How each player fared in the AFL Fall Stars Game
The best of the Arizona Fall League took the field at Sloan Park on Saturday night for the Fall Stars Game. A plethora of baseball's best prospect got their chance to showcase their skills, including Tigers No. 6 prospect Thayron Lirizano, who was named the game's MVP after delivering a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning to secure the AL's 6-5 victory over the NL.
Here's what each player did:
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays
Adrian Pinto played the entire game at second base and immediately made his presence known with a three-run homer to left-center in his first trip to the plate. Right-hander Lazaro Estrada punctuated a scoreless seventh inning by striking out Juan Baez and Leodalis De Vries. Peyton Williams played four innings at first base and was hitless in a pair of plate appearances.
Orioles
Creed Willems (BAL No. 22) earned the start behind the plate, catching two innings. He grounded out in both of his plate appearances.
Rays
Tre' Morgan (TB No. 10) played the entire game in left field and he reached base three times, tied for the most in the 2024 Fall Stars Game. The former LSU Tiger doubled, walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.
Red Sox
Max Ferguson started at shortstop and came around to score after walking in the second inning, while Brooks Brannon (BOS No. 27) was hitless in a pair of plate appearances. Danny Kirwin allowed one run in his inning of relief, walking a pair and giving up one hit.
Yankees
Caleb Durbin played all nine innings at third base and collected a pair of hits, a walk and a steal. Garrett Martin entered in the sixth in right field, going 1-for-2 with a single in the ninth. Carlos Lagrange (NYY No. 20) hit the first batter he faced in the eighth, but he quickly righted the ship with a key strikeout to ultimately earn the win for the AL.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians
Allan Hernandez pitched a perfect fourth inning on 10 pitches (six strikes) to earn a hold.
Royals
Jac Caglianone (KC No. 1/MLB No. 17) reached base in all three of his plate appearances -- highlighted by a screaming double to left in the third, after which he stole third base. Backstop Carter Jensen (KC No. 5) entered in the third, spending three innings behind the plate while going hitless in a pair of ABs. Right-hander Luinder Avila (KC No. 26) opened a three-run third inning with a pair of walks and a wild pitch, but he navigated out of a jam with a four-pitch strikeout.
Tigers
Taking over behind the plate in the sixth inning, Thayron Liranzo (DET No. 6) made his lone plate appearance count with a towering go-ahead homer in the ninth inning that soared 437 feet. Josue Briceño (DET No. 9) got the starting nod as the designated hitter and batted in the cleanup spot. He was hitless in three at-bats.
Twins
Jack Noble stepped in for the eighth, utilizing eight pitches (six strikes) in two-thirds of an inning to retire two of the three batters he faced.
White Sox
Grant Taylor (CWS No. 6) tossed a scoreless second inning while sitting 94-97 mph on his fastball with a mid-80s slider. The righty struck out a batter and worked around a double.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels
Niko Kavadas (LAA No. 29) lined a single to center in the first and acquitted himself well in right field, where he laid out for a diving catch to end the fourth. Samy Natera Jr. worked around a one-out single to record a scoreless fifth inning, striking out three -- the most K's of any pitcher in the game.
Astros
Righty Alex Santos II earned the start for the American League squad. He put the first three batters he faced on base with two walks and a single, but he retired the next three to escape with just one run allowed.
Athletics
Denzel Clarke (ATH No. 10) stung a single up the middle as a pinch-hitter in the sixth, then took second with a diving swim move to avoid the tag. He played the final four innings in center field.
Mariners
No Mariners players were selected to the 2024 Fall Stars Game.
Rangers
Right-hander Marc Church earned the save for the American League by striking out a pair of batters in a scoreless ninth inning. Alejandro Osuna (TEX No. 16) batted leadoff and started in center field while Max Acosta played the final four innings at shortstop; both were hitless. Cody Freeman was selected to the 2024 Fall Stars Game but did not play.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves
Right-hander Isaac Gallegos took the ball in the ninth inning with two on and one out. He struck out the first batter he faced on four pitches before inducing a flyout to end the frame.
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Marlins
Center fielder Andrew Pintar (MIA No. 18) entered as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-2 with a double.
Mets
The starting shortstop, Jett Williams (NYM No. 2/MLB No. 52) went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored -- but he showed off his defensive prowess with a leaping snag to end the third inning.
Phillies
Right-hander Griff McGarry (PHI No. 21) pitched the ninth inning, getting a quick first out before allowing a solo homer and a single.
Nationals
Robert Hassell III (WSH No. 13) lived up to his “Bobby Barrels” nickname with a slick RBI double in the bottom of the third inning. Righty Chase Solesky entered in the sixth, working around a leadoff single from Caleb Durbin and a two-out single from Denzel Clarke to escape the frame unscathed.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers
Juan Baez (MIL No. 27) went 1-for-2 after entering at third base in the sixth inning. Right-hander Ryan Birchard took the mound for just one batter, inducing a lineout on four pitches to end the top of the seventh inning.
Cardinals
Showing off his patience at the plate, Thomas Saggese (STL No. 4) worked a pair of walks, coming around to score in the third on a groundout after stealing second.
Cubs
Jonathon Long (CHC No. 30) got the National League going right away with a bases-loaded sac fly in the first inning. He didn’t reach base, but continued to post productive outs with an RBI groundout in the third inning. Moises Ballesteros (CHC No. 4/MLB No. 44) caught three innings and drove in a run with his sixth-inning sacrifice fly.
Pirates
Righty Derek Diamond threw a scoreless first inning, giving up a two-out single before inducing a lineout to end the frame. Sammy Siani, who started in left field, singled in the third inning before coming around to score on a double from Robert Hassell III. He finished 2-for-5. Backstop Geovanny Planchart entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, catching the final three frames.
Reds
Right-hander Jose Acuna delivered a scoreless fifth inning, working around a two-out walk while striking out one. Edwin Arroyo (No. 3/MLB No. 65) showed off his bat skills after entering in the sixth inning at shortstop. He reached base in both of his at-bats with a pair of singles and also swiped second. Righty Luis Mey took the bump for the eighth, allowing a leadoff double and a walk before settling in and striking out Max Acosta and inducing a double play to end the frame.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Dodgers
Zyhir Hope (LAD No. 11) made the start in right field, where he stood out on defense, snagging a fly ball from Alejandro Osuna at the wall for the second out of the fourth inning. Hope struck out in his first two at-bats, but worked a walk in the sixth inning before swiping second base and scoring on a sac fly. Righty Eriq Swan threw two scoreless innings, including a 1-2-3 fourth, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout.
Giants
San Francisco’s lone Fall Stars representative, Cale Lansville threw just three pitches (two strikes) in his two-thirds of an inning to open the seventh.
Padres
Ethan Salas (SD No. 1/MLB No. 19) kicked off bottom of the third with a walk before stealing second, then swiping third as part of a double steal. Romeo Sanabria (SD No. 23) got the starting nod as DH, his lone hit a double up the middle in the second inning. Pinch-hitting for Sanabria in the sixth inning, Leodalis De Vries (SD No. 2/MLB No. 28) was hitless with one strikeout.
Rockies
Lefty Evan Justice got into some deep trouble in the second inning, allowing five runs on two hits (one homer) and three walks while striking out one. First baseman Skyler Messinger, who entered in the sixth, went hitless but helped turn a double play to end the eighth inning.