On a night when Paul Skenes, Major League Baseball’s pitching phenom, took the mound for a historic All-Star Game start and Shohei Ohtani, the sport’s brightest global superstar, blasted a home run for the National League, it was a 27-year-old former top prospect having a breakout season who made the difference at the 2024 All-Star Game on Tuesday.
Jarren Duran, a first-time All-Star in his second season as an everyday player, capped the American League’s 5-3 comeback triumph at Globe Life Field with a two-run homer off Cincinnati Reds fireballer Hunter Greene.
Duran’s blast made him the first Red Sox player to win the MVP award since J.D. Drew in 2008, and the sixth in organization history. The honor is named after Ted Williams, a 19-time All-Star and the Red Sox’s consensus best player.
“That’s an honor,” Duran added. “Who else would I want to try to follow in the footsteps of?”
Duran completed the rally after Ohtani opened the scoring in the third inning with a 400-foot, three-run homer off Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck. It was the designated hitter’s first All-Star Game home run and the Dodgers’ second since Mike Piazza in 1996. In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki hit an inside-the-park home run, the only one by a Japanese-born player in All-Star Game history.
Ohtani, who walked in his first plate appearance, is 1-for-4 with two walks heading into his fourth career All-Star Game on Tuesday.
“In general, I haven’t really hit well during the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put a good ball in play,” Ohtani told reporters. “I was really just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season.”
Houck was the first Red Sox pitcher to allow an All-Star Game home run since Roger Clemens in 1991. The National League did not score again in the All-Star Game, which lasted 2 hours and 28 minutes, the shortest since 1988.
The brief show started with a touch of drama.
Juan Soto’s greatest talent, the one that has propelled him to a first-ballot Hall of Fame position, is his remarkable ability to reach base. The baseball world has never wanted to see the New York Yankees right fielder execute that job more than in the first inning on Tuesday.
The pressure started to build Monday when American League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy revealed a lineup that had Yankees center fielder and top American League MVP contender Aaron Judge hitting fourth.
That meant Judge was not assured of facing Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rookie phenom, who was limited to one inning. Someone needed to arrive on base to cause the conflict. When Skenes retired the AL’s first two hitters, it had to be Soto or the matchup everyone was hoping for would not materialize.
Soto, in the usual manner, completed the assignment by working a seven-pitch walk to please the crowd.
“I was trying to take him deep, bro,” said Soto, a four-time All-Star who made his first start Tuesday. “But after two strikes I was trying to work the at-bat because I wanted to make sure he faced him too, so I got my job done.”
The suspense, however, was brief: Judge swung at Skenes’ first pitch, a 100 mph fastball, and grounded into a fielder’s choice to close the inning.
“That was fun,” said Judge, a six-time All-Star. “It was an enjoyable first inning. To get the opportunity to bat behind [Soto] and see him do his thing against one of the young superstars in the National League right now was very great.”
Skenes did not strike out a single batter, but he threw five of his 16 pitches at least 100 mph, produced four whiffs (all on his deadly splinter), and silenced any lingering detractors who thought he didn’t deserve to start the game after just 11 career major league starts.
Skenes, one of 37 first-time All-Stars, was the first rookie to start the exhibition since Hideo Nomo hit the mound for the National League at the Rangers’ former home stadium across the street in 1995.
Nomo was a 26-year-old standout for the Dodgers who had spent years playing professionally in Japan, the country’s second-largest market. Skenes, 22, is just a year away from being the first choice in the 2023 draft and playing for a small-market team.
Skenes, who has a 1.90 ERA in 66⅓ innings for Pittsburgh, expressed a desire for additional pitching opportunities on the national stage today. “It was great to have that matchup, to throw with William Contreras and go over the game plan with him, to speak about confronting those guys, how we were going to get them out, and then to go out there and execute.
“Obviously, this is the All-Star Game. It’s on national television, which is awesome. It’s nice to draw attention to the game.”
Two innings after Skenes’ departure, Soto came through for the AL in a different manner, slicing a ground ball up the middle that he turned into a two-run hustle double courtesy to a sloppy Teoscar Hernandez in center field, cutting the NL’s advantage to one run.
Two batters later, David Fry, pinch hitting for Yordan Alvarez at Globe Life Field, scored Soto from second base with a game-tying RBI single to left field.
Duran capped the comeback triumph, the American League’s tenth in the last eleven All-Star Games, by smashing a thick splitter from Greene 413 feet over the wall in right-center field. It was the first home run by a Red Sox player in an All-Star Game since Adrián González in 2011. The event exemplified Duran’s evolution as a player.
Duran, a seventh-round selection in 2018, overcame injuries and mental health issues to become one of baseball’s most exciting players. In 95 games, the Long Beach State product is hitting.284 with an.820 OPS, playing excellent defense, and displaying superior baserunning skills. He leads the majors with ten triples and the American League with 27 doubles.
The mix of power, glove, and speed has resulted in a 3.7 fWAR, tied for 10th in the majors, for a resurgent Red Sox team that is outperforming expectations in its chase of a postseason place. Duran’s strength was on full display on Tuesday, when he competed with the sport’s best players.
“I’m just very thankful,” Duran added. “It’s difficult to put into words.” It will not strike me until I attempt to fall asleep tonight. “Who knows if I’ll be able to sleep tonight?”
How many times has the AL won the All-Star game?
The American League previously dominated from 1933 until 1949, winning 12 of the first 16. From 1950 to 1987, the National League dominated, going 33-8-1, including a 19-for-20 period from 1963 to 1982. Since 1988, the AL has dominated, going 28-7-1. In 2018, the AL gained the series lead for the first time since 1963.
