2025 MLB All-Star Game (National League wins it on FIRST-EVER SWING-OFF!) πͺ
Freddy, you played here 12 years. You won a World Series with the Atlanta Braves, and now you’re here for your ninth All-Star game. What kinds of emotions are you experiencing tonight? Uh, I think all of them. Uh, my hands are sweating right now. Uh, the ovation I got earlier. Uh, it’s special. I I I watched this place get built. Um, there’s a red red pennant up there. That’s so special to me. And, uh, it’s it’s an honor to be back. You did get a warm reception and introductions. What would you like to say to this crowd? Oh man, I I I could be here all day talking to these fans. Um, you guys been Yeah. Thank you. Uh, yeah. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Uh, my first 12 years I got to spend in this wonderful city. So, uh, you guys o gave me standing ovations when I’ve come back. You guys cheered for me. You watched me before I became a father and a husband and now back here as a husband and father with three awesome boys. So, thank you guys for everything and hopefully I can get another hit for you guys tonight. Freddy, thanks very much. Have a great night. Joe, back to you. All right, Kenny. A guy that is a legend with two franchises and in two cities. Let’s go down to the other side now. Here’s Tom Verduchi. Oh, thanks, Joe. Cal Rowley. Wow. For someone who was cut by his middle school team, drafted in the third round, hit 180 as a rookie. A hell of a year. 38 home runs, home run derby champion. Tonight, your first All-Star game hitting cleanup for the American League. Put into words what this journey means. I don’t even know if I could. You know, it’s uh I’m speechless. So, just super excited to be out here with the best best players in the world. Packed house. Uh you know, it’s what you dream of as a kid and uh going to try to get dubbed tonight. So, well, Cal, we know you’re a great catcher. You’re a great hitter. We’re going to find out about your baseball commentary skills. It will be miked up in the bottom of the first inning along with TK school as you work your way through the top of the National League lineup starting with Show Otani. Give us a hint as we ease drop on you and TK. I mean, I don’t know. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Uh they got some great hitters over there and uh you know, hopefully we can give you guys something something good to talk about. So, who knows? Looking forward to it. Thanks so much, Cal. Thanks. Have a good one. Back to you. All right. So there is Paul Skins who won rookie of the year last year with a 196 CRA. Looks to be hunting a Sai Young this year. Two years in the big leagues starting pitcher for the National League. Both years umpires for this Midsummer Classic. Behind the plate is the crew chief Dan Asonia, Marvin Hudson, Chris Seagull, Jansen Viscanti, Jeremy Rehack, and Eric Beckis. And these guys are going to have a little bit of a different wrinkle in this game. The ball strike challenge system is coming to the All-Star game. They’ve been working on it for years in the minors. They had it in big league spring training this year. Only the hitter, the pitcher, and the catcher can challenge a call. You get two of them. You keep them if you’re right. And uh we’re going to get a chance to see it tonight. We’re going to get a chance to see that. We’re going to get a chance to see a lot of heat. This this guy on the mound goes downhill as good as anybody. And hitters are going to have to be really really good at picking out something to hit cuz both pitchers don’t give up many hits. We were talking about it off at the top. These guys are exactly how you would design aces. Big and intimidating. In the case of SK, it’s not just the power, but he’s got seven different pitches, and that’s what makes him so tough. I love how he goes downhill. He’s in front of the rubber. Looks like he’s even closer. He’s tall. He’s big and scary standing in there, you’re a hitter. First guy to do that is Glabber Torres of the Tigers. And off we go with the first pitch swinging and a foul back on 99. Torres is at the All-Star game his first couple years with the New York Yankees and was looking like one of the top young players in the league up last few seasons. Goes to the Tigers though and in his first year in Detroit has played a huge role in their resurgence. He’s done a really nice job adjusting. He’s getting on base. He’s not striking out as much and he’s really good with two strikes. All these guys are going to try to get his swing as early as they can against these power pitchers if they see it out of their hand. Fast balls by him. One and two. One, two. Pauline 66, 260 lbs. Not just the size and the power though. Great feel. Comes at you from a tough angle as well. Guys just don’t see him here in the count’s two and two. Yeah. And he’s got different lanes that he can throw with that movement. And he’s just got a bulldog mentality. I mean, he want you watch. He’s going to be well over 200 innings. I wouldn’t be surprised this year and then the rest of his career. Strikes out Torres for the first out as he touches triple digits for the first time. So, the All-Star game back here in Atlanta, the third time that it’s hosted and in the ceremonial first pitches. Three guys that were honored that season as Braves. Chipper Jones who went deep in the 2000 All-Star game. Andrew Jones and Andre Skolaraga. One away in this first inning from one Tiger to another and Riley Green skins deals and Green takes upstairs. A Green, a guy who got to the major leagues really early on. He got there so early that it feels like he should be 29 or 30 at this point, but he’s making his second straight all-star appearance and he’s still only 24. And a one from Skrike. Well, the progression of the young players for the Tigers along with their really, really good pitching is why they’re surprising everybody and dominating the first half in the American League Central. Largest lead in baseball. Tigers with an 11 12 game advantage in the Central, the best record in the sport. Green strike two. And it’s been nothing but heat. No. And I’ll tell you right now, if that would have been called strike three, I think we’d have seen our first challenge. Yeah, that one was up a little bit, but it’s by you before you can make that decision off of skins. Home with a one, two, and misses away. Count evens two and two. Skin struck out Torres to open the game. Two and two on Green. the good and the bad of pitching in the All-Star game when you only have one inning. Sometimes some pitchers try to do too much. He’s not. He’s simplifying it. He’s saying, “Here it is. Try to hit it. I got one inning and then I’ll get ready for that second half.” Already making his second start in the All-Star game. He’s a little more than a year into his major league career. First guy ever to do that to start the game in each of his first two seasons. Said he was more excited for the conversations this year. Last year was a whirlwind. and he had been in the big leagues for a total of 11 starts, but this year was excited to enjoy it a little bit more. His payoff pitch to Green is swung on and missed and he turns it up to 100 makes it backto back Ks to open this All-Star game. I’m just telling you right now, his arm angle and the way the ball comes out of the hand, the hitters are really at a disadvantage. I mean, you expand the zone at all on this guy and you got no chance. You got to find a way to get him in the zone. That’s what makes him special. 3-2 Ning and the hitters going to be aggressive and he was not too many hitters set up there feeling like they could be on a level playing field but the next guy right here big and powerful against bigger and more powerful and Aaron Judge who takes strike one. This has got to be the matchup of the day right here. Yeah, it’s the matchup of the day and I’m still I’m still waiting. I’m trying to guess who’s going to get that first challenge. Aaron Boon said he told his guys, “Go ahead and do it. Feel free. Just be right. Make sure you’re right.” at an 01. Judge grounds one up the middle at second base. Start Marte over to first to finish off a one, two, three first inning. Here comes Otani to lead things off for the National League. And the rest of the lineup looks like this. Ronald Duna bats second. Catel Marte hits third. Freddy Freeman’s the cleanup man with Manny Machado at third base hitting fifth. Will Smith does the catching. Then it’s Tucker Lindor and Pete Co Armstrong. Couple cubs down there at the bottom of the lineup. were telling it about TK Scuba off at the top reigning SIG award winner 18-4 with a 239 last year even better this year and since early April a subra swing hey that’s right we hear Cal Riley talking to show Otani who climbs in and Scoo goes to work against the National League home run leader strike one all right so we got microphones and earpieces in the battery. Do you guys both hear us? Cal, TK, you guys got me? Yeah, I got you. What’s up, guys? How’s it going? Hey, we’re going to let you guide this. We’re just going to be flies on the wall here. Tell us what you’re doing. Oh, trying to get ahead. Maybe take a shot here. So, two probably go to a change up. I don’t know what you’re thinking, Cal. spit on that pretty good. Good pitch. Want to go back to it or somewhere else? Yes, sir. Not a He flips it into center field and lead off base. Oh, Johnny just reaches out and catches one just enough right off the end of the bat. And now a great hand is Ronald Duna Jr. comes to the plate. Standing ovation and a tip of the cap for a guy that always seems to seize the moment. Trick, watch out. First pitch here with this guy. Oh yeah. No doubt. Get out. Where’s the talon meter? How hard was that one? Got it by him. Ow and two on Akuna. You guys have pitch during the real games. We can just do this though. Calcom. You can just talk to each others. Cut out the foul. I messed it up. What’s up? Big shake. Saw him off at second. Torres has no play. National League putting a couple balls in play and the first two have reached. Well, in an era of exit velocity, those are the two softest hit balls. And that sometimes happens when you get great pitchers on the mound. You got to take whatever you can and broken bat and one at the end off the end of the bat. So, first and second for the National League and Catel Marte, who starts at second base for the second consecutive year for the NL and hitting third tonight. Swing and a miss. Cal, is this a little more fun than facing TK like he did last weekend? Yeah, I’m good on that. I don’t want him. I’ll tell you what, it wasn’t the fun facing him. He tore us up. But down in the National League waste no time. Otani can jog in and an extra base hit from Marte. Here comes Akuna. A two-run double. Two to nothing NL. Well, the ball beats the hitter and he gets it down the first base line. There’s nothing you can do about that. And that speed on the bases is going to allow two runs to score. But just inside the line, seeing three different ways to get hits and two first ones were not. That’s what you want as a pitcher. You want to give up soft contact on those first two, but it didn’t result in ounce. And the Freddy chance as Freddy Freeman climbs in against school. Tick, I know these are all allstars and are all hard to face, but this is a guy that seems like through the years it’s really hard to find a window to go to get him. Yeah, I haven’t really quite figured it out yet, to be honest. Pretty good right there. Yeah, I’ll take it. I’ll take it. Cal, how confident are you when you put that challenge call in? You You feel good about it? I don’t know. Let’s see. Freeman bouncing three in a row right now. Over at third. Camero and there’s the first shot. I thought I was never going to get an out there. Matter of time. No, one gone in this first inning. Manny Machado to the plate in the age of 33. As good as ever in a season of milestones for the Padres’s third baseman. He’s hit his 350th home run. He’s gotten his 20,000th hit. Oh, good. You all right? Good, man. Good. Sure. You all right, K? Thank you. straight back. Oh, that’s right. Good one second. Cal, I don’t know how you masked men do it. Uh, you just get used to it, I guess. Jeez again. 0 and two on Machado. Terrick, I was talking to your manager yesterday and he said the number one thing that he loves about you is how much you love the competition in the strike zone. I mean, this has got to be the best for you, huh? Facing these dudes. No doubt. No doubt. Ball down. Oh, what do you think? Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know if it can come from the It can’t come from the dugout, but it can come from the booth. I think it’s going to work. Let’s see. Kyle, how’d you do? How’d you do? I think it’s a strike. Automated balls and strikes powered by T-Mobile’s network. Hey, hey, you take them anyway you can get them, boys. There we go. There you go, Cal. One for one. I have confidence in you. You made history, too. It’s the All-Star game, but it’s the first time in the big leagues we’ve used ABS. Dave Roberts getting a kick out of it. We just showed a shot of him. All right, so two gone and the batter is Will Smith inside corner. Cal respect recognized real here, huh? Two two great catchers, you and this guy. Yeah, this guy’s unreal. He’s having a great year. What? Number two. Oh, before the inning gets over, thank you guys for doing this. Thank you for wearing a mic and giving the fans something pretty cool. Sorry, I cussed. Yeah, I like that. Yeah. All right. And you just stuck out the best two strike hitter in the National League, TK. Yeah, thank you. A bad there, but we’re all right. We’re all right. Thank you, guys. Two to nothing off the run. And we’re actually going to get to talk baseball with Clayton. I can’t believe you’re doing this, Clayton. I don’t can’t either. I’m going to try to throw some cheese real quick. Hold on. Cal hooks it in the air to left field. And a sliding catch by Kyle Tucker. That was sick. Easy. That was sick. Kyle Tucker now with the Cubs enjoying a great season and enjoying a great catch. This might be my last batter, guys. That was sweet. Yeah. How hard was that one? 91. It was an out. It was an out. All right. Going cheese again. Okay. Oh, yeah. Let’s go. I mean, you and Paul Sch are pretty much the same guy. Right down the middle. I’m so glad he didn’t swing. Okay, I’m going curveball here. Okay. Oh, that was short. What now? Double up. All right. Now, I think I probably got to go slider. Let’s think what Will thinks. But I think I got to go slider here. No. No. He wants curveball again. All right. Fine. Uncle Charlie. Okay. What do you want, Smoltzy? What do you want? Uh, cut her in. Slide her in. I don’t throw a cutter. Slide her in. Cut her. Son of a Going to make him mad. That was short. How about this splitty? Break out the count. Two, too. This is so weird talking to you guys. It’s kind of still Hey, sit him down. I think that might be it. I think that’s it. And uh what a year, buddy. What a career and what a moment. Soak it in. Thanks, brother. All right. Thanks. Thanks, dude. Thanks, guys. That was fun. That was fun. Thank you. Thanks, dude. Thanks, brother. That was fun. That’s yours. I keep it. That’s yours. You keep it. That’s yours. Thanks, guys. All right. One of the greatest that ever lived right there. Clayton Kershaw. Hey, that was fun, guys. Thanks for talking. You’re the best. 22. Clayton Kershaw in his 18th season at his 11th All-Star game. There’s only been three pitchers that have been to more All-Star games than Kershaw. Recently became the 20th member of the 3000 strikeout club. And you got another one right here. And you know what he’s going to remember more than anything ever? This moment. Yeah. I just think when a when a pitcher knows he’s nearing the end and he get a chance to do something like that, it’s one of the coolest things he’ll remember. And Adam is in the game looking up to Kershaw. nasty in his own right trying to finish the inning. Padres’s reliever who has an incredible story. Drafted 15 years ago, five organizations ago, he underwent four major arm surgeries while he was in the minors before he even got a big league shot. He’s finally gotten healthy and he’s at the All-Star game here as part of a dominant Padres’s bullpen. And to your point, a longtime Clayton Kershaw fan. A lot of that was from afar as he was coming up dreaming of one day just scratching the big leagues. And here he is relieving Kershaw. Yeah, they got to warm up at the same time because he had to know know he was going to get ready by the third hitter. And he has that unique delivery that creates such an illusion for the hitter. That change up that never gets to the plate. I’m sure he’s going to throw a change up right here. Two and two. And look at that stat right there. Major League 46 games pitched for Adam who comes home with a 2-2. And O’Harn digs it out, hooks it down the line. That is just fouled. Ryan O’Harn, a similarly impressive journey here to the All-Star game for a guy that was cut loose by Kansas City a few years ago, comes to Baltimore. Sporadic playing time at first, but he’s become an all-star. And take a good look at him in Orioles colors cuz that ain’t going to last long. Yeah, for sure. He loves that short porch over there. Interesting pitch selection here. That was a change up that he hooked. And typically, if it didn’t take so long for the batter to get back in the box, you would throw a fast ball right after that change up. Slow him down, speed him up. But I don’t know what they’ll do here. Two and two after that delay. Looking for its first base runner. On the outside corner, there’s that change up to finish him off. Jason Adams follows Clayton Kershaw. Gets a strike out of his own. Play ball is baseball’s global youth initiative to highlight the fun and accessible ways to play our great game. To learn more, including how to find a league near you, go to playball.org and follow atplayball on social media. Carlos Rodown, the Yankees left-hander, who’s in his third season with New York and has finally put it all together at his first All-Star game as a Yankee. Facing a couple Cubs here down at the bottom of the order. Just faced the Cubs last weekend. Eight scoreless innings to get his 10th win. Two and0 on Kyle Tucker. Yeah, Rondon. Rondon is just somebody that comes right at you. I mean, he loves the fast ball, curveball, slider, but he’s coming after you with intensity and purpose and a little more of a mix than he used to have. Yeah, he I think he learned a lot from last year, his first playoff game where he came out just throwing bullets and maybe ran out of a little bit of gas and he’s controlling everything in a finer motion where he knows this totality of the year is more important than one particular game and he’s a huge part of the Yankees right now rotation. Kyle Tucker acquired in a trade this off season and has helped transform that Cubs team. They’ve not been to the postseason since 20120, but an offensive machine with the acquisition of Tucker and the breakout of the nine hitter for this National League team and Pete Crow Armstrong. Most runs per game for the Cubs since 1935. Yeah, this is a trade that really helped both golf ball clubs. Houston benefiting and the Cubs benefiting. On a payoff pitch, Tucker hits it on the ground to second and Lever Torres helps out his old teammate. Tossing over to first base for the first out of the second. Now, can you believe that Francisco Lindor has not been to an All-Star game since 2019 that this is his first one as a New York Met. Yeah, that’s hard to believe. And I’ll make an argument or I’ll make a statement it’s not his last one for a Met. There you go. and starting the game for the first time. Might have taken some time, but he has settled in to New York. They fully embraced him. If there was any question left about that last year, sealed the deal. Big swing after big swing. He was the runner up to Otani for MVP. So, the big picture was sparkling, but then he had those indelible moments that Mets fans are always going to remember, including one here on the final day. Game-winning home run just to get the Mets into the postseason. And an 01 from Rodani goes up to get it and fouls it back. Well, it’s going to be an exciting divisional race. They’re going to probably switch places another 10 more times between the Phillies and the Mets. Um and Lindor and the Mets offense trying to battle that really, really balanced offense for the Philadelphia Phillies. Ball down. Good take by Lindor. Yeah, it seems like every time I check a different one of those two is in first place. The Mets had the great start, but they had a stretch where they lost 14 of 17. The Phillies have been below 500 since late May. A little bit outside and it’s two and two. Got him. Fast ball to get Lindor. Two up and two down in the second. They were talking about those Cubs, the transformation they’ve had offensively, the acquired Tucker, and then Pico Armstrong, maybe the biggest breakout star in baseball this year. Yeah, I’m blown away. I We all knew about his speed and defense, but how about the power? I mean, he’s combining power and that bat from the left side and just really transforming that offense and really solidifying that defense up the middle. Only three players have reached 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases faster in a season than Pete Crow Armstrong, Alfonso Soraniano, Eric Davis, and Bobby Bonds. Already Crow Armstrong 25 and 27. You can make a good MVP case when you consider the full body of work. And you’re going to get a chance to see him right here as he drops one into the right field corner. PCA into second with a double. just drops a barrel at it and easy double. That ball kicks around at all, he’ll be heading to third base. But classic left-handed hitting when you miss in that spot, you don’t get it down. They don’t swing and miss. They they love it right there. And when I say he’s making an MVP case, the caveat is that Otani is kind of in his own category. And if he continues to do what he’s doing, which is both jobs, the awards his last year, as spectacular as it was, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, it was easy to forget that that’s only half of the deal. He’s resumed pitching and he’s looked awesome. No, no, no. One takes outside. But the natural argument would be the hitting will go down a little bit. When you do both, it’s almost impossible for him to have the highest standard offensively and on the mount. He’s still hitting the home runs. His average has gone down just a little bit since pitching, but man oh man, what an athlete. Gave up a run in his first game back. First game back from Tommy John. Eight scoreless innings since then. Went three innings for the first time on Saturday in San Francisco. Dodgers taking their time building them up just with their sights set on October. on this 2-1. He gets into one down the line. Fouled and it dents some of the railings over there. Homerred in last year’s Allstar game and at least has a big laugh right here. Come goes to two and two. 110 mph. Johnny. Wow. I not only did he get on top of that, he hooked it. This should probably be heat right here. It was and he grounded it to first base Junior to the bag to finish off the second inning for Rodan. All right, coming off a double in the bottom of the second inning. Now he’s out there in center field and this is how the game works, Pete. In the all-star game, you get an extra base hit. You get to put the earpiece in for us and get a ball hit right to you. First ball. Let’s go. Let’s go. It’s good to talk to you, Mandy. I mean, 23 years old, you’re in your second season in the big leagues. Do you ever look around and say, “How in the world did I get here?” Yeah, all the time. This is this is the the easiest opportunity to do that. Um, and I’m sharing the outfit with one of my uh one of my new best buds and and Kyle, so it’s special. One pitch, one out. There’s Junior Comanro’s retire one pitch base hit. Beg your pardon. Camaros at first and Javier Bayz swings and misses first strike. Sorry, I’m still a little a little winded. I don’t blame you. Playing center field in uh Wrigley is one thing, but where’s your favorite place to play center field? I would think Colorado with all that space and you all the speed you’ve got. I mean, the ball actually finds a ways a way to just like kind of hang up and balloon uh in co. So, yeah, I do like it. Um, I’d say LA though, playing at Dodger Stadium has been my favorite uh place to play defense. How much of that is it’s special cuz you grew up going to games there? Well, that’s that’s exactly it. But, um, we’ve just we’ve played some really fun games there. So, I’ve gotten to make an impact on that side of the ball and that’s always special to me. I love doing that. Don’t underell. You’ve made some sick plays there. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Logan Webb in the game. Veteran better perennial Sai Young contender. Misses away with this one. It counts two and two on Bay. I got to believe with the Cubs, your guys’ confidence has got to be growing as one of the elite teams in the National League. Absolutely. I think uh I mean I was just talking to Ooh, hit pretty slowly. Machado’s only. Go ahead, Pete. Um no, I mean it’s it’s definitely nice uh you know, feeling like we’re being uh we’re being recognized and put in the same conversation as these uh these recent juggernauts that that beat the the Yankees and the Dodgers. Um, I’m proud of that, being a part of that. But I mean, we made really good acquisitions this offseason and everybody that we added has has just made us a whole lot better. So, I think we’re going to get a moment right here for Freddy Freeman from this Atlanta crowd. Making the change mid in spent the first 12 seasons of his career here in Atlanta and his manager end of his time here Brian Snicker gets a welldeserved hand Jacob Wilson to the plate and he goes after the first pitch it left center shoot you’re right there come Come on. Doesn’t the center fielder get to take charge? My lord. I can’t I can’t hear anything outside. I can’t hear you. I I peaked though. I peaked. Well, I was falling for it. I was like, I don’t know. I peaked. I had a feeling. You can tell Kyle it’s our fault. You were in your ear while you’re trying to communicate. Yeah. I’ll let him know when I go back inside. Um yeah, Kyle’s Kyle’s special. Um, I don’t think his defense get talked about enough. So, strike on Glaver Torres. Uh, I get a lot of kids that tell me they want to be like PCA. For the kids that want to be like you, what would you tell them? I hope you be exactly how you are supposed to be. uh you know, I think, uh I’ve dealt with uh you know, trying to emulate other people and and focusing a little bit less on myself and what makes what makes me great and unique. And I I think that is so I think that is so important for for kids that play this game or don’t just understand that, you know, there’s so much to offer and everybody’s so nice and unique in their own individual way. Pete, you are a gift to this game. You don’t change. Okay. Thank you guys. Nice talking to you. Enjoy your first All-Star. First of many, my friend. I am. I appreciate it. That is Jack Wilson, who was an all-star with the Pirates in 2004. His son, Jacob, an all-star with the Athletics this year. The first father-son duo to play shortstop at the Allstar game. Now, we got them both here. We got them both miked up with earpieces in. You guys both got me. Hey, what’s up, guys? This is so cool. as Ronald Duni gets ready to lead off this inning against Brian Woo. Jacob, congratulations. I mean, two years ago you were in college. Yeah. Now you’re at the Allstar game. What’s this ride been like to this point? Yeah, it’s been crazy. You know, it it fast. I just happy to be here. Happy to represent the A’s and uh I just love playing baseball. I know you got to be ready here with this guy. Yeah. 0 and2 on Aunia. Jack, you coach Jacob every step of the way. What’s your advice been for this first all-star experience for him? Nah, just enjoy the moment. Be out there. He looks phenomenal. Your flow is fantastic right now, J. Thank you. I haven’t had flow like that since like middle school. So, I’m really proud of you right now. And uh I don’t want to mess with you cuz you know with Lou throwing some you might No, he’s been great, man. I mean, from the day I mean he grew up over in Turner Stadium with his, you know, his Braves uniform and hitting BP in center field. So, this is amazing coming back here for him. Well, Jacob, uh, I’m a little bit in a weird place. I faced your dad and now I’m calling your all-star game cuz your dad told you what his batting average is against me. He has not. You need to remind me. 333, 4 for 12. So, come on. That can’t be right. That’s right. I’m officially old, but glad for you guys. Thank you. This is amazing. Thanks for having us on. Gel Marte, who’s knocked in the two runs in this game, grounds his spot to second for Torres. Jacob, you uh you hate striking out. I know. Yeah. Tell me about these stick ball games in the backyard where you hone that ability to put the ball in play. Yeah. Uh going back in the backyard, you know, obviously my dad won growing up. The dirt son does. And let me tell you, I got dominated for about 10 years. So all the stuff that he threw was nasty and I got had to learn to figure it out eventually. But uh no, it was fun. Definitely helped me uh get to hear get to hear it for sure. Dad, you threw it hard too, right? John, our games were epic. I did not take it easy on him. So that was pretty fun. 8-year-old kid getting dominated by my dad in the backyard. Peter Alonzo came off of the bench for Freddy Freeman. His first at bat takes inside ball one. Alonzo having his most well-rounded year and his return to New York. Uncertain that his time there was going to continue, but he’s back. The Mets are two right in the thick of things again. All down. Two and0. Good height. Jacob, anybody in particular you’ve uh you looked forward to meeting and that you’ve gotten a chance to say hi to? Uh I think everybody, you know, on both sides right now. It’s just being able to talk to them when they get second base inside my clubhouse. It’s it’s been great. You know, it’s been fun and fun just to be able to meet him and uh get to know him a little bit better than playing against him. Hey, you guys had a one, two, three inning together. Yeah. Go ahead. What do you want to say? Bye to Jacob. Oh, man. Keep going. Have another bat. Ambush. Ambush. Ambush. Appreciate you guys. Thanks, Jacob. Baseball’s just heating up. be a part of all the excitement and action this summer. Scan the QR code or go to mlb.com/tick and plan your ballpark visit. This is David Peterson, left-hander for the Mets. For years, it was what if? What if he stayed healthy? So much potential there. Well, he had hip surgery a couple years ago, came back from that last year, and since then, he’s been one of the top left-handers in the league. It’s all about his command. When his command is off, he’s uh not as good. He’s funky to hit, hard to hit. And it’s all about the improved strike throwing that he has. And the Mets now are benefiting from this tall lefty. Riley Green who struck out his first time. And you saw Fernando Tatis Jr. has checked into the game in right field. So Ronaldo Dunia’s night is finished. Green chases strike three and a strike out to begin Peterson’s game. Up comes Aaron Judge in the home run profile. Can’t think of a better guy to do that on. sponsored by Budweiser. American League record 62 in his MVP season 2022. 58 last year. Looks like he’s headed for a fourth 50 home run campaign. Good chance he’s headed for a third MVP in four seasons. Perhaps a triple crown with the way that the average is lapping the pack in that category. And John, he’s gone from best power hitter in the game to best hitter in the game to in the conversation of one of the best right-handed hitters period this game has ever seen. Well, he’s making adjustments that just didn’t keep him in that company because when you cut down the strikeouts and you continue to improve year to year, that’s what baseball’s about. Making adjustments, taking away things from pitchers. And when he can stay off of that pitch right there, he is deadly. And the pitchers are going to have to start thinking about walking him when they get in trouble with runners on because he’s no longer that guy that swings and misses too much. 314 average since 2022, sandwiched right between a couple guys you associate more with average. And in that time, he’s averaged 60 home run 162 games. It’s one of the greatest four-year stretches statistically we’ve ever seen. And in his 10th year with the Yankees, chopping this ball to the hole at short, one New York star to another. Francisco Lindor snaps it across the diamond to get judge. As amazing as he is at hitting home runs, it’s the next guy that’s leading the league. Home run leaders sponsored by homes.com. Not enough people talking about what Cal Raleigh is doing. 38 home runs. It’s one shy of the all-time record going into the All-Star break. It’s 10 shy of the full season record for any catcher ever. Yeah, I’m telling you right now, I know people are trying to hand out the hardware already and pretty much Judge is leading, but he’s not leading by that wide a margin. When this guy continues to do what he’s doing at a catcher position with about an 80% chance of him catching versus dhing, that has to be taken into account. He’s on pace to hit 64. He bangs this one to the gap in right center field. Cut off by Tatis and he holds into a single. Effective play by Fernando Tatis Jr. who has transitioned from shortstop to right field the last few seasons and made it look easy. He sure has. Great athlete and now that he’s healthy San Diego in the mix of a playoff spot, but this is a guy that is connected with the bat. I mean, you talk about on a roll, win the home run derby. I mean, only thing left for him to do is get the MVP of this game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with two away shoots his own base hit into right center field. Rowley makes the turn, heads to third in the American League. Has him cornered and a two to nothing game here in the fourth. Some pretty darn good company. Mentioned he’s on pace for 64. That would set the American League record. Bonds with his 73. The 38 that Raleigh has going into the break. The only guy with more going into the break was Bonds in that record setting 2001 season. He had 39 going into the All-Star break. And it’s not like this is out of the blue. Kalei hit 34 home runs last year. He won a platinum glove. Back to David Peterson here. Strained a couple, but Kalei has gone to another level. The big dumper making sure people know his name. You can stream every out of MLB game now available at a new low price of $94.99. Blackout and other restrictions apply. Go to mob.tv for details as Joe Ryan comes on to pitch and Manny Machado pops the first pitch that he sees. And the seats, that’s a souvenir. Ryan of the Minnesota Twins. Last time out, he beat Paul Skins on Friday. Got a unique arm angle. He says comes from his days playing water polo. Get unique movement on those pitches. And the Twins got a good one here. They do. Uh it’s been an interesting year for the Twins. streaky to say the least. No, and two on Machado. That guy right there, if he stays healthy, they can get on the good side of the streaks. Minnesota underperforming, but a lot of time left in the second half to keep making a push. It’s one and two on Machado. You know, Machado early on in his career, a lot of flash, a lot of glitz, young superstar player, but he still has all that. He still has all the superstar ability, but has morphed into this model of consistency and toughness that probably didn’t get talked about enough as he’s played through injuries. Still have been able to produce and producing at a extra high level this year as he’s gotten healthy. No one away in this fourth inning for the Dodger catcher Will Smith. Well, you’re seeing why that arm angle and that four seam fast ball, the hitters just don’t see it. It’s got great life to it. They’re not hitting anything. They’re under 200 about 171 off that four seam fast ball. Smith pops the first pitch that he sees into short center field. Lady Toys has had a busy day. Two out just like that. Well, since the moment that it was announced, everyone has had August 30th circled as the Arch Manning era kicks off with a playoff rematch for the ages. Texas against the defending champion Ohio State on big noon Saturday. What a way to get the season rolling. August 30th on Fox. Kyle Tucker grounded out his first time, but he made a tremendous defensive play for Clayton Kershaw. And they’re coming out swinging. Last Cubs outfielder to start the All-Star game was Cos Fukadome in 2008 when he set Wrigleyville on fire with that first half. He had homerred in his very first game as a Cub opening day and they have not had an outfielder start until they’ve had two of them this year. Tucker and Crow Armstrong. You know, for Tucker, it’s been superstar production for years in Houston, but you had Koreah and Eluve Bregman Alvarez. He kind of was able to coast under the radar. He’s in the spotlight in Chicago. He’s doing the same thing he’s always done. It’s just there’s a little brighter light on him now given the role. Yeah, he’s just one of the most I’d say I don’t think he’s under the radar anymore, but you’re right. When you when you have those kind of players around you now, he’s got a chance to really shine. Two and two on him. He’s about to get paid by somebody. You know, Cubs fans are saying, “I hope it’s us.” He answers free agency. Strike three called and Joe Ryan puts BookN K’s on an impressive one two three fourth. Tonight we deliver a powerful message as we join our partners stand up to cancer in reaffirming a commitment to the fight against cancer. Major League Baseball, its fans, players, and coaches are united in our determination to defeat this disease for our friends, our families, and our community. Please stand together with Major League Baseball, Mastercard, Fox, and the entire baseball family in support of all those this disease has touched. For more information and to find out how you can help, scan the QR code or visit standup tocancer.org. It’s going to be ladies and gentlemen. Thank you through August 22nd. When you tap or order online with your Mastercard at qualifying grocery stores and restaurants, Mastercard’s going to donate 1 cent up to $5 million to stand up to cancer. Standing up for the people we love. Priceless a mustwatch one in a one-of-a-kind event. You can catch Ronald Dun Jr. and the Braves taking on Ellie Dlock Cruz. The Reds bottom four Reds up two to nothing. Did Ellie get a new helmet? Shut up. Me. Me is trying to talk. Yeah. Going to be cool. We’ve uh we’ve been getting updates on how the stadium looks, how the track looks, getting converted to a stadium for baseball. I think it’s going to be one of the neatest things we do, especially if you and I get to ride around that track in a car. One-on-one or just one car. I think we do it. You know what what what bad thing could happen? Nothing. Nothing bad that it’s not banked or anything. Just a flat road. I’m sure you get in get on those banks. Feel like you’re on a roller coaster ready to fall inside. A two to nothing lead for the National League as McKenzie Gore comes on to pitch for the NL. This is the guy who they got in the Juan Sodto trade. They’ve gotten a you trade a guy like Juan Sodto, you better get a bunch of key pieces. The Nationals did and Mackenzie Gore has blossomed into the race. He sure has. And the Nationals are going in a little bit different direction, but they have some young players to build their franchise around. Speaking of young players, youngest player in this All-Star game, Junior Kamanero at the plate here, just turned 22 years old. He’s already got 23 home runs. And he does it with just a vibrant personality, lovable energy. You got to see it a little bit last night with the home run derby where he finished runner up. And he’s one for one in this game with a base hit his first time. And you know with everything surrounding that organization, the things the challenges, they’re loving the outdoor stadium in Yankees spring training park where they are just right in the mix again. You just can’t kill them. You just can’t race to shorten Lindor. One gone in the fifth. Well, the American League East, it looked like the Yankees were just going to cruise start to finish. But the Yankees the last month, only the White Socks have been worse than the New York Yankees. Well, the Blue Jays have been the hottest team in baseball. And enter the break in first place in the division. For the first time since 93, the last time the Blue Jays won it all. And watch out, the Red Sox have won 10 in a row. They don’t I’m sure the All-Star break came at the wrong time for them. Javier Bayz takes inside. I’ve been saying watching people are like watch out 10 in a row for the socks. Say Javier Baya is one of the great stories at this all-star game. Was here backto-back seasons early in his career with the Cubs. Goes to the Mets. Actually traded for Pete Crow Armstrong to the Mets, which is another story. But after finishing up his time in New York, signs his contract with the Tigers to be the guy, the first guy of this rebuild to get him back. The first few years it was not good just showing fear and time at first to get by. Not just not good, he was one of the worst hitters in baseball the first few years and then the Tigers make that run late last season while he’s undergoing hip surgery. Out of sight, out of mind. It looked like maybe he would play for the Tigers again. Maybe not. You didn’t know it wasn’t a sure thing. Shows up to spring training. AJ Hinch says, “Hey, your path back to being part of this thing is to be the most versatile guy in the league.” And his eyes lit up. He said, “You mean I get to go run around in center field?” So, he goes out and plays center field for the first time and doesn’t just get back into the picture with the Tigers. He gets back to the All-Star game for the first time in six years. Yeah, that’s a lot going right in Mottown and a lot going right for this young man. And another situation while the A’s are waiting for their stadium to be built. They’re in Sacramento and all he’s done is gone first or second in all those categories. We got a challenge here. Oh, got it. Called to the strike. Wilson said, “I’m going to challenge that.” And if there’s anybody who should know, it may be him. Although I don’t know the high strikeout or the low strikeout total is not just because he has good eyes. It’s because he swings at everything and puts everything in play, but he didn’t win the challenge. Grounded out the short. Well, the first three hitters of the game for the National League had base hits. Two runs came in to score, but nothing doing since then. And the latest pitcher for the American League from the Tampa Bay Rays, this is Drew Rasmmanson. 89 and one coming up for the NL. Francisco lays off a upstairs fast. Ray’s got Rasmmanson in the Willie Adam trade back in 2021 and Adamus did big things for the Brewers. But Rasmmanson five years in Tampa Bay going back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation. A 275 ERA, it’s just been a matter of staying healthy for him throughout his career. He’s had three major arm surgeries and along with Jason Adam, those guys become the first guys on record and and it’s not a perfect science, but the first guys on record to make it to an all-star game after three operations like that. One ball and two strikes on Lindor. Wholesale substitutions for Aaron Boon the defensive side. Buckton and Rosarena into the game in the outfield with Chisum and Aronda on the infield. One, two, in the National League trying to win the All-Star game for just the second time the last 12 editions. It’s been a rough goal here for the National League. You’re asking Dave Roberts before the game, do they still, you know, do they do they really want to beat the other side as a true competitive juice? And Dave said, uh, I know I want to win cuz I’m 0 and3. He’s managed a few of these. Yeah. Looking for his first. Lindor with a line drive into right field that Rosarena is on to pick off. A oneway in this fifth inning. Scoring’s been hard to come by for the National League. They needed an Alias Diaz home run to win it in Seattle a couple years ago to get their only win out of their last 11 games. And I mean, the American League has only trailed for six innings. the last 11 All-Star games. One away for Pete Crow Armstrong who doubled his first time. Bullets up. I mean, there’s an outside chance. I I didn’t think we’d see 50/50 and we did last year out of Otani. 50 stolen bases, 50 home runs. He’s got a he’s got an outside chance if the weather plays right in Chicago. And when it plays right, it plays really right there, huh? Two and one. 25 home runs, 27 stolen bases. He started using a bigger bat at spring training and he thinks that there’s a couple things to that. He covers the plate a little bit better and just a little more pop there with a little more weight. skies this one into short left center field. Riley Green the call and the catch. In a special moment before tonight’s game to celebrate 15 years of partnership with Folds of Honor, Budweiser presented checks towards educational scholarships to Folds of Honor representatives. Folds of Honor provides families of fallen or disabled US service members and first responders with life-changing scholarships. Well, a greeting for a guy that has done a lot of damage in this ballpark and in every other ballpark for that matter. And Kyle Schwarber has hit more home runs than anybody in the National League since going to the Phillies in 2022. And he’s got 30 more this year. Third in the National League in that category. Otani and Auano Suarez ahead of him. He’s got a good shot at a careerhigh. is saying something for a home run monster throughout his decade plus. Yeah, a big part of the Phillies and Harper’s back. So, their offense is well equipped with Kyle Schwarber. There you see two from 300. All I can think of and I don’t know why, but guys go to their helmet fly to center field. Buckton’s drifting back. What if they don’t mean it and they get a challenge out of it? left-hander from the Cincinnati Reds, Andrew Abbott, who is having uh maybe the best pitching season nobody’s talking about. Jazz Jr. bats for the first time. Grounds it foul. Well, Cincinnati still in the mix, too. Of course, Terry Francona going there. I thought that was a little bit of a surprise move, but they got good young pitching. They got to pick up their offense. And Cincinnati in the mix. No one comes home. We are joined by Pete Alonzo down at first base. Hi, Pete. Hey, what’s up, guys? I promise John and I like you more than it seems like the people here in Atlanta do. Oh, I appreciate that. Yeah, you got quite the greeting there. Absolutely. Love it. So, uh, your fifth All-Star game. First one you were a rookie. Now you’re kind of one of the old guys. Have you felt that transition to being a veteran? Um, I mean a little bit, but you still have have some uh super ultra veteran guys around. Like I know he’s still relatively young, but I think he’s got seven. Uh Manny Machado obviously uh Kershaw and uh I mean I mean Freddy, I mean you got some ultra ultra veteran guys around which is like really you get to see I mean the best talent in the game which is really I mean not just now uh but you get to see the past, present and future of the game here with the guys in the clubhouse. Chisum flies this ball to center field where Corbin Carroll Pete, you had an incredible ending to your season and then you resigned with the Mets and certainly you’re back at home. And what has been the biggest thing you’ve done different this year? I know this is a game of adjustments and you’re having a fantastic year, but what have you done differently this year? I mean, I just feel really consistent with my mechanics. Um, yeah, I feel really uh consistent in my mechanics. I feel really comfortable at Bullet the Dish. Um, I mean, I just want to be repeatable and calm, cool, and collected and and just be Yeah, just be in it every single day. Five home runs away from Daryl Strawberry for the Mets record. I’m always fascinated the uh psychology of that as a guy bears down in a milestone like that. Obviously, it’s in your head. How do you not let it keep you from eclipsing it? Um, I mean, uh, to be honest, I think, uh, like people people on the exterior talk about it more than I think about it. I mean, for me, I just want to win and I just want to get a good pitch, put my best swing on a good pitch in my zone, and when it doesn’t show up, do the best I can to take and, uh, catch the ball cleanly, run the bases hard and, uh, make smart decisions. That’s really all what it boils down to. This game is built on confidence, right? It’s a game of failure, but it’s built on confidence. And you guys offensively, I think this is the best place you guys have ever been. Do you kind of agree on that? Yeah, I mean, we’re I mean, when we’re healthy, we we got depth and we got guys with uh talent and grit, and those are some pretty uh pretty good components uh to that’ll get us through the 162 to get us in a nice spot for the postseason. Randy Roserin is up there. His first at bat of the game. He’s taking over for Aaron Judge in right field. Not an 01 for it. outside. You faced this Abbott guy. Pretty nasty, huh? No, he’s really deceptive. Um, he’s got some really good stuff. I mean, he’s he pitches uh with conviction. I mean, he can X the plate really, really well. He’s great location and he does a great job of tunneling. Head of a Rosarena one and two looking for a 1236. Bouncer back to him. Coming to you, Pete. We appreciate you, Pete. Have a great second half. Okay. How sweet is it that the teams are wearing their uniform, players are wearing their teams uniforms again? I’m telling you, it’s one of the coolest things that think about the young kids that didn’t know that they could do that because we grew up watching it and now it’s back and you get to pick out and don’t have to wonder who and where they played for. Fernando Tatis Jr. leads off this inning. One ball, one strike against Chris Bubich. Tatis has taken over for Akunia defensively. This is his first at bat of the game and takes in the dirt. Two and one. Bunch of changes again defensively for the American League. Quan and left. Mel Garcia another Royal and Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays now doing the catching. ball that’s up. Well, for Tatis, his sixth season in a career that you can really split into two parts. He debuted when he was 20 years old in 2019. He had a home run title within his third year. Had a record setting contract, but then he missed a full year. Swings and misses here. Three and two. There’s a suspension. There were the injuries. He underwent three surgeries while he was away. This is the third year of kind of career two for him. And while the numbers aren’t through the roof like they were early, this is still such a fun player to watch. He takes a walk here and what he’s done defensively moving to right has been incredible. He’s a board to open this sixth inning and our game summary. Two runs were in the bank before there was an out recorded on a double from Catel Marte off of TK Scuba. Two soft hits and then one down the line. And that’s all the scoring so far. Runs are hard to come by in the All-Star game lately. Pitching in the arms and the velocity. Winning out the National League. One of its last 15 since that double from Marte who’s pinch hit for here by Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals. There goes the runner. Tatis will steal second. That’s still very much part of his well-rounded game. I was waiting for a promo on a stolen base, but I guess we don’t have one. Oh, yeah. Well, don’t give it to him. I won’t. I won’t this year, right? Just stop right there, John. Sales is about to get angry. Steal a base. Uh, steal a base. Here’s a two- shot foul. Cardinals kind of hard to figure out, aren’t they? Yeah, it’s it’s it’s been one of those years for them, but they’re not out of it, right? They they definitely um caught fire like a lot of the teams have had these streaks and offensively they got on to a good little run. Game and a half out of the last playoff spot. Ground ball left side. Bobby W Jr. gets there. A jump throw is wide and an infield hit for Donovan. First and third, nobody out. going the other way. This was going to be a real tough play. I don’t think he really got a good grip on the ball, but I don’t think it was going to matter playing up the middle and had to go backhand. One of the most electric shorts stops in the league and shortstop position is filled with some incredible talent. inside and a ball on Pete Alonzo. Lined out his first time. We were talking to Pete. You were mentioning how steady he seemed this year. He talked about his mechanics being dialed in. This is as wellrounded as he’s ever been. Always had the home runs, but he’s hitting 280 this year. And he’s showing off that home run power here. It is gone. Pete Alonzo goes the other way. A three-run shot to break it open. I don’t know if I saw this correctly, but we’ll get a chance to see the replay. I I’m I’m wondering if Pete knew where that ball was going after it hit his back. I mean, we knew where it was going. Let me see what the reaction is. He hits the ball. Okay, he’s following it the whole way. I thought he looked back as the ball to right field here will go. And see the tall wall in the fence, but right field is where you get the most carry here in this stadium. And not a big three-run homer. 247 in his career and his first in the All-Star game. Five to nothing for the National League. Here to Lonzo. Normally when he homers here, the fans are not happy. But most of the folks here, being Braves fans, want the National League to win. They’ll take it. Chopper foul. One and one on Suarez. Another home run hitter right here. Oh my goodness. 31, I think. Yeah, including four in one game. Only Otani’s got more than Suarez in the National League who may not be a Diamondback for long. If they decide to sell, there’s going to be a lot of teams that are like him. shot on the ground to second to perhaps his future teammate. I don’t know. Jazz Chisum. One gone in the sixth and down to Ken Rosenthal. Thanks Joe. Pete, you just said to me that was fun. Take me through it. Yeah, that was great. Um I mean it’s I mean it’s unbelievable environment here. Um I mean great I mean great job from the guys in front of me. I mean Toddy had an unbelievable beat. Donnie hustling out a single there. I mean unbelievable uh base running from those guys that they they set up the whole situation. Pete, thanks a lot. Joe, back to you. First Met to hit a home run in the Midsummer Classic in 19 years. That’ll do it for Chris Bouic. Into the bullpen again goes Aaron Boon in a five nothing game. Tatis knew he’d take his time enjoying it and head home. New pitcher, new hitter. First off, the pitcher, it’s Casey Mai, one of the six Detroit Tigers in the game. Most of any team fitting for the team with the best record in baseball. The new hitter, Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies. He flies it off the end of the bat to Buckton in center field. Now, coming up the end of this inning, special tribute you’re not going to want to miss. one Atlanta got to pay tribute to Hamron Hank. So stick with us and the sixth inning wraps up. Two outs in this six. Corbin Carroll hacks of the first one foul and Casey Mai number one pick of the draft in 2018. So this is extra meaningful for him given everything he’s gone through to get here. carried all the weight of the expectations and then dealt with injury after injury. Well, at the age of 28, he’s 9 and3 RA around three. Thank you. And at his first All-Star game, finally healthy enough to put it together. He’s still with a hamstring a little bit again, but got through that and has been part of a really good Tiger staff. Yeah, I mean when you think about the staff that they have and going in the postseason and trying to beat one of these two guys, that’s what makes Detroit so intriguing and why they’re so happy in uh the Motor City about their Tigers. M Carroll with the one two and a high fly ball to deep right center field. Corbin Carroll leans into this one for a home run. Little man but big time pop. Corbin Carol 510 165 lbs. 21 home runs though already this season and he’s got one here in the All-Star game. Having a bounce back year. He went through a little rough patch and now he’s back on his game as he just catches a breaking ball right on the perfect part of the bat. Oh, nice play. Allstar fan and the Diamondbacks mascot loves it. Here’s Ellie Dea Cruz swinging and missing at the first pitch. First time since 1977 the National League had two home runs in one inning. It’s upstairs and a ball and a strike on Day Cruz has got the kind of pop that could make it three. He’s just 23 years old. He’s in his third season already at his second All-Star game and he just keeps on getting better. Chase is here and he’s behind one and two. He’s got electricity in his legs, in his arm, and in his bat. The only thing he’s got to do is cut down on the strikeouts and sky’s the limit. Swings and misses. Strike three. But the National League gets four 51 years ago. An all-time baseball moment occurred in Atlanta, Georgia. Let’s relive that marvelous milestone in baseball history. And it doesn’t take a mind readader to read the collective mind that’s here in this ballpark tonight. They came to see him pass the bay. Once again, a standing ovation for Henry Aaron. So the confrontation for the second time. Aaron walked in the second inning. He means the tying run at the plate. Now we’ll see what Downing does. Alice the belt delivers and he’s low. Ball one. And that just adds to the pressure. He’s sitting on 714. Here’s the pitch by Downing. Swinging. There’s a drive into left center field. That ball is going to be out of here. It’s gone. It’s 7:15. There’s a new home run champion of all time and it’s Henry Aaron. The fireworks are going. Henry Aaron is coming around third. His teammates are at home place. And listen to this crowd. What a marvelous moment for baseball. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world. I think that people can look at me and say, you know, he was a great baseball player, but he was even a greater human being. Welcome back to Atlanta. Hank Aaron, the allstar of all stars, 25 time all-star, including the first All-Star game here in Atlanta, 1972 at Fulton County Stadium where he hit a home run and treated the hometown fans to that. You hear all about the home run, 755. his widow Billy Aaron here in the crowd giving her a great hand. But even if you took away every single one of his home runs, he still would have had 3,000 hits. Yeah. By the way, that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. So cool. On 7:15, we remember number 715. So here we go to the seventh inning. Alejandro Kirk wastes no time banging a base hit into center field against Adrien Mo. I am telling you right now, if you just watch him walk around in street clothes and you have no idea what or what he did, you could just put a shirt on that says all I do is hit. So the uh Blue Jay scout that discovered him was in Tijana to watch a different catcher and he sees this guy and thinking the same thing you are like, who is this stupid? He started watching him hit and he just couldn’t take his eyes off him. So he calls the front office and said, “Okay, you’re going to have to bear with me on this one. He’s 5’7. He doesn’t really look the part takes eye, but trust me, he can hit. And the good thing was once the free front office agreed to listen to this scout, they didn’t have any competition. Nobody else would look past the everyman look. Blue Jays were his only offer. And he’s a two-time all-star now having a huge year, hitting above 300, one of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball. Allstar players come in all different shapes and sizes. That’s pretty amazing. Couple new players into the game defensively as Aronda swings and misses and it’s two and one. Jonathan Oronda, the Tampa Bay Rays, also from Mexico and actually those guys grew up as friends in the Tijana area. That’s up. Same deal where a scout went to see somebody else. Scout actually went to watch Randy Aros Arena who had left Cuba and taken up residence in Mexico was doing his workouts there. But then a local guy suggested that the scout take a look at this kid too. And they eventually signed him to a contract. That was a decade ago. But they probably told the scout, “Go look for a guy with the first two letters A R.” That’s right. I got the guy. Wait, wait, wait. lays off. That’s ball four. First two have reached against Moralone. And now a quick word from Capital One. Brent Rooker gets ready for his first atbat of the game, but it looks like he may face a different pitcher. Dave Roberts out there talking with the guy who normally his team has to deal with in the National League West. part of that dominant bullpen, one of the three Padres’s relievers here at the Midsummer Classic. Dave Roberts goes from one reliever from the division to another. And Randy Rodriguez, who’s number one in the majors with a 087 erra, it’s the best RA for a Giant at this stage of the season ever, comes home to Brent Rooker. No. And it’s that slider that’s helped transform him. Well, he’s only a two- pitch pitcher, but guess what? Those two pitches impossible to hit, so you don’t need it anymore. It’s a slider that’s always been good, but he revamped it in April. Got more movement even though he’s throwing it harder. He’s missed with his first two sliders. They say he’s the nicest guy in the world. His favorite thing to do is dive into a good long fiction book. But like so many pitchers, you get on that mount, he transforms. He’s been tough to hit. Fast ball is hit hard in the air to left center field. Back goes Sters. It is gone. The American League is on the board on a home run from Brent Rooker. And we bookend honoring Hammer and Hank for these guys hammering the ball in the All-Star game. Two home runs for the National League in the bottom of the sixth. And now Rooker launches a sky scraping blast here in the seventh. Rooker made it look real easy. 200 count set that on a fast ball and then watch how simple he gets the bat to the ball. I mean that is textbook foot down hips clear and so did the ball been a bit since we’ve seen an all-star game like this. has three home runs the last eight hitters is Michael Garcia fouls it off Brent Rooker who two years ago is thinking I may go play in Japan first few years bounced from the Twins to the Padres’s to the Royals had a total of 10 home runs those three years goes to the A’s in 2023 hits 30 home runs gets named an all-star for the first time 39 last year already 19 this here. Two and one on a first time allar. And Garcia Garcia hitting .297 for Kansas City. That’s a little eyeball three. guy that wasn’t even the opening day lineup for the Royals. Forced his way in has just kept on hitting. Second in the league in doubles. 25-year-old from Venezuela takes a strike and it’s three and two. Not just from Venezuela, but from Las Sabana, Venezuela, which is a tiny fishing village that’s produced more star ball players per capita than any other village in the world. Melced Zcobar, Ronald Akuna are cousins of his and both from Lasabor with a walk. We go down to Tom Berduchi. Oh, thanks Brent Rooker. Patience paid off. You took those two sliders. Tell me about the next pitch. Yeah, I mean I don’t know how I took those two sliders. They were really good pitches and um I don’t know. So I shut it down on him and then I was swinging no matter what on that two pitch hoping it was a fast ball and it happened to be a fast ball. Your second All-Star game. Does it feel different this time? It does a little bit. a little bit more uh a little bit more comfortable. Um obviously I know more of the guys now because I’ve been in the league a little bit longer. So have built some relationships. I’m being a little bit more social and and talking to some more guys instead of trying to keep to myself so much. Enjoy it. Thank you. Appreciate it. How about this guy up here, John and Byron Buckton. It is uh it’s a treat for all of baseball when he’s healthy. He’s been healthy this year and tearing it up. That is a smash towards the left field corner, but some top spin down to Sters. Yeah, for Buckston. I mean, the talent’s unbelievable. Um, the the bad luck and the injuries. Oh, and he’s healthy. Puts up stupid numbers. And Minnesota’s hoping the second half he can stay healthy and they can make a run. Hit for the cycle on Saturday. Did Buckton on his bobblehead day, no less. That’s living up to the moment. So, that’s the first out of the inning. And here’s Bobby Whit Jr. There goes Garcia, his teammate, taking off for second and stealing it as the throw goes into center field from Goodman. Up to third goes Garcia. Broke his chain with that all-star bonus. He can get a new one. Got a huge jump. Wonder when he realized he broke his chain. Was it right there? And time to save it right there. You know, the only thing that kept Bobby Whit Jr. from winning MVP last year was see Aaron Judge had, but 332 average last year for Whit. 32 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and doing it again this year. Two and one. Kansas City to the postseason. They hadn’t been here in a decade. They go back to the World Series championship in 2015 to find their last trip prior to last season. They’re kind of lurking there. Tigers pulling away from everybody in the division, but as far as a wild card team, you could see them making a run. Yeah, they got a good young core players. Ground ball pass the mom. This will get his teammate in for third and it’s a 6-4 game as Whit grounds out to second. Two outs in the seventh inning. Back to the top of the order and the Tigers 103 days in first place this year. I think everybody knew about the pitching that the staff was going to be hard to hit, but the lineup being as productive as they have has been the part that at least for me has been a big surprise. It has been a big surprise. They had that miracle run to get like8% chance of getting in the postseason. They made that run. They came close to extending that run into the championship series and ran out of a little bit of offense. Chisum the first knocked down by Olsen. He’ll have no play. Got to be a hit, right? Yeah. Too much top spin. Kind of a do or die scoop. This ball had a lot of spin on it. Olson, one of the better defending first baseman’s probably hit the heel of his glove instead of that webbing and popped out. See it from the view of first base umpire Marvin Hudson. And it is a base hit. This inning continues. How you doing, big dog? Good. Doing good. Another pitching change is coming up here. All these umpires wearing the camera for us tonight. What do you think about us doing it one day wearing the camera? Yeah. I don’t know. It depends on what stadium. Some of them are better views than others, but it’ be great views of each other. People want that. I don’t know. Let’s do it. All right, I’m in. But we do while we do race the cars at Bristol in a few weeks. Back here in Atlanta, Steven Quan to bat against Trevor McIll. And Quan jumps on the first pitch, sends one a mile high. This guy has incredible bat the ball skills. He really doesn’t swing and miss much. You got a power pitcher on the mount and McIll and this is a contact first type hitter for the Guardians. Both takes downstairs from McIll, who is a guy that Dave Roberts went out of his way to talk about when we sat down with him today. The Dodgers just saw the Brewers last week, and McIll blew him away. And Dave said, “I didn’t appreciate until I got up next to him today how much a beast he is.” 68 250. And in a clubhouse full of big dudes, as imposing of a presence as you’ll find, seems like the Brewers always have a guy to shut down games. Hater leaves, Devin Williams steps up. Devin Williams leaves. Here’s McGill and his first All-Star game. Chis and runs and a bouncing ball left outside. Backhand by Suarez. That is it for the top of the seventh. But the American League, if they had just three hits, just three base runners over the first six innings, they score four times to get back into the game here in the seventh. Ran Rooker with the big swing in that inning. a three-run home run against Randy Rodriguez, who hadn’t given up a home run since April. Rooker finds the seats in his second trip to the All-Star game. And it’s a 64 game as we stretch. And now we join public address announcer Alan Roach. Major League Baseball invites all of our guests to please rise and sing along as we celebrate America’s freedom with the singing of God Bless America performed by Braves Opera Tener, Timothy Miller. God bless America. Land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her through the night with a light from above. From the mountains to the prairies to the oions. with God bless all America my home sweet home. God bless all America. My home sweet home. A 6-4 game as we welcome you back to Atlanta. Down to the bottom of the seventh inning we go. Carlos Cves is on to pitch. Kyle Sourers attacks the first pitch, rolls it in with a bag foul. We’ve enjoyed visiting with the players tonight. We’re going to get a chance to visit with the managers, Aaron Boon, Dave Roberts, both joining us. Okay, you guys faced off SC against UCLA. You face off in the World Series and now here you are eye to eye staring across the diamond in the All-Star game. Yeah, he’s having his way with me now. We got to flip the script a little bit. You know what I mean? No, not at all. Not at all. Aaron, don’t play that blue holes game with me, man. Uh, who had the edge? SC UCLA. SC, you just uh uh the the late uh Gillespie, Coach Gillespie, we just couldn’t beat those guys. And you know, they they were tough. They they were stacked. Um always always fun playing against the Trojan. So, that’s a strike out of St. for the first out of the seventh there. when you were an all-star as a player in 2003. How is this compared on this side managing the royalty team? Um I would say it’s equally as exciting, a little bit different obviously cuz you’re not playing and you’re you know you’re you’re kind of managing the game and and the and the different teams and players and requests and all that at and you know you want to balance getting guys in there with protecting guys and all that. Um, but equally as And as I talked to you guys before the game, you know, you compete against all these guys really hard all year and to to be teammates with them honestly is is the best part about this. I’ve enjoyed getting to know a lot of these guys, having some personal moments with them. Um, those things that you know, the relationships you forge in this game that you kind of take with you forever. Um, I feel like that’s happened here uh this week in Atlanta. Two balls, no strikes on Kyle Schwarber, who’s 0 for one in this game. It takes a little bit low. Dave, you get to be around Otani every day. What do people need to know about Otani that you can’t see just tuning in and watching him from 7 to 10 each night? I I I think the things that uh you don’t know about Shi is is probably uh down right there. Do it. He wants to hit anyway. Um I I I think the thing with show is he’s very intentional about everything he does. Um, but he’s a jokester. He likes to have fun and uh he’s very generous with his time. Follows it off. And same same deal for you, Aaron. You’re around a guy who’s going to go down as one of the all-time greats and Aaron Judge. And love the All-Star game and that it’s a chance to really celebrate and appreciate what we’re watching. Same question for you. What do people need to know about Aaron Judge that you couldn’t know if you weren’t around him the way you are? Just, you know, he’s the best person in our room. like he is such a great teammate. Um so unselfish and he’s really, you know, over the last few years, you know, really, I think, taken it upon himself and really dove into how do I keep myself healthy? How do I keep myself having the ability to post 150, 160 times a year? What are the things I need to do from an offseason standpoint, but then during the year to make sure I’m going to the post consistently? He’s gotten really good at managing his body and even when he’s there’s there’s been times and certain years where he’s banged up and and he knows how to do it now when when he’s not 100% and that’s something he’s worked hard at really over these last few years. Satis takes strike two. Both you guys worked hard to get to the World Series and obviously uh you put in a lot of time, but how important is this for your coaching staff to experience the All-Star game as well? For for me, it it it’s great. Um, you know, they get to to bring their families uh, you know, a two-day paid vacation and, uh, you see the kids out here for the home run derby and you bring them into the clubhouse and, um, so it’s it’s, uh, just to be around the stars. I think it’s great. My kids, for my staff, uh, their kids are a little bit older, so they can really appreciate being around all these superstars. And it’s uh you know with the grind that we go through and the coaches and typically the coaches don’t get a lot of uh credit or praise or or acknowledgement. So this is something that’s uh some of the fruits of of grinding every day with these players. Yeah. Yeah. the coaches the coaches work so hard and are so valuable and I feel like this in at least a small way really honors them and uh like Doc said like to see our coaches you know whether it’s with older kids or with even some of my coaches that have really young kids to see them eat up this experience it’s a reward cuz nobody works harder than the coaches you know the time they put in and this is a reward for them and I felt that from them and and So, it’s fun for me to get to see it and and a way of saying thank you in a lot of ways. And doesn’t it look right, Aaron? We got everybody in the home. We got in our own uniforms here, right? It’s so good, isn’t it? It’s so good. Thank you, baseball, for fixing that little uh snafu we had there for a few years. So, good to Brandon Donovan. Takes in the dirt. Well, you guys are uh you guys are besides being great at your jobs, you’re wonderful ambassadors for your teams and for this game. Thank you for all you both do uh day in and day out for all of us guys. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you guys. Um it’s a great game we get to be a part of and you know Joe Tori when talking to our guys talked about you know you want to take care of it and you want to try and leave it in a better place when you leave and you can continue can you continue to pass it on and um we take that very seriously. Absolutely. Thanks guys. Thanks for having me on. That’s good right there. All right guys, travel safe back. Good luck in the second half to both of you. All right guys, thanks guys. Base hit for Brendan Donovan who is two for two in the three spot in this National League lineup. Is doing it today. Had a two-run double from Mart. Another two hits from Donovan. And now an ovation from Matt Olsen. Not just an Atlanta Brave, but a local guy out of Park View High School in the Atlanta suburbs. and he had the tough job of coming over and replacing Freddy Freeman. All he did was set the new Braves record, 54 home runs a couple seasons ago. And he pokes this one foul. Not too far from here. Grew up trying to swing like Chipper Jones. Last time the Allstar game was in Atlanta, he was a six-year-old. He went to the home run derby. Watch Sammy Sosa take home the title in 2000. trying to join Chipper as another brave maybe to hit a home run in the All-Star game. What a what a moment for Chipper. And he did a good job in the TE’s. He did a good job in the home run derby tease that he had out there. He was I don’t think he was accurate about his age. No, he wasn’t. He was in our audition tease and they said, “How old are you?” and he said I’m 28ish. Strike three caught on Olsen. That’ll bring this inning to a close. Carlos Estz. This guy right here has been one of the big stories of the last month or so in baseball. He debuted on June 12th and here he is at the All-Star game. Jacob Merowski with a 102 mph fast. Paul Ske got here fast, right? He started last year’s game after 11 big league games. Merowski’s done it in five. Can you imagine what his heart rate is right now? It’s probably as much as his fast ball is. I mean, he can sling it. And there’s the 89 pitches of 100 miles an hour plus. But man, last time out struck out 12 Dodgers. Top offense in the National League. Beat Clayton Kershaw. There’s some controversy around him getting invited after this amount of time. other guys that people thought more deserving, but his manager put it pretty well, Pat Murphy. So, this is an entertainment business and people want to see the Miz pitch. You can see his teammates, some of them who have faced him, some of them who have just heard tales about the Miz, but everybody up there eager to see him throw. Yeah, so far so good. I mean, I was a little worried that his RPMs would be way up there, but he seems to be under control in this incredible environment for him. arm angle, velocity. How about the Milwaukee Brewers? Man, it’s another team you just can’t kill. They’ve won seven in a row, 31 and 12 since late May. Best in the National League. A Rose Arena turns around a 100 in the air to center field. Carol to the track. He’s got just enough room. For more on Jacob Mizerowski, here’s Tom Verduchi. Well, I asked Jacob about his best All-Star memory, and he went all the way back to 2012. He went to home run derby at Kaufman Stadium, sat above the fountains in center field, already in love with baseball, he fell even more in love with the game. And if you’ve listened to Jacob the last two days here in Atlanta, and the smile that never left his face, he still looks at Major League Baseball with a 10year-old’s eyes. And if you can do that, you’re an allstar every year. Alejandro Kirk here with one away and he shoots it foul. We’re also joined by Matt Olsen who’s getting a good look at this down at first base. Hi Matt. How’s it going guys? Doing okay. You have not faced Jacob yet. I’m sure you’ve heard about him and seen highlights. Pretty impressive, huh? Yeah, it’s coming out pretty good right now. This is a good matchup of a guy who likes to hit fast balls against a fast ball pitcher. Nope. It’s 0 and2. Hey, what a great ovation you got. I know you get it all the time here, but it had to be extra special playing in an All-Star game in front of your home fans. Yeah, it’s definitely special. Um, you know, the the reaction from the crowd yesterday when I got got rolling on a couple homers was amazing. Um, you know, the energy here has been great and uh definitely showing us some extra love. We were talking about when you came to the derby as a kid watching Sammy Sosa get it done, huh? Yeah. What do you remember about that? Uh, only six, so not not too much, but um, you know, I just remember how cool of an event it is. I mean, I think for myself growing up and a lot of baseball fans, the home run derby is just one of the best events because, you know, it’s guys, you know, not typically doing what they’re doing, going out and trying to leave the yard. Kirk pokes this one in the air to right field for Fernando Tatis Jr. And out number two, National League Six, American League Four here with two gone in the top of the eighth inning. Jonathan Aronda to the plate. There are a few guys that put on a show last night. A junior Kanero lighting up the scoreboard with his home runs. Cal Raleigh. Matt, I I don’t know if enough people are talking about the season he’s having for Seattle. Hit 38 home runs in the first half and then to come here just recrown himself as the home run guy last night. Some season he’s having. Yeah, guys blacked out right now. Um you know, baseball is a crazy game when when you get in the zone, you can stay in it. Uh that’s what that looks like right there. Matt, you have an impressive streak going. How how is your I mean that mentality to play every day it’s not common. Uh talk to me about what you your philosophy is and how you stay in in the shape you’re in. I think uh I think I kind of just grew up that way. Um it’s kind of how my dad raised me and then going over to uh Park 2 High School here. Uh Coach Champ Brown kind of had the same philosophy. And then when I got to the big leagues, uh, I’ve given Marcus Simeon a lot of credit. He was kind of the vet when I was there and, um, you were a trainer telling that guy to It’s a base hit for Ronda. You’re a trainer telling that guy to to come out of the game, he’d try to fight you. So, I think it kind of just uh transferred over for me. So, the American League gets the tie run to the plate here with a base hit from Ronda. And it’s yet another Detroit Tigers. Zach McKinstry, one of the six Tigers in this game and perhaps the most unlikely all-star for a guy who was drafted in the 33rd round. Doesn’t even exist anymore, but the LA Dodgers traded to the Cubs, then to the Tigers. His first five years hit 220. Limited playing time. And this year he’s hitting .285 with pop. Still playing all over the place on a first place team at the age of 30. Allstar for the first time. Miserowski’s 02 takes off on it. The one ball and two strikes out to Central Michigan. Chippoa. Mizowski deals. Mckitry hits a highline drive to right field. Tatis twists around. Puts it away. Matt Olsen. We appreciate your time. Yeah, thanks guys. 64 game plan has been a wonderful host for this event. This ballpark the battery the area surrounds it inside and a ball on Aaneo Suarez as Shane Smith of the White Sox takes over in a 6-4 game. Here we go. Smith joins Dan Ugla as the only rule five picks to make it to the All-Star game in their first season after they were taken in the rule five draft. So, the Brewers pretty much let him go, at least exposed him to the rule five draft. The White Socks pick him up and he makes big changes to his arsenal on the fly this year. And as a 25-year-old rookie, here he is two and one on Suarez. He’s got a live arm and pitching for a team looking for the future, right? The White Socks coming off of last year trying to progress and get relevant again in the central Sorz looking. Oh boy. No, you’re going to first Suarez, one of the top home run hitters in the league and one of the key trade deadline pieces potentially. Now, this ball just gets away and rides in and catches nothing but that pinky. And that there’s no way to cushion that. That is hitter’s nightmare when you just can’t get out of the way and you’re tied up. All those tiny fragile bones you have there. And then isn’t it awesome that the trainer gets to move him around and say, “How does this feel?” But he’s got to do that to figure out as they take a look at Suarez. Let’s go down to Ken Rosenthal. Jacob, I know you’ve only started five major league regular season games. How did pitching in the All-Star game compare? Yeah, I mean, it was fun and uh you know, it’s a it’s a little different than starting. So, but it was fun. You had a big smile on your face after the single by Aronda. What were you thinking? I was trying to get a change up by him and you know, have a little fun and just show off and uh you know, like he got to it. So, you know, it’s all fun. As you know, some players were upset by the fact that you were selected, but how were you treated by the players on your team? Oh, yeah. Awesome. I mean, they were all so happy for me and uh you know, it was uh it was awesome. And the National League Allstars, how do they treat you? They’re good. They’re they’re really good. Yeah, they’re awesome. Know the guys uh they’re all happy for me. So, it’s awesome. Jacob, thanks a lot. Congratulations, Joe. Back to you. Another young star at the plate right here, James Wood. And this guy, yet another piece that the Nationals acquired in the Juan Sodto trade a few years ago, he’s a stud, man. This guy I I mean, you got to walk by him and you notice how I mean, Aaron Judge is big, but this guy’s got thunder and the Nationals trying to win the sodto trade with the prospects. They’ve done a really, really good job in their return of Juan Sto. They got an All-Star shorts stop in CJ Abrams. They got McKenzie Gore, who we saw pitched for the National League earlier tonight. And they got Wood, who’s doing all this at the age of 22, 24 home runs this year. He’s top five and on base. He’s getting the Barry Bonds treatment lately. The Angels walked him four times in one game intentionally. He’s the first guy since Barry Bonds that has had that happen. It just so happens Barry’s the guy that he grew up watching videos of and trying to design his swing to match. Big long left-handed hitter, but trying to have a short swing. And he said, I was talking to him yesterday that he really had no choice but to have a short swing because it was always cold in Maryland where he grew up. And so he was swinging inside and if he got too big, he’d hit walls. So he had no choice. First time ever it was an advantage for a kid to be a cold weather baseball player. off of the bench here with Suarez at first base staying in the game and a big old bouncer left side. Garcia waits on goes to second and that’s all they’ll get those long strides of wood. Joe Torey making a mound visit here giving uh Smith an extra special moment. Very cool. One of the greats right there, Joe Tory, joining Aaron Boon’s American League staff and making a pitching change here in the last of the eighth. NL has a 6-4 lead here in the bottom of the eighth inning. Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal, Tom Verduchi, Andres Munoz comes on and delivers ball one to Corbin Carroll. Munoz had his second straight all-star game. 26 years of age from Mexico. One of the four Allstars Hills from Mexico. That’s the most all time coming from there. Carol went deep his last time. Looks to strike. Carol 21 home runs so far this season. Even though he missed time with a broken hand, he leads the league in triples for a third consecutive year. Third in the National League in slugging. H down one and two. Oh man, should have gone to the helmet on that one. Yeah, use it. 24y old already his second All-Star game. Takes a ball and it’s two and two. Rookie of the year his first season. Led Arizona to the World Series and you touched on it a little bit. He got caught up last year trying to cover the high fast ball, trying to cover his holes. changed his swing to the point where he overcompensated, struggled in the first half, started to turn it around late and has fully tapped back into star power this year. It’s crazy. Arizona is as far out of it as they are. 47 and 50, 11 games out of first place, 5 1/2 games out of the wildard picture. The pitching has underperformed. There’s been some key injuries, of course, but the offense still humming. I’d say the first 10 games after the break is going to be very interesting for Arizona and which direction they go. There will be some teams that’ll be looking at some of their pieces if they decide to change directions because of that slow start. Arizona coming out of the break, St. Louis and Houston. And then they hit the road Pittsburgh and Detroit. Carol takes the walkies aboard for the second time. National League looking for some insurance here. The bottom of the AL lineup coming up in the ninth. Back to the plate comes Ellie Dea Cruz. Number 44. He’ll be looking to do some damage on the first pitch, I would imagine. Struck out as only a plate appearance. Extreme talent for Cincinnati. Took it away. signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. He’s big and fast and strong, this explosive talent, but at the time he was undersized. He wasn’t that strong or fast and signed for a small amount. pandemic season when there was no minor league season he said he used as a chance to get a lot better transformed his routine worked harder than he ever had and he’s got into the big leagues and thrilled the folks in Cincinnati and around baseball at 3 and 0 falling off a little bit missing wide you always got to worry in the all-star game about three 0 counts because it’s not a traditional game and the hitter was always looking for one to jump on. Hey, off the end of the bat down the line to left, Steven Quan got away with it. Now, Munoz’s last time he pitched cuz he’s been almost untouchable, but he was tipping his pitches against the Yankees last Thursday. Yankees are just throwing up their arm, telling their hitters when a breaking pitch was coming. And he hadn’t given up a run in more than a month. He gave up two against the Yankees, but he knows what he’s got to cover up. Two on, two out. Kyle Sters ripping a miss. The Marlins, we’re talking how streaky the season has been. Even the Marlins have gotten hot lately. Sters has been right in the middle of that. Final game of the first half, five for five, three home runs against his old team in Baltimore, one and two got him at the deadline last year from the Orioles. first few years in the big leagues he was around a 200 hitter as a part-time player Baltimore and then going to Miami last year and he was so bad last year after the trade he wasn’t even certain he was going to make the team out of spring training on this one two from Muno takes one way outside made the team opening day had a walk-off hit and here he is at 293 19 home runs many more big hits since then and the Marlins loan representative Full count. 3. Everybody clap your hands. The payoff. We will do it again. Dave Roberts has gone through all but two of his pitchers down there. When you’re thinking ahead to the ninth inning, Diaz and Suarez, the only ones available, it looks like it’s going to be Suarez, which will make it three for three, seeing the Padres’s relief trio. There go the runners again. Another 3-2 taken for strike three. Is going to challenge. Come on back, Andre. He went to it quick, too. And maybe he had nothing to lose on a 3-2 count. So, this one’s going to be a close one. Oo, look at that. Just clipped it as we see automated balls and strikes powered by T-Mobile’s network. Coming to the big league sooner rather than later. National League three outs away from a rare win in the All-Star game. Robert Suarez, the National League leader in saves, a 27 this year, 28 this year on to try and get those last three outs, misses high with his first pitch to Garcia. NL got two runs in the first inning before there was an out recorded four runs in the sixth, right? A couple home runs. All four runs for the American League came in the seventh. National League looking for its second win in the last 12 All-Star games. Suarez to Garcia with a 1-1. All these guys hoping that they make at least one more trip to the All-Star game. There is one guy though who we know is in his last All-Star game. Who we got? Who’s in the last All-Star game? Pause. Go. Fly down the right field line by Garcia. Turns the corner and fouled. That would be Pete Maches. Pete Machesa, the legendary producer. Pete Machesca, his 21st and final all-star game as the lead Major League Baseball producer here at Fox. We love you, Pete, and we know you are going to miss rehearsing lineups badly. Pete and Ludacris and Germaine Dri. The marriage that we didn’t know we needed. Hours of getting ready for pregame and Pete guided the ship as he always does. One, two to Garcia. Yeah, that’s a Baltimore chop left side. Won’t be an easy play. Bare hand up and Suarez makes the play. Oh, we talk all about his power. How about the defense right here? Yeah, this is a great This is Manny Machado. Like this is uh the play that Manny makes and he makes it perfectly. This ball’s first hit off the plate. You’re like, that’s a base hit. But the hop and the throw at him only chance right there. Guy not known for his defense and great to see him staying in the game for many reasons. Him being a keep deadline piece. It’s outside ball one on Byron Buckton. Sorz is in his fourth year at his second straight All-Star game. This one’s punched down the line. Buckton with a base shift. Turns around 99. Turns the corner and has a double. And the American League gets the tying run to the plate. Well, they leave that big space over there and Matt Olsen can’t cover it. High percentage of fast balls, but this guy can run. glides. Georgia guy out of tiny Baxley, Georgia in southeast part of the state. So, one gone in the ninth inning. Bobby Whit Jr. represents the tying run. A healthy cut and a miss. Draw in a run with a ground out his first time tonight. 32 home runs last year, 14 more this season on an 01 pitch. Fouls it off and it’s 0 and2. We are in a generation of fatherson greatness that I’ve never I just can’t believe how much the family business has been passed on to their children and the young guys are doing an incredible job in this game. reaches out, gets to that ball, and bangs it down the line into the corner. Bucks in to score. Win is headed to second, and it’s a one-run game. Back-to- back doubles here in the ninth, and it’s 65. And how big is Suarez’s play looking now? Well, these are two identical go the other way. Fast ball beats you, but this is what you can do when you put the ball in play. Look at that. just down with his head, down with his hands, and down the line and down to their last pitcher through the National League. Dave Roberts takes it from Suarez. Edwin Diaz going to come on, try and get those elusive last two outs. Now, the American League trailed this game six to nothing. They’ve battled back to 65. The largest comeback win in All-Star game history. 1955. The National League came back from down five. Al trying to one up that tonight. Jazz Chisum fouls off the first pitch from Edwin Diaz, who had a rocky first month. He’s given up one run in his last 28 innings since that bumpy April. Now, he’s got to be careful that Bobby Wit doesn’t steal third base. representing the tying run with Chisum swinging and missing and it’s 0 and2 great speed out there at second representing the tying run. Chism down the line stopped by Olson. A game saving play for the Atlanta first baseman. Up to third goes Wit. Tying run is 90 ft away and the American League is down to its last out. Jazz can’t believe that ball didn’t get by Matt Olsen, but he makes a great play and saves a chance for the American League to tie up the game. Now, a two-out hit is the only way that’s going to happen. One of the best hit collectors in baseball, Steven Quan coming up as the last hope. First pitch from Diaz. Quan takes high. What a night this has been. 65 National League trying to hang on. That’s a strike and it’s one and one. Couple key defensive plays in this ninth inning. So this game seen a little bit of everything. We had the overpowering pitching early in this game of Paul Skins. who’ve had the power at the plate. And now the defense in the ninth. Quan swings and misses. And the AL’s down to its last strike. Diaz throws and hit foul. Tried to climb the ladder with a 100 mph fast and see if he goes back to that slider that he got down and in to swing over the top again. Juan a contact hitter doesn’t usually swing and miss too often. We’re at third. Two gone in the ninth. The one two is fouled again. Celebration of the sport. Fun way to finish perhaps the speed of the pitches from Diaz. The bat to ball ability of Quan. The tying run just 90 ft away. Diaz wants the catcher Hunter Goodman to go out there to chat. some defense keeping the National League in front. It was Suarez and it looked harmless enough to open the inning, but backto-back doubles after that. And then Matt Olsen saves the day. Steven Quan, one of the hardest guys in the league to strike out, fouls off a couple. Another one. Two. Takes inside and the count evens up. Two-2 puts it in play. Left side. Going to be a tough one. This game is tied. The American League has come all the way back from down 6 nothing with a pair of runs here in the ninth. They’ve tied it at six. That’s what contact and speed can do. We’ve seen a lot of hard hit and this one the softest in this inning. 54 mph exit velocity there. Put it in play. Good things happen. Quan with an infield hit to score Bobby Wit. And we’re back at square one here in the ninth. And now you got to pay attention to Quan over there at first base. He runs first pitch and he’s into scoring position for Rose Arena. Ry’s 0 for two and down 0 and two. One of the hottest players coming into the break. Rosarena eight home runs his last 13 games on an 02. Oh, takes just outside and a challenge coming here. They’re getting used to this. This is a pitcher challenge. It was a warning that I gave to a lot of pitchers. Be careful if you’re the pitcher challenging a ball. Hey, he may have gotten it. And that will end the inning. Everybody with a smile. The American League. Six unanswered runs to extend this game to the bottom of the ninth. We go. National League coming up looking for a walk-off win. And the National League will try to walk it off and we’ll try to do it against a Rois Chapman who’s in his 16th year. He’s at his eighth all-star game. And he’s tapped back into his best form this year. A 122 RA. That’s the best of his career. Yeah, this guy, I mean, I don’t even know if he can age. Yeah. I mean, 37 years old, still throwing 100. going to have to earn it though. Kyle Schwarber leads off, swings and misses. And there was no question about that. So Schwarber and then Tatis and then Donovan. The one outside ball and a strike on Schwarber. The one-1 from Chapman Schwarber bounds it bounces it by the bag. Foul and it goes to one and two. Been nine walk-off wins in the All-Star game back to 1933. Last one was in 2008 at Yankee Stadium. A sacrifice fly from Michael Young. The one-two pitch from Chapman. Schwarber breaks his bat on a teardrop left side that’s caught easily by Garcia. Chapman’s been a big part of the Red Sox getting hot. 10 consecutive wins going into the break. Put them right back into contention within a game of the Yankees. Who saw that coming? We were there at Fenway Park a month ago and it was like, h, can the Red Sox hang on and even consider not trading people or what? like a game away from the Yanks. Tatis takes a strike. Well, in one of the most shocking inseason trades uh of a long-term contract, the Boston Red Sox trade to the San Francisco Giants and they haven’t missed a beat. Holl strike two. A good challenge. Pete Alonzo is in the cage. This game will not go to extra innings, by the way, if it stays tied. We’re going to explain what’s going to happen. Swing and a miss. Two out. Chapman strikes out Tatis. You know, the Giants since getting Des, the offense hasn’t really gotten going. De’s hitting around 200. Red Sox have taken off. Garrick Coscha right there who pitched this weekend. wasn’t available to pitch in the All-Star game. He’s been a monster in his first year there. Takes a ball and a challenge coming here from Alejandro Kirk. This is a catcher challenge. What do you think, Bren? This is the kind of pitch that is going to be an adjustment because as the zone is currently called, it’s not a perfect square like this. It’s a human zone and those extreme corners often aren’t called strikes. overturn. Let’s Let’s get the board all set up there. Guys have been uh perfect on the challenges tonight. 01 to Donovan. Pokes it foul. Strike two. So, this looks like this is headed to the first swing off home run swing off in All-Star game history. I was part of the tie. Yeah. In Milwaukee. And there will be no more of those. It’s part of what birthed this. And that’s good cuz uh we’re out of pitchers. Yeah. Well, the worst part about that was they announced what was going to happen before it was over and the fans did not like it. Rightfully so. The PA announcer said, “Hey, by the way, if this game remains tied after the ninth, it will end in a tie.” We got much better news for this. We do. Stay tuned. Chapman trying to go one, two, three. Here he comes with an O2 upstairs. The managers know the three guys that they are going to use in this home run swing off and they’ll let us know once this game completes nine innings. The one-two pitch. Donovan got to be trying to run into one here, right? Yeah. He’s looking for one middle in that doesn’t break away that he can use for that power side and a walk-off homer. You know, every player dreams of it. Another one, two. That is high. And it’s two and two. After Donovan, it’s the hometown guy Matt Olsen. It’s another left-handed hitter though to have to deal with the lefty. Chapman Donovan making him work. Seventh pitch coming here. Taps it fair. That is a fair ball. And that is a 66 tie through nine innings. Dan Sonia the call. His work is done. Watch this. This has so much spin. Look at the spin. He’s waiting for it. Waiting for it. Waiting for it. And on the line. He’s like really cub. What a rally from the American League. Four in the seventh, two in the ninth to force this swing off. All right, folks. Here’s how this is going to work. A home run swing off to decide the All-Star game. Three batters per team, three swings a piece. The teams are going to alternate, and it’s pretty simple. Whoever hits the most home runs wins the 95th All-Star game. The managers know the three guys they’re going to use. They’re going to let us know in a minute. They’re getting the rules, too. This is a first, folks. You’re watching All-Star game history here. Dave Roberts and Aaron Boone getting the details down on the field. And Kevin Birkhart ready to guide us through. All right, KB, take it away. All right, Joe, let’s have a little fun. So, this is a first to make a little history. Aaron, tell me, who are your home run hitters tonight? So, we’re going to lead off with Brent Rooker. Then we’re going Randy Rosarena and Jonathan Aranda. All right, there we go. The three from the American League. Dave, who’s the National League have in store? Well, uh, Kyle Sters just found out he’s in this contest, so he’s going to lead off. Uh, then we’re going to go Schwarbs in the two and the polar bear will finish in the three hole. Okay, we got a little action here first time. Let’s make some history. Let’s have some fun here. And that’ll come up right after the break. Thanks, Aaron. Thanks, Dave. Brent Brooker, you’re about to make baseball history. the first batter in the first swing off to decide a Major League Baseball All-Star game. Describe this feeling. Uh, crazy. I’m nervous. I’m excited though. It’s going to be fun. So, let’s do it. Good luck. Go get him. Appreciate it. All right. So, Brent Rooker and then Sters. You’re going to go back and forth. Rooker and Sters and Rosarena and Schwarber. Aronda and Alonzo. Three swings a piece. Here’s the first. There’s one. Had the home run derby last night. Yeah, a little home run derby to end this impromptu home run derby. There’s a shot to left field and there is the first home run. That’s huge. That is so much pressure, right? You want to get the first one on the board and this guy, man. He’s meant to hit home runs. finds this one to left center field and Brent Rooker hits two for the American League and his three swings. That is clutch. You nobody at home has any idea how hard of what he just did with three swings. And to hit the last two for homers. Mhm. Look at his teammates over there standing outside the dugout, too. Sters is next and Ken Rosenthal has him. Kyle, Dave Roberts just told you minutes ago that you would be leading off the swing off. What was your reaction? I had no clue this was a thing. I’m pretty nervous right now, but it’s it’s fun. You know, give it my best shot. We’ll see what happens. Kyle, thanks a lot. Just do what you did on Sunday, Kyle. Five for five, three home runs at Camden Yards. 19 to finish off his first half of the season and his first full season in Miami. Josh Rober waiting for his chance. It’s a guy that Dave Roberts has known since he was a kid growing up in San Diego. Says, “Go get him, Kyle.” Pressure’s on you now. Waiting for that perfect pitch. Dino Eel. Now he’s ready. All right. Oh, he laid off a nasty one. That’s pretty pretty good. Fly right center. It is shallow and short. The first swing. Two more. Hey, it’s a lot harder to read where the ball’s going when there’s no fielders to take it to you. Yeah, take it to it. Carl Ravage is saying, “See, there’s the line drive right center field. That’ll find the seats.” Just got it out. That is so good right there. I’m telling you, he had nerves and they’re a little settled now. See if he can match Rooker with two. This would be epic if he gets this one out. Nope. Man, they’re still in it, though. One round in the books. The AL2, the NL1. This next round’s going to be awesome. Here’s the one from Sters. The next guy has never met a big moment that he didn’t love. Tom Verduchi has Randy Rosarena. Randy, they say you love the big moments. Are you ready for this? I I ready 100%. This is my moment. Go get him. Eight home runs his last 13 games in the regular season. You know, the pressure in in in a shootout in soccer is on the goalie, right? I think the pressure here is on the the guy throwing. Yeah. Ready. Going to wait and see. Travis Chapman of the Yankees. Dino Eble of the Dodgers. Guys with the pressure on him pitching. Rosena. Oh man, I think he wanted that one. He’s got to be ready right now. He’s trying. Here we go. Oh, that’s a nice base hit, but you need more than that. There’s the drive off of the bat of a Rosarena. How far does this one go? Plenty deep and gone for the third home run for the AL. This will put so much pressure if he can get the three-run lead. Showing great discipline. First time for Randy. gets under this one to center. I don’t know. Yelp falls shy of the track. So, three to one midway through the second round. This swing right here is classic Rosarena. He knows it right there. It’s gone. Now we got Schwarber. Yeah. First one. First one that Schwarber can get early if he can get on the first swing. Look out. He’s going to hit a three. Kenny, back down to you. Kyle, your whole team is behind you, cheering you on. How much pressure are you feeling? Uh, a little bit. I think a little bit’s there, but you know, this is all fun. The boys are having fun with it and uh, you know, just hoping to get enough to set feet up. Kyle, thanks. Good luck. This guy’s been hitting big home runs his whole career. Here you go back to the five home runs he hit as a rookie for the Cubs in the postseason. Hey, TK Scubble, uh, he finished a long time ago, but he had to come back out to watch him streak throws. This is like in in basketball, you know how you shoot free throws with your teammates there and then you get a technical and you shoot without free without anybody there. Hitting right here is the same thing. There’s no outfielders. It’s just you and the pitcher trying to launch one early to get within one. 40,000 eyes all burning holes through you. Schwarber in the air to center field headed towards the wall and to dead center. That’s huge for the National League. They’re within one. So there you go. He said if he could get it on his first swing and he did. Oh bombs in the Allstar game. Oh, tied at three. That’s MVP material. If he gets a third one right here, this guy, if he stopped playing, he’ll be a softball superstar. Pretty darn good baseball superstar. AL rallied in the game. NL has rallied in the swing with the hattick. Look out, Chop House. National League takes the lead four to three. Unbelievable. Three for three for Kyle Shorber. I mean, he went down to a knee after this one. You just have there’s no words to describe that. That that is one of the most clutch things you’re ever going to see. No words to describe it. And I have no idea how to score it either. Got to put it somewhere in the official scorebook. This is unprecedented though. All right, so this is going to be up to Jonathan Oronda at his first All-Star game and he stands by with Tom Verduchi. All right, Jonathan, you just watched Kyle Schwarber, your first All-Star game. Last hitter for the AL. Are you feeling any pressure here? I mean, not really. I mean, I I’m just going to step that and have fun. Go have fun. Thanks. Go. All right. This a guy with a long journey to get to this All-Star game. A decade after the Rays signed him. Finally making his mark. First full season. He’s been more of an average hitter. He’s got just 11 home runs this year. He needs one to keep this going for the AL. Little lower, he says. Put it in that low left-handed wheelhouse. That’s pretty good. I’m impressed with these guys throwing. Yeah, ice water, man. Aronda lifts a fly ball to center field, but not enough on it. and down to his last two swings. One for the tie, two for the lead. There’s a high liner to right field. It is Oh my, that close. Oh my. Last chance coming down to this swing for the American League. Can a force Alonszo waiting for the perfect pitch. Here we go. It’s going to be on this one right here. Oh, Aronda slices a fly ball to left center field headed towards the wall but short and the National League wins it in the first swing off. Kyle Schwarber wins it going three for three. And the National League after watching a 6 nothing lead disappear in the game. Still win this all-star game with a swing off. Final score is 66. You got to dive into the fine print to find the way they want it. This was the close call for Rhonda. Oh man. Tall wall and right. I haven’t seen anything more clutch. I I’m not I’m just sitting here speechless going, you have no idea how hard it is for Schwarber to go up there down two and hit his first one and then the last one he hits gives him the lead. Man, I think he just stole the MVP from Pete Alonzo. I think he did. Alonzo had the three-run home run back in the sixth inning off an all-star pitcher Kyle Schwarber against Dino Evil. Goes deep three times. One of a kind performance back for the MVP. Oh, he had to come up with a new way to do the score, too. It ends in a 6-6 tie, but then you look in the fine threat. No. No. National League wins it. And the home run swing off. Four to three. Kyle Schwarber wins it. Three swings, three home runs for a guy who’s hit some big ones throughout his career. These ones though different. And the first home run swing off. Look at the guys over there capturing the moments on their phones and for their memories as Kyle Schwarber wins this one for the National League. Down to the field, Kevin Burkhard. Joe, thanks very much. And you know, the last time the All-Star game was Atlanta 25 years ago, the winner of the MVP was a guy to my right, Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, who is here with me right now. and Derek is here today to present the Ted Williams MVP to tonight’s winner. It’s Philly superstar Kyle Schwarber, everyone. Well, well, you made some history. What was it like to participate in that? It was interesting. Uh, exciting, fun. Uh, there’s a lot of guys who deserve this, but uh, I’m happy that it’s going home with uh, us to Philly. You know, uh, take me through when your your thought process. Was it once you got one, do you just get redot like a three-point shooter? What was your thought process going knowing you only had three swings? Oh man. Uh just trying to not hit a home run, I guess, just trying to stay short because if I would have tried to hit a home run, I would probably hit my guys over there. But uh just happy that it worked out for us and the National League’s going home with the win. You got a great reception though. Guys were jumping on you. It was pretty cool. Yeah, it was awesome. The guys were really into it and uh they were yelling, screaming, cheer me on every swing. And then that going that last one goes over. They were they were all pumped. It was it was a lot of fun. It was fun to watch. I got to tell you. Other than that, what was your favorite moment of the last couple days? I mean, I think just being here and just having conversations with a lot of guys. You got a lot of guys who have been doing it for a long time, doing it great for a long time, and then you got a lot of young guys coming up, uh, who are going to be special in this game for a long time. Uh, so having those conversations and having fun with them and just seeing these guys go out here and compete. Was it the weirdest thing ever to get like an ovation in Atlanta? Did it happen for a Philly too often? Uh, no. But you know what? It was exciting. It was fun. So, uh, thank you guys. Appreciate it. Yeah. Really cool. Here we go. What a what a what a performance. A home run winner here. Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies in the National League gets the W. Congrats, Kyle.
FULL 2025 MLB All-Star Game: July 14, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
The All-Star Game was tied after 9 innings allowing for an unprecedented swing-off where Kyle Schwarber and the National League won the 2025 All-Star Game.
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NO WAY THIS JUST HAPPENED! I CSNT WAIT TO SEE WHO WINS THE HRD
The 2025 All Star Game was cinema! A preview for the World Series!
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Whattttt I missed it
How does mlb channel have 6+ million subs and only 500 views for an all star game??
2:10:38 swing off
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All Homeruns
1:03:30 Pete Alonso (NL)
1:07:27 Corbin Carroll(NL)
1:15:51 Brent Rooker(AL)
ABS Challenge
15:20
51:01
1:51:50
2:01:42
2:05:09
18:47