American League Wins MLB All-Star Game 4-0, Bellinger Named MVP

The American League (AL) secured a shutout victory in the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, holding the National League (NL) offense to just three hits and 15 strikeouts.
The AL won 4-0 in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game held today at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Cody Bellinger (New York Yankees), who recorded one hit in three at-bats and two RBIs, including the game-winning hit in the top of the first inning, was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the first time in his career.
Having avenged last year's loss, the AL extended its lead in the all-time All-Star Game series to 49 wins, 2 draws, and 45 losses.
The AL scored the decisive runs in the top of the first inning.
After Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros) hit a single to center field against NL starter Cristopher Sanchez (Philadelphia Phillies) with one out, subsequent walks by Shea Langeliers (Athletics) and Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals) loaded the bases with two outs.
Bellinger then drove a sinking fastball down the middle on a 2-2 count for a two-run single to center field. With runners on first and third, the next batter, Ben Rice (Yankees), hit an RBI single to center, extending the lead to 3-0.
AL pitchers kept the NL offense in check throughout the game.
Starting pitcher Dylan Cease (Toronto Blue Jays) began the shutout streak by striking out three and allowing one walk in a scoreless first inning.
The AL did not allow a single hit until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Joe Ryan (Minnesota Twins) gave up the first hit to leadoff batter Juan Soto (New York Mets) while holding a 3-0 lead.
The AL offense also struggled to add runs after their three-run first inning, but widened the gap in the top of the eighth with a solo home run to left field by Miguel Vargas (Chicago White Sox).
With one out, Vargas hit a low slider on the third pitch from the seventh NL pitcher, Justin Wrobleski (Los Angeles Dodgers), to clear the fences.
The AL pitching staff then silenced the NL hitters to close out the game.
The AL pitchers—Cease, Parker Messick (Cleveland Guardians), Michael Wacha (Kansas City), Ryan, Nick Martinez (Tampa Bay Rays), Cade Smith (Cleveland), Drew Rasmussen (Tampa Bay Rays), Jacob Latz (Texas Rangers), Luis Berland (Toronto Blue Jays), Aroldis Chapman (Boston Red Sox), and Bryan Baker (Tampa Bay)—combined for 15 strikeouts.
The NL pitching staff also recorded 12 strikeouts, bringing the total to 27 strikeouts between the two teams.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) of Japan was selected for the NL All-Star team but did not take the mound due to scheduling conflicts.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.