talking about Skenes.
He arrived in town on Sunday with his famous girlfriend Livvy Dunn and headed to Globe Life Field with everyone believing the All-Star Game could become an annual trip.
It blew Skenes’ mind that he had grown up watching and worshiping these All-Stars, and now, here he was, one of them. On Monday night, he sat next to Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow and Pirates outfielder Brian Reynolds in the Home Run Derby. After pitching one inning on Tuesday night, he sat next to Atlanta’s veteran starter Chris Sale on the bench and ate dinner in the clubhouse with Glasnow and the starters. Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds and Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
“I think that’s probably the best part about all of this,” Skenes said. “I think the best thing about it is that they’re accepting of me in the clubhouse and welcoming me with open arms, and they’re very supportive given my start. It was really great.
“I definitely feel like I’m one of them.”
While most players leave after the All-Star Game, Skenes opted to stay, watching as Ohtani hit a three-run, 400-foot homer in the third inning.
“I think I’ve been answering questions about shohei for four or five years at All-Star games,” said Ohtani’s teammate, All-Star first baseman Freddy Freeman. “I still don’t have words to explain what he is going through. We always talked about his pitching and hitting, and now he’s recovering from Tommy John for the second time, and he’s still going out there and continuing to be the best player in the game.
“So, it’s very surprising.”
Skenes, who gave up a home run to Ohtani last month, was just grateful he could be teammates with Ohtani one night and watch him hurt someone else.
“It was really cool to see him do that,” Skenes said. “It was really cool to see him go about his business and meet him and all that.
“I don’t know of any hitter I’ve faced who has been better than him in my career.
“So, to be able to share the dugout with him was surreal.”
NL players shared similar sentiments about Skenes, talking to him about his great fastball, his sprinkler pitch, his background of being an Air Force Academy cadet and now emerging as one of the greatest rookie pitchers in history .
“It was amazing to talk to them,” Webb said. “I talked to a lot of pitchers and learned a lot of things from guys.”
What did they learn from Skenes?
“I wish I could,” Webb said, laughing, “but I don’t throw 102.”
The Skanes’ comeback party was a disappointment on the field. He started the game by inducing a lazy fly-out from leadoff hitter Steve Cowan, who leads the major leagues with a .352 batting average. Gunnar Henderson, who is hitting .286 with 28 homers, was the next victim, hitting a 50-mph bouncer to the mound.
This led to the upbringing of Juan Soto.
Soto battled Skanes for seven pitches and drew a walk when Skanes missed an 84.7-mph curveball, and then a 100-mph fastball.
“I was trying to take it deeper,” Soto said. “No lie.”
Rising Aaron Judge, the reigning American League home run champion, leads the major leagues with 34 homers. Skenes threw a 99.7-mph fastball. Judge swung and hit a routine grounder to third base.
Skenes’ night was over.
“It was great,” Skenes said.
The pitch he’ll remember most?
”Probably the first pitch,” he said, ”Just getting there.” I don’t think I passed out when I was there, but I was pretty close. “It was cool to be on that mound, but to be able to share it with my family and bring them here and experience it.”
Certainly, it would be a night that Duran would also never forget, hitting a go-ahead two-run homer in his first at-bat in the fifth inning. Homer enabled him to highlight his advocacy for mental health which had troubled him early in his career. He wears a shirt that reads “(expletive) ‘M” under his Red Sox jersey and holds an MVP trophy that reads “Still Alive” on his taped wrist.
Now, he also has some hardware.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Duran said, “but honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about my family. This is a surreal moment. ,
“I mean, the All-Star Game, the first home run, the All-Star Game MVP. I’m just so grateful. It’s hard to put it into words.
“As long as I don’t try to sleep tonight, it won’t affect me.
“Who knows if I’ll be able to sleep tonight?”
One All-Star you can be sure won’t sleep on is AL starter Corbin Burns. He didn’t arrive at the ballpark until Tuesday morning, spending the past two days with his wife, son and infant twin daughters. He pitched one inning and immediately flew back home to Phoenix, planning to spend the remainder of the All-Star break with his family.
“They’re just over two weeks old, so it was nice to get home to see them,” Burns said. “The last time I saw them they were a few days old. At that time it was difficult to tell them apart. I’m glad I can tell them apart now.
“So, I’ll go back, change some diapers, give the girl some bottles and spend as much time as possible with her before going back.”
Of course, it would have been easy for Burns to skip the All-Star Game. He didn’t need to stay here. Everyone must have understood.
“I couldn’t do it,” he said. “Every year my wife says, ‘You never know when it’s going to be your last time.’ So, if you have the honor of coming, I think you should represent not only Major League Baseball, but the team that I’m a part of.
“I wanted to enjoy the experience.”
It turned out to be a night that few will forget.
Follow Nightingale on X: @bnightangle
Discover more from news2source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
