The AL shuts out the NL to win the All-Star Game! ...
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- Cody Bellinger earned 2026 All-Star Game MVP honors with a two-run single in the first inning — his first All-Star appearance in seven years after injuries led to the Dodgers designating him for assignment after 2022.
- AL pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts (one shy of the nine-inning record of 16) and allowed just three hits, tied for the second-lowest total in All-Star Game history; ten of the 11 hurlers used struck out at least one batter.
- Cristopher Sanchez started for the NL before a sellout crowd of 43,916 at his home park and allowed three runs on five baserunners in his lone inning, deflating Philadelphia fans early.
- Miguel Vargas capped the scoring with a 433-foot solo home run in the eighth inning — the game's first extra-base hit — off Dodgers lefty Justin Wrobleski.
- The NL lineup managed just three singles all night, with Juan Soto's fourth-inning single breaking up an AL no-hit bid.
- Both pre-game predictions from ESPN analysts picked the NL to win by a combined 15-9 margin; the actual result was a 4-0 AL shutout.
Why it matters: Bellinger's MVP caps one of baseball's top comeback stories — from 2022 DFA castoff to All-Star hero seven years later. The AL's 15 strikeouts fell one shy of the All-Star Game record, showing that when modern pitchers are locked in, even elite lineups go silent. Every published expert pick had favored the NL, making the shutout sting.
