ARLINGTON, Texas — Shining the brightest on baseball’s biggest stage of the summer was a surreal moment for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
Duran was named All-Star Game MVP after delivering a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead the American League to a 5-3 victory over the National League on Tuesday night.
“I’m just very thankful. It’s hard to put into words,” Duran said. “It won’t hit me until I try to go to sleep tonight. Who knows if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
The AL has now won 10 of the past 11 All-Star Games to lead the all-time series 48-44-2. It served as the home team at Globe Life Field, home of the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers.
New York Yankees star Juan Soto had a two-run double and Cleveland Guardians catcher David Fry added an RBI single as the AL overcame a 3-0 deficit.
Duran broke a 3-3 tie by sending a splitter from Hunter Greene over the wall in right-center. Thanks to his go-ahead blast, Duran became the fifth Red Sox player to win the MVP award, which is named after Boston legend Ted Williams.
“That’s an honor,” said Duran, who was among the 39 first-time All-Stars this year. “Who else would I want to try and follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being. That guy was awesome, and I’m honored to be able to have his award.”
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani provided the NL with its 3-0 lead with a three-run home run off Tanner Houck in the top of the third. Ohtani became the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Mike Piazza did so in 1996.
“I haven’t really hit well in the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put the ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season.”
The AL answered in the bottom half of the third, scoring three runs off San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb. Soto drove in two runs with a one-out double to center, then scored on a two-out single by pinch hitter Fry.
After Houck’s night came to an end, six AL relievers combined for six scoreless innings to close out the game. Emmanuel Clase worked around a two-out single in the ninth to earn the save.
Rookie Mason Miller, who worked a perfect fifth that included strikeouts of Ohtani and Trea Turner, got the win. Miller is the third rookie pitcher to earn the win at an All-Star Game and first since Dean Stone for the AL in 1954, according to Elias. Miller also had eight pitches over 100 mph, including a 103.6-mph fastball to Turner, which is the fastest pitch in All-Star Game history since pitch tracking began in 2008.
Greene was charged with the loss.
In the first inning, a matchup fans were craving to see unfolded, as NL starter and Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes faced Yankees superstar Aaron Judge. The battle lasted just one pitch, though, as Judge grounded into a forceout to end the frame.
Skenes was the first rookie pitcher to start in an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo did so for the Dodgers in 1995.
“I don’t think I blacked out when I was out there, but I was pretty close,” Skenes said. “It was cool to be on that mound.”
Skenes added that his first pitch of the night was what stuck out to him the most.
Baltimore Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes got the nod for the AL. He and Skenes each logged a scoreless first.
“It was fun,” Burnes said. “There’s really no words to express — just the atmosphere, playing around the best players in the game.”
The game was played in 2 hours, 28 minutes, the shortest All-Star Game since 1988. The announced attendance was 39,343.
–Drew Davison, Field Level Media
