American League fueled by first All-Star wins midway through CL season

ARLINGTON, Texas — On a night when Major League Baseball’s most accomplished pitching prospect, Paul Skenes, stepped onto the field for a historic start in the All-Star Game and Shohei Ohtani, the world’s biggest superstar, hit a home run for the National League, it was a 27-year-old former great who had a stellar season and made the difference at Tuesday’s 2024 All-Star Game.

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran, an All-Star for the first time in his second season as a regular, completed the American League comeback with a 5-3 victory at Globe Life Field with a two-run home run against Cincinnati Reds star Hunter Greene.

With the blast, 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 widely considered the greatest player in Red Sox history.

Duran put the finishing touches on a needed comeback after Ohtani hit a 400-foot, three-run home run off Red Sox right-handed pitcher Tanner Houck to open the scoring in the third inning.

Houck became the first Red Sox pitcher to allow a home run in an All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in 1991. The National League went scoreless in what ended up being the shortest All-Star Game (2 hours, 28 minutes) since 1988.

Duran completed the comeback victory — the American League’s 10th in the last 11 All-Star Games — by driving a thick splitter from Greene across the plate, 415 feet (126 meters) and over the wall in right-center field.

Duran was selected in the seventh round in 2018 and has battled injuries and mental health issues, emerging as one of the most dynamic prospects in baseball.