Key stats and facts from the 94th All-Star Game
The AL is back on top.
After the NL snapped a nine-game AL winning streak by eking out a 3-2 victory in 2023, the AL took back bragging rights this year with a 5-3 victory in the 2024 All-Star Game at the Rangers’ Globe Life Field on Tuesday night. A tiebreaking two-run home run in the fifth inning from Boston’s Jarren Duran provided the winning runs, allowing the AL to win for the 10th time in the past 11 contests.
Beyond the winning team, there were tons of notable storylines from Tuesday’s action, such as Paul Skenes’ ASG debut, Shohei Ohtani’s first career ASG home run, Bruce Bochy’s first ASG win since crossing sides to the AL and more. Here are all of the fun facts and figures you need to know about the 94th edition of the Midsummer Classic.
2024 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard
• Gameday
• AL tops NL, 5-3, in 94th All-Star Game
• Duran named All-Star Game MVP
• Best moments from the All-Star Game
• Ohtani hits Dodgers' 1st ASG homer since 1996
• Skenes passes All-Star test with scoreless 1st for NL
• Complete coverage
AL resumes recent run of dominance
- The AL now leads 48-44-2 in the all-time series, including wins in 10 of the past 11 games (the NL had snapped a nine-game losing streak in 2023). The AL is now 22-4-1 since 1997. Historically, though, the contest has been tight, with the AL leading the all-time run total by a meager 388-380 margin.
Duran’s big swing
- Duran continued his standout 2024 with a two-run homer off Hunter Greene in the fifth inning to take the lead for the AL for good. It was the first home run by a Red Sox player in the All-Star Game since Adrián González in 2011 against Cliff Lee. Duran, David Ortiz (2004) and J.D. Drew (2008) are the only Boston players to homer in their All-Star Game debuts.
- Duran was named All-Star Game MVP, becoming the first Red Sox player to do so since Drew in 2008. The others to do so in Boston’s proud franchise history are Pedro Martinez (1999), Roger Clemens (1986) and Carl Yastrzemski (1970).
- Duran, a seventh-round pick in the 2018 Draft, was one of 39 first-time All-Stars in the 2024 Midsummer Classic -- 19 on the AL squad and 20 for the NL. That’s tied for the second most first-time All-Stars since 1988.
Ohtani goes yard
- Ohtani hit a three-run home run 400 feet to right field in the top of the third inning to break a scoreless tie. This was Ohtani’s first career All-Star Game home run in his fourth appearance (he was 1-for-4 with a single and two walks across the 2021-23 All-Star Games). That made Ohtani the first player in ASG history to have both a home run and a pitching win (which he collected in 2021, for the AL).
- Ohtani is the second Japanese-born player to hit a home run in the All-Star Game, after Ichiro Suzuki had an inside-the-park home run in 2007.
- This was the first time a Dodgers player homered in an All-Star Game since Mike Piazza went deep in Philadelphia in 1996. (Piazza also homered in the 1995 All-Star Game at the Ballpark in Arlington, the predecessor to Globe Life Field.) Overall, this was the 12th Dodgers All-Star Game homer, and the first to drive in more than two runs. From 1997-2023, there were 36 instances of a Dodgers player getting at least one plate appearance in an All-Star Game, without anyone going deep.
Skenes impresses on the big stage
- Skenes allowed one walk and no hits in a scoreless first inning against the top of a stacked American League lineup. Skenes (22 years, 48 days old) became the third-youngest player in ASG history to allow no runs or hits while pitching at least one inning, trailing José Fernández in 2013 and Michael Soroka in 2019, and the youngest to do it as the ASG starter. He was also the sixth-youngest pitcher to start the ASG altogether.
- With a 101.1 mph and 100.0 mph fastball, Skenes joined Justin Verlander (seven 100+ mph pitches in 2012) and Chris Sale (three 100+ mph pitches in the 2018 ASG) as the only starters with multiple 100+ mph pitches in an ASG in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).
- Skenes was the first player to make the ASG -- much less start in it -- the year after being selected in the Draft, which began in 1965. Skenes was the fifth rookie pitcher to start an ASG, joining Hideo Nomo (1995), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Mark Fidrych (1976) and Dave Stenhouse (1962, Game 2). He has only appeared in 11 career MLB games at the time of starting the ASG -- the fewest regular season appearances by a starter in ASG history.
Mason Miller brings the heat
- The A’s closer tossed a scoreless fifth inning, striking out Shohei Ohtani and Trea Turner in the process and setting himself up to earn the win when the AL grabbed the lead in the bottom of the inning. Miller’s 103.6 mph fastball to Turner is the fastest pitch recorded during an All-Star Game in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Aroldis Chapman previously held the record with a 103.4 mph fastball thrown in the 2015 All-Star Game.
- Miller’s four fastballs thrown 102-plus mph are second only to Chapman’s seven fastballs at that speed in the ‘15 Game.
A rare ASG offensive outburst
- The NL scored three runs on Ohtani’s homer in the top of the third inning, but the AL answered right back with three of its own in the bottom of the frame. This was the first time both teams scored at least three runs in the same inning of an All-Star Game since the eighth inning of the AL’s 13-6 win in 1992.
- In fact, before that outburst, no All-Star Game had featured at least three runs scored by both teams in an entire game since the AL’s 4-3 win in 2019. And in this game, both teams did so in the third inning alone.
Bochy leads the way for AL in victory
- Bochy became the ninth manager to lead an All-Star team at least five times, joining Casey Stengel (10), Walter Alston (9), Joe McCarthy (7), Tony La Russa (6), Joe Torre (6), Sparky Anderson (5), Bobby Cox (5) and Al Lopez (5).
- He was the third Rangers manager to lead an All-Star team (Ron Washington did so in 2011 and 2012 because Texas made the 2010 and 2011 WS). This means Bochy was the first Rangers manager to lead an All-Star team when the game was played in Arlington.
- According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Bochy became the second manager to win the All-Star Game with both leagues, joining Tony LaRussa, who won three times with the AL and once with the NL. Bochy previously won with the NL in 2011, as the Giants manager.
AL East-leading Orioles make presence known
- With Corbin Burnes on the mound and Adley Rutschman behind the plate for the AL, this was the first time the ASG had a starting pitcher and starting catcher who were teammates since 2016 (Johnny Cueto and Buster Posey, Giants).
- Burnes threw a shutout first inning, providing a rare bit of continuity among the All-Star pitchers. Burnes and Emmanuel Clase were the only MLB pitchers to be All-Stars in both 2023 and 2024. This is tied for the fewest pitchers to carry over from year to year in ASG history, and the fewest since 2000 and 2001 also had two, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Coincidentally, Burnes started the game for the AL, and Clase closed it.
- The Orioles had three All-Star starters (Burnes, Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson) for the first time since 2013 (Chris Davis, Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy).
Odds and ends
- When Phillies lefty Matt Strahm closed out the bottom of the seventh inning by striking out Bobby Witt Jr., he became the first pitcher born in North Dakota to appear in an All-Star Game. Strahm, who went to West Fargo High School before heading to junior college, joins former Angels outfielder Darin Erstad (1998, 2000) as the only North Dakota natives to ever appear in the Midsummer Classic.
- National League manager Torey Lovullo called on 11 different pitchers, tied for the record in a nine-inning All-Star Game. The American League team used 12 pitchers in a 15-inning marathon Midsummer Classic in 2008. The AL also used 11 in each of the previous two All-Star Games.
- Emmanuel Clase became the fourth pitcher with multiple All-Star Game saves since saves became an official stat in 1969, joining Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Bruce Sutter.
- Not only was this the first All-Star Game in which the Phillies had three starting infielders since 1982, but first baseman Bryce Harper, shortstop Trea Turner and third baseman Alec Bohm each recorded a hit. This was the first time three infielder teammates all started an All-Star Game and recorded a hit since 2004, when both the Yankees (Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter) and Cardinals (Albert Pujols, Edgar Renteria and Scott Rolen) had three infielders do so, via the Elias Sports Bureau.
- At just 2 hours and 28 minutes, this was the fastest All-Star Game since 1988 (2:26).