PHILADELPHIA — It was a night to celebrate both baseball and the United States, with enough pageantry — including introductions in which players entered through giant Liberty Bells, then signed their names with quills on a lineup scroll styled like the Declaration of Independence, and all before the midgame fireworks display and seventh-inning “Happy Birthday, America” singalong — to make theater directors blush.
So it was only appropriate that the stars of the All-Star Game were those Yankees from the north.
Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice came through with back-to-back, two-out, run-scoring singles to account for three runs in the first inning, supplying the only scoring the American League would need in a 4-0 victory Tuesday at a sold-out, rocking, booing and Red, White and Blue-ing Citizens Bank Park.
The pair became the first Yankees teammates to drive in runs in a Midsummer Classic since Roger Maris and Tom Tresh in 1962, according to MLB. Bellinger was named MVP for driving in two of the game’s four runs on a night the award could have been shared by the American League pitching staff, with 11 pitchers combining for a three-hitter while walking two and striking out 15.
For Bellinger — who ripped a two-strike, two-run single against Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez — the at-bat encapsulated the type of hitter that the Yankees have known for a season and a half.
The 2019 MVP, whose stock had plunged more than dropped since — nontendered by the Dodgers and salary-dumped by the Cubs — returned to the All-Star Game for the first time in seven years, transformed. No longer is he the 47-homer monster he was with the Dodgers. And no longer is he the .165-hitting shell of himself he was in 2021.
What remains is a strong and smart hitter who knows when to try to blast pitches and knows when to shorten up. What remains defensively is an outstanding athlete who can play just about anywhere a lefty is allowed to play.
As a person, Bellinger — now a father of two young girls and elated to spend this All-Star Game with his family — has changed, too.
“I don’t know how much they’re going to remember,” Bellinger said earlier in the day, “but I’m going to remember it all.”
“I was so fired up for him,” Rice added, “and I was just so happy for him and his family, him getting to walk the red carpet with his wife and his two kids.
“It was just awesome.”
For Rice — who followed by grounding his RBI single against Sánchez up the middle, virtually the same spot as Bellinger’s knock — the at-bat was another example of growth from a slugger who keeps growing, especially after he was shielded last season from seeing opposing left-handers.
Every step of the way, Rice has improved and proved himself. He had to create his own league in Massachusetts during the pandemic to get noticed, which made him a 12th-round pick who was guaranteed nothing.
He hit his way through the system with more bat control than power, posting solid numbers but being overlooked in the prospect rankings (never appearing in a top 100 list). But he hit his way to the majors, added significant weight and strength ahead of the 2025 season, and burst this year into everyday playing time, stardom and even the Home Run Derby.
What will Rice remember?
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“I’ll remember doing the Derby with my old man, having a blast out there,” Rice said. “I’ll remember being in the same clubhouse as Mike Trout and Justin Verlander. I’ll remember the game.
“I’ll remember everything.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
