This week in baseball 

This was a special week in the baseball calendar, as the sport hit pause on the daily grind for the glamorous spectacle that is the All-Star Game. It's a time for players to unwind, celebrate with their fellow All-Stars and, thanks to the Home Run Derby, crack about 1,000 dingers into the night sky. Here's a quick refresher on six of the most fun moments you may have missed:

1. Shohei Ohtani vs. Juan Soto

Perhaps the very best matchup in the Home Run Derby -- held at the launching pad that is the Rockies' Coors Field -- came in the first round. Ohtani, who is doing things we have never seen on the baseball field before, became the first Japanese player to participate in the Derby and he entered as the No. 1 seed. He was matched up against Juan Soto, the Nationals star who is putting together a Hall of Fame resume at 22 years old.

Ohtani started slowly, but then took a break to take a call from superstar teammate Mike Trout. Whatever he said, worked.

Ohtani blasted six home runs over 500 feet and Soto hit a record-setting 520-foot blast. And yet, both were locked at 22 home runs apiece after one round.

That led to a tiebreaking swing-off. They tied in that, too, each hitting six more home runs. The two opponents couldn't help but hug each other with joy and exhaustion before the final three swing competition.

Soto went deep with all three of his attemps, while Ohtani hit a sharp ground ball on his first swing to finally end it. Though neither would reach the finals, it was a fitting matchup between two of the biggest stars in the game:

Ohtani's sure come a long way from here:

2. Pete Alonso knows how to party

The New York Mets' slugging first baseman just may be built for the Derby. None of the pressure seems to affect the now two-time Derby champ.

Armed with special bats painted by artist Gregory Siff, Alonso took his timeout in the second round against Soto, not to collect his thoughts and refocus, but simply to vibe to the music and get the crowd pumped up. This man knows how to work a dramatic moment:

Then, when Alonso hit the Derby-clinching home run against the Orioles' Trey Mancini in the final, it was time for him to stomp around and celebrate:

“I think I’m the best power hitter on the planet,” Alonso said afterward. “Being able to showcase that and really put on a fun display for fans, it’s truly a dream come true for me. When I was younger, my parents actually let me stay up past my bedtime to watch this.”

3. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s pink suit

As everyone knows, you can't have a big event without an even bigger entrance. So, at this year's All-Star Red Carpet (or, should we say, lavender carpet to match the Rockies' distinctive purple hue), the looks were on point.

Adam Frazier rocked mint green:

Jesse Winker went cool and casual with a throwback Reds jersey:

Manny Machado just went straight up Versailles-level fancy:

But nobody could top Ferando Tatis Jr. -- already known for his pink accessories on the field -- with his pink suit:

4. Vlad Jr. goes deep

This All-Star Game was a celebration featuring some of the brightest young stars in the game. So, of course Vlad Guerrero Jr. got things going with a bang. Even better, Tatis was mic'd up and on the field when Guerrero went deep, allowing us to get an amazing reaction:

Of course, this moment isn't complete without hearing the call from the Spanish broadcast:

Guerrero later added an RBI groundout, earning him the MVP honors. At just 22 years old, he's the youngest player to ever win the award.

5. The gloves!

Guerrero's bat wasn't the only special thing he brought to the game -- his glove was pretty spectacular, too. That's right: He turned his mitt into a collage featuring an old photo of himself as a child with his Hall of Fame dad:

He wasn't the only one with some flash, though. Tigers closer Gregory Soto celebrated his first All-Star Game with a special mitt that listed his accomplishments right on the webbing:

6. Charlie Freeman meets his idol

Despite all of that, the best moment of the whole week may just belong to Freddie Freeman's son, Charlie. Charlie had told his Dad that he needed to pick up his hitting earlier in the year so he'd make the All-Star team. Of course, he only wished that so he could meet his hero, Tatis. Aren't kids just the sweetest, kindest people?

Fortunately, Freeman was an All-Star and Charlie got his wish: