07/14/26 10:35:00
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07/14 22:34 CDT Cease, bullpen combine on 3-hitter in AL's 4-0 win, first
All-Star shutout since 2013
Cease, bullpen combine on 3-hitter in AL's 4-0 win, first All-Star shutout
since 2013
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) --- Dylan Cease struck out the side in the first inning,
combining with 10 relievers on a three-hitter in a show of pitching dominance
that led the American League to a 4-0 win over the National League in Tuesday
night's All-Star Game.
All-Star MVP Cody Bellinger hit a two-run single and Ben Rice followed with an
RBI single in the first against Cristopher Snchez of the host Philadelphia
Phillies.
Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox added an eighth-inning home run off the
Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Wrobleski, who was pitching on his 26th birthday,
for the game's only extra-base hit. The AL won for the 18th time in 23 games
and holds a 49-45-2 advantage overall.
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.
Pitchers combined for 27 strikeouts, 15 by AL hurlers.
Cease struck out Kyle Schwarber, Soto and CJ Abrams around a walk in the first
inning. He became just the seventh pitcher to strike out three in an All-Star
opening inning after Carl Hubbell (1934), Warren Spahn (1949), Jim Palmer
(1977), Dave Stieb (1983), Pedro Martinez (1999) and Brad Penny (2006) --- four
of them Hall of Famers.
Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Drew
Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman and Bryan Baker finished
the first All-Star shutout since the AL's 2-0 win in 2013 at New York's Citi
Field.
Some starting star power was missing, with Jacob Misoriowski, Paul Skenes and
Shohei Ohtani all unavailable. Just six pitches reached 100 mph, the fewest in
an All-Star Game since 2021.
Bellinger and Rice both singled on up sinkers from Snchez, who struggled
through a 34-pitch inning that included three hits and two walks.
"It just took me a little time to soak it all in and enjoy it," Snchez said
through a translator.
Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star who hadn't played in the game since 2019 because
of injuries, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Early exit
Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero was hit on the outside of his left hand by a 97.6
mph sinker from St. Louis closer Riley O'Brien in the third inning and
immediately left the game. The 23-year-old, fourth in the major leagues with 28
home runs, stayed down for a few moments before he popped up and ran straight
into the clubhouse. X-rays were negative.
Documenting the day
Managers and starters entered through replica Liberty Bells in front of each
dugout, walked to home plate and used a feathered quill to sign an oversized
lineup card, as if they were Founding Fathers affixing names to the Declaration
of Independence. The dirt was surrounded by 13 stars, one for each of the
Colonies.
Fireworks were set off after the fourth inning to a video of Ray Charles
singing "America the Beautiful" at Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.
Philadelphia was awarded this year's All-Star Game in 2019 an unusually long
lead time to coincide with the U.S. 250th semiquincentennial. The Phillies
hosted the 1976 and '96 games at Veterans Stadium and the Athletics in 1943 and
'52 at Shibe Park.
At the 1996 game, there was a hard hit even before the first pitch. Cal Ripken
Jr.'s nose was broken when struck by a forearm of Chicago White Sox reliever
Roberto Hernandez when he lost his balance on a platform during the AL team
picture.
Next year's game is scheduled for the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field for the first
time since 1990 but is threatened by possible labor strife.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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