The American League dominated the National League’s home turf Tuesday night in Philadelphia — shutting out the N-L 4-0 in the ninety-sixth Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park — the first All-Star Game shutout since two-thousand-thirteen.
The damage was done in the very first inning against hometown ace Cristopher Sanchez. With the bases loaded, two New York Yankees teammates came up huge — Cody Bellinger laced a two-run single, and Ben Rice followed with an R-B-I single of his own to put the A-L up three-nothing before the N-L could even come to bat. Bellinger and Rice became the first set of teammates to drive in three runs in the first inning of an All-Star Game since Joe Morgan and George Foster of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine back in nineteen-seventy-seven.
Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox capped the scoring with a solo homer in the eighth. Dylan Cease started for the A-L, and eleven A-L pitchers combined to hold the N-L to just three hits and fifteen strikeouts.
Cody Bellinger — named the game’s Most Valuable Player — now heads back to the Bronx riding high.
Next year’s Midsummer Classic heads to Wrigley Field in Chicago.
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