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Jorge Castillo, ESPN editor-in-chief
ARLINGTON, Texas — On a night when Major League Baseball pitching phenom Paul Skenes made a historic All-Star start and Shohei Ohtani, the sport’s brightest global superstar, smashed a home run for the National League, it was a 27-year-old former top prospect having a breakout season who made the difference at the 2024 All-Star Game on Tuesday.
Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran, making his first All-Star appearance in his second season as an everyday player, completed the American League’s comeback with a 5-3 victory at Globe Life Field with a two-run home run off Cincinnati Reds starter Hunter Greene.
With the feat, Duran became the first Red Sox player since J.D. Drew in 2008 and the fifth in franchise history to win the game’s MVP award — named after Ted Williams, a 19-time All-Star and the greatest player in Red Sox history.
“It’s an honor,” Duran said. “Who else would I want to try to follow in their footsteps?”
Duran completed a much-needed comeback after Ohtani hit a 400-foot, three-run home run off Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck to open the scoring in the third inning. It was the first career home run by the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter in an All-Star game and the second by a Dodgers player since Mike Piazza in 1996. Ichiro Suzuki’s inside-the-field home run in 2007 was the only home run by a player of Japanese descent in All-Star history.
Ohtani, who walked in his first plate appearance, entered his fourth career All-Star Game Tuesday, going 1 for 4 with two walks.
“I didn’t hit really well in the All-Star Game overall, so I’m just relieved to have a good ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I was really focused on getting a consistent at-bat, like I would in the regular season.”
Houck became the first Red Sox pitcher to give up a home run in an All-Star game since Roger Clemens in 1991. The National League has not scored in what was the shortest All-Star game — 2 hours, 28 minutes — since 1988.
The quick exposition began with a dose of drama.
Juan Soto’s exceptional ability, the trait that has put him on the path to first-ballot Hall of Fame status, is his uncanny ability to reach the bases. Never has the baseball world wanted to see the New York Yankees right fielder do that job more than he did in the first inning Tuesday.
The pressure began to mount Monday when American League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy announced a lineup that surprisingly included Yankees center fielder and leading AL MVP candidate Aaron Judge batting fourth.
That meant Judge wasn’t guaranteed to face Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ new sensation who was scheduled to play a limited inning. Someone had to get on base to get the matchup going. When Skenes retired the first two American League batters, that someone had to be Soto, or the game everyone wanted to see wouldn’t happen.
Soto, in typical Soto fashion, accomplished the task by working a seven-pitch walk to appease the masses.
“I was trying to get him going, man,” said Soto, a four-time All-Star and first-time starter Tuesday. “But after two strikes, I was trying to work on the swing because I wanted to make sure he faced him, too, so I did my job.”
The drama was short-lived, however: Judge reached for Skenes’ first pitch, a 100 mph fastball, and hit a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
“It was fun,” said Judge, a six-time All-Star. “It was a fun first inning. Getting a chance to hit behind (Soto), watching him do his thing against one of the young prospects in the National League right now, it was pretty cool.”
Skenes failed to record a strikeout in three, but he threw five of his 16 pitches at least 100 mph, induced four whiffs — all on his nasty sprinkler — and silenced any remaining critics who thought he didn’t deserve to start the game after just 11 career major league starts.
Skenes, one of 37 new All-Stars, was the first rookie to start the exhibition game since Hideo Nomo also started for the National League at the Rangers’ old stadium across the street in 1995.
Nomo was a 26-year-old star who had already played in Japan for the Dodgers, the country’s second-largest market. Skenes, just 22, is coming off a No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and shining for a small-market club.
“I honestly wish I had a few more pitches to throw on the national stage today,” said Skenes, who owns a 1.90 ERA in 66 1/2 innings for Pittsburgh. “It was cool to have that game, cool to pitch with William (Contreras) and talk about the game plan with him, talk about how to play these guys, how we were going to get them out and then go out there and execute.”
“Of course, it’s the All-Star Game. It’s on national television, which is cool. It’s cool to get some attention for the game.”
Two innings after Skenes’ exit, Soto again broke through in a different way for the American League, hitting a ground ball up the middle that he converted into a two-run double off a nonchalant Teoscar Hernandez in center field to cut the National League lead to one run.
Two batters later, David Fry, replacing Globe Life Field opponent Yordan Alvarez, got Soto to score from second base with a game-tying RBI single to left field.
Duran capped the comeback win — the American League’s 10th victory in 11 All-Star games — by hitting a big shot from Greene 413 feet over the right-center field wall. The home run was the first by a Red Sox player in an All-Star game since Adrián González in 2011. It was a moment that spoke volumes about the player Duran has become.
A seventh-round pick in 2018, Duran has battled injuries and mental health issues to become one of baseball’s most dynamic talents. The Long Beach State product is hitting .284 with an .820 OPS, elite defense and top-notch baserunning in 95 games. He leads the majors with 10 triples and the American League with 27 doubles.
The combination of power, glove and speed has produced a 3.7 fWAR, tied for 10th in the major leagues, for a surging Red Sox club that is exceeding expectations in its quest for a playoff spot. On Tuesday, Duran’s power took center stage as he shone alongside the sport’s biggest stars.
“I’m really grateful,” Duran said. “It’s hard to put into words. I won’t realize it until I try to sleep tonight. Who knows if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”