Saturday, July 20, 2024

Phillies Stars Shine in Arlington, But National League Falls


American League 5
, National League 3
All-Star Game - Tuesday Night, July 16th in Arlington

One Sentence Summary:  Without Rob Thomson at the helm, the National League All-Stars fell to the American League All-Stars by a score of 5-3.

What It Means:  I decided to let go of how I felt about the horrid uniforms, especially the American League's, and enjoy the game.  The game has definitely lost its luster over the years, and I don't get quite as excited about it as I used to, but it's still cool to see all the best players in the majors come together and play.  I admittedly had no idea who some of these guys were though, especially some of the American League players.

What Happened:  Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run home run in the top of the third, but the American League countered with three runs of their own on a Juan Soto two-run double and a David Fry RBI single in the bottom of the third.  Boston's Jarren Duran broke the tie with a two-run home run in the fifth off Hunter Greene.


Featured Cards:
  The Phillies had a record eight All-Stars, which means I created a record nine cards for the game, plus a bonus highlight card for Alec Bohm's fine performance in the Home Run Derby.  The derby was held on Monday night, with Bohm surprisingly advancing to the semifinal round, only to fall by one home run to the Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez, the eventual derby winner.

Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm were all starters for the National League, and I admittedly enjoyed the trio being miked up for the game's bottom of the second inning.  All three also collected hits.  Batting third, Turner went 1 for 3 with a single in the third off Tanner Houck, right after Ohtani's home run.  Harper was 1 for 3 out of the clean-up spot, collecting a two-out double off starter Corbin Burnes in the first inning.  And Bohm was 1 for 2, singling off Garrett Crochet in the fourth.

Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler both missed the trip with minor ailments, leaving three Phillies pitchers in the National League bullpen.  Cristopher Sanchez was up first in the bottom of the sixth, retiring two batters on two pitches and calling it a night.  He induced a pair of ground-outs from Isaac Paredes and Josh Naylor.  Matt Strahm got one batter in the bottom of the seventh, striking out Bobby Witt Jr. on five pitches.  And Jeff Hoffman, who would have closed the game had the National League held a lead, recorded the final out in the bottom of the eighth, with Willi Castro grounding out.


2024 Chachi #42 Tyler Phillips / 2024 Chachi #53

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