The time had finally come. Six Philadelphia Phillies appeared of the eight elected to this year's All-Star Game. Bryce Harper had his long awaited Phillies on-field debut at the Midsummer Classic and many of the Phillies players were making their first ever appearance.
The AL All-Stars reigned victorious 5-3 with the last five runs being scored by the American League unanswered. Even with the NL losing their 10th of the last 11 All-Star Games, the Phillies still had some notable performances.
Phillies shine all over the field in MLB All-Star Game
Harper, coming into his eighth All-Star game and second as a Phillie, was the lead vote-getter in all of the NL as a first baseman in 2024. Harper went 1-for-3 with a first-inning opposite-field double off of a 95 mph Corbin Burnes cutter. He also hit a fly ball 391 feet to center field that just missed the fence. Against Burnes, Harper had success earlier this season going 1-for-2 with a walk back in June.
Trea Turner, with his third All-Star selection in four years, was the starting shortstop for the NL. Turner on the night was 1-for-3 with a third-inning single.
Some excitement developed with the Phillies infield of Harper, Turner and Alec Bohm when they were mic'd up in the bottom of the second inning. What we got was one of the best live reactions of a Turner diving play by Harper.
Come for Trea's diving play and stay for Bryce's live reaction 😂#AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/C2pDtmkdeB
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 17, 2024
Bohm, cracking his first All-Star roster as a definitive starter, had quite a memorable week. He was also a participant in the Home Run Derby Monday night. Bohm ultimately fell short in the semifinals to the eventual winner, Teoscar Hernández in a swing-off tie-breaker.
Bohm stepped right back into the spotlight Tuesday night and went 1-for-2 with a fourth-inning opposite-field single. It was a great week for the Phillies’ homegrown kid.
Phillies All-Star pitchers impress in limited action
Cristopher Sánchez, got his first selection as an injury replacement for Chris Sale. A Phillie who fans felt was a snub from the original roster did what he could in his short workload. Sánchez threw a total of two pitches and recorded both outs by groundout.
Matt Strahm, a first All-Star as well, was able to stretch his All-Star debut to five pitches with a punch-out of Kansas City Royals star, Bobby Witt Jr. Strahm truly worked for his selection, posting a 1.49 ERA this season and forcing MLB's hand to choose a middle reliever to take the spot.
Jeff Hoffman, a first time selection, has truly put everything together in a higher leverage role for the Phillies. Hoffman was named as the NL's closer before the game by NL manager Torey Lovullo. Hoffman did come into a leverage spot, but came into a losing game in the eighth. Hoffman retired the only man he faced to close out the AL side.
It was a night that Phillies fans and players will both remember forever. Harper returned much earlier than expected from injury to pay his dues at the mic for interviews and explain why the Phillies are the team to beat. The Phillies also achieved a feat that hadn’t occurred since 2004 according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, with the three starting infield teammates all recording a hit at the All-Star Game.
Phillies pitching did what they could as they threw a combined 1 1/3 perfect innings in addition to the position players getting it done in the field and the plate. The Phillies had quite the show out of stars in the All-Star Game and will now look to hit the ground running again once the break comes to a close.