ARLINGTON, Texas — Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran had a night to remember, capturing the MVP title at the All-Star Game after a pivotal two-run homer in the fifth inning propelled the American League to a 5-3 victory over the National League on Tuesday.
Reflecting on the honor, Duran expressed his gratitude, “I’m just very thankful. It’s hard to put into words,” he said. “It won’t hit me until I try to go to sleep tonight. Who knows if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
The American League, now leading the all-time series 48-44-2, has claimed victory in 10 of the last 11 All-Star Games. The game was held at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, the defending World Series champions.
New York Yankees’ Juan Soto contributed with a two-run double, and Cleveland Guardians’ David Fry added an RBI single, helping the AL overcome an initial 3-0 deficit.
Duran broke a 3-3 tie with a homer off Hunter Greene, becoming the fifth Red Sox player to win the MVP award named after Boston legend Ted Williams. “That’s an honor,” Duran said. “Who else would I want to try and follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being.”
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani had given the NL a 3-0 lead with a three-run homer off Tanner Houck in the third inning. Ohtani became the first Dodgers player to homer in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza in 1996. “I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season,” Ohtani said.
The AL responded in the bottom of the third inning. Soto’s two-run double and Fry’s RBI single off San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb tied the game.
Following Houck’s exit, six AL relievers held the NL scoreless for the remainder of the game. Emmanuel Clase earned the save by pitching around a two-out single in the ninth inning. Rookie Mason Miller, who struck out Ohtani and Trea Turner in a perfect fifth inning, was credited with the win. Miller’s 103.6-mph fastball to Turner was the fastest pitch in All-Star Game history since pitch tracking began in 2008.
Hunter Greene took the loss for the NL.
In the first inning, fans were treated to a highly anticipated matchup between NL starter Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees superstar Aaron Judge. Skenes, the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995, got Judge to ground into a forceout to end the inning. “It was cool to be on that mound,” Skenes said.
Baltimore Orioles’ Corbin Burnes started for the AL, and both pitchers logged a scoreless first inning. “It was fun,” Burnes said. “There’s really no words to express — just the atmosphere, playing around the best players in the game.”
The game, lasting 2 hours and 28 minutes, was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, with an announced attendance of 39,343.
