Duran’s two-run homer lifts AL to 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game

The 22-year-old Skenes, who has pitched only 11 big-league games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to make an All-Star team. The right-hander threw a hitless first, with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge grounded into a forceout on the next pitch.

Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for streaks, with seven fastballs up to 100.1 m.p.h.

Ohtani, who has gone deep 29 times in his first season of his record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pulled a 400-foot drive to right off Tanner Houck. That came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two batters he faced: No. 9 batter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.

When Ohtani went against Miller in the fifth, he struck out on an 89.2 m.p.h. slider well inside and out of the strike zone. That was after twice taking strikes on fastballs of more than 100 m.p.h.

Ohtani’s first All-Star homer made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza off Cleveland’s Charles Nagy in 1996 at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time — his first with the NL.

Baltimore’s Andy Santander, after taking over for Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right-centre after he had replaced Judge in centre.

The AL has a 48-44-2 record in the All-Star Game, and had won nine in a row before the National League’s 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays started at first base for the American League stars. He went 0-for-2 at the plate, but had a number of superb defensive plays and assists in the four innings he played.

AL starter Corbin Burnes arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with his newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a two-out double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a comebacker by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.

After his underhand toss of the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face when he kept jogging and wrapped his arm around Contreras in the baseline.

DOUBLE WINNER

Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series titles and All-Star Games in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to a win in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL’s San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.

UP NEXT

The MLB regular season resumes Friday when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that won’t play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has an AL-best .611 winning percentage, though Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins. San Diego (50-49) is set to become the first team to play its 100th game, at the Guardians on Friday night.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Duran’s two-run homer lifts AL to 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game

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