By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Dylan Cease struck out the side in the first inning, combining with 10 relievers on a three-hitter in a show of pitching dominance that led the American League to a 4-0 victory over the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
All-Star MVP Cody Bellinger hit a two-run single and Ben Rice followed with an RBI single in the first against Cristopher Sánchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies.
Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox added an eighth-inning home run off the the Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski, his former minor-league teammate, who was pitching on his 26th birthday, for the game’s only extra-base hit. The AL won for the 18th time in 23 games and holds a 49-45-2 advantage overall.
Singles by Juan Soto in the fourth, Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth and Otto Lopez in the ninth were the only hits by the NL, which failed to advance a runner past first.
Pitchers combined for 27 strikeouts, 15 by AL hurlers.
Cease struck out Kyle Schwarber, Soto and CJ Abrams around a walk in the first inning. He became just the seventh pitcher to strike out three in an All-Star opening inning after Carl Hubbell (1934), Warren Spahn (1949), Jim Palmer (1977), Dave Stieb (1983), Pedro Martinez (1999) and Brad Penny (2006) – four of them Hall of Famers.
Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Drew Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman and Bryan Baker finished the first All-Star shutout since the AL’s 2-0 win in 2013 at New York’s Citi Field.
Some starting star power was missing, with Jacob Misoriowski, Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani all unavailable. Just six pitches reached 100 mph, the fewest in an All-Star Game since 2021.
Bellinger and Rice both singled on sinkers from Sánchez, who struggled through a 34-pitch inning that included three hits and two walks.
“It just took me a little time to soak it all in and enjoy it,” Sánchez said through a translator.
Angels outfielder Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star who hadn’t played in the game since 2019 because of injuries, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
The three Dodgers starters, like so many NL players, went hitless. First baseman Freddie Freeman went 0 for 1 with a walk and a strikeout. Third baseman Max Muncy went 0 for 2, and center fielder Andy Pages went 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Wrobleski was the only pitcher for either side to work more than one inning. He pitched the seventh and eighth innings in his All-Star debut, striking out five but giving up the Vargas homer.
RAYS’ CAMINERO AVOIDS BROKEN HAND
Junior Caminero feared the worst when a 97.6 mph sinker that didn’t sink struck him in the left hand in the All-Star Game.
For the Tampa Bay Rays slugging third baseman, Caminero considered himself fortunate the hit-by-pitch was more a scare than a season-ender.
“You are thinking the worst and honestly thought something may have been broken,” Caminero said through a translator. “But thank you to God, it’s fine and just a little bit sore. But we’re all good.”
Caminero was struck on the outside of his left hand by St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien with the high hard one in the top of the third inning with the American League leading 3-0 on Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old Caminero, fourth in the major leagues with 28 home runs, stayed down for a few moments before he popped up and ran straight into the clubhouse.
X-rays were negative.
“Sinker on hands that didn’t hit my bat at all,” Caminero said. “So look, it was a scary moment. But you know right now, we feel really good.”
The Rays resume their season Friday with a doubleheader in Boston.
O’Brien, who has 24 saves this season for the Cardinals, checked in with Caminero in the AL clubhouse.
“I told Ryan I really appreciate the gesture,” Caminero said. “He came into the clubhouse, and he took a few seconds to apologize, but I told him it was part of the game. He was really worried, but I told him look, these things happen. We are here to have fun, and we are here to enjoy the night.”
Caminero, who was replaced by Vargas, hit 17 total home runs a night earlier at Citizens Bank Park in the Home Run Derby. He hit 45 home runs with 110 RBIs last season, and this season has led the Rays to the top of the AL East.
DOCUMENTING THE DAY
Managers and starters entered through replica Liberty Bells in front of each dugout, walked to home plate and used a feathered quill to sign an oversized lineup card, as if they were Founding Fathers affixing names to the Declaration of Independence. The dirt was surrounded by 13 stars, one for each of the Colonies.
Fireworks were set off after the fourth inning to a video of Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful” at Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.
Philadelphia was awarded this year’s All-Star Game in 2019 – an unusually long lead time to coincide with the U.S. 250th semiquincentennial. The Phillies hosted the 1976 and ’96 games at Veterans Stadium and the Athletics in 1943 and ’52 at Shibe Park.
At the 1996 game, there was a hard hit even before the first pitch. Cal Ripken Jr.’s nose was broken when struck by a forearm of Chicago White Sox reliever Roberto Hernandez when he lost his balance on a platform during the AL team picture.
Next year’s game is scheduled for the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field for the first time since 1990 but is threatened by possible labor strife.
Much more to come on this story.