Tag: MLB All-Star Game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bryce Harper saw the missed call on his phone Wednesday after the Phillies got off the field at Citizens Bank Park.

Rob Manfred wanted to chat.

The last time they talked, almost a year ago, it ended with Harper telling the commissioner to “get the [heck] out of our clubhouse” if he wanted to propose a salary cap in baseball.

But Manfred had something less divisive on his mind. He wanted to use his one selection to name Harper to the National League team for the 96th All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia.

“Yeah, he called me and told me I was going to be his pick,” Harper said Sunday. “He said that I’ve had a great first half, and I think the numbers kind of speak for themselves. I think I had an opportunity [to be an All-Star]. Obviously with the fan vote it didn’t happen, so he gave me the opportunity. Definitely grateful for that and excited to be there.”

So, Harper and Manfred are pals now?

Harper laughed.

“No, I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” said Harper, a nine-time All-Star, with more selections than any active player except Mike Trout (12), Chris Sale (10), and Freddie Freeman (10). “He left me a voicemail during the game and told me he wanted to talk about the All-Star Game. I wasn’t sure what the question was going to be at that point, but then we talked and he let me know.

“I think I deserve to be in the game for the way I’ve played, so definitely grateful for it.”

Indeed, entering Sunday’s games, Harper was tied for 11th in the majors with a .903 OPS and was among 15 players with at least 20 home runs. He was batting .274 with a .374 on-base percentage.

The numbers are notable. Last October, in a season-ending news conference, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wondered aloud if Harper, at age 33, was still elite.

A few days ago, Harper said a reporter asked him if he has answered the question.

“It’s like, I don’t care,” Harper said. “It’s up to you guys to decide that. Every year, I come in and I’ve got an opportunity to be great at what I do, you know? Like I said, the numbers show right now, they speak for themselves.

“But I know they can be better. I know I can be better. I’m going to enjoy it, obviously. But I think I can be better than what I’m doing right now.”

Harper figures he can always swing at fewer pitches out of the zone or draw more walks. The Phillies have four other All-Stars: Kyle Schwarber, Cristopher Sánchez, and first-timers Brandon Marsh and Jhoan Duran. Marsh is a starter in the National League outfield; Sánchez might be the starting pitcher.

But it wouldn’t have been an All-Star Game in Philly without Harper, the city’s biggest baseball star.

The question now: Will he be in the Home Run Derby?

Harper remains noncommittal. Health isn’t a problem. After dealing with wrist and back issues over the past few seasons, he said his “body feels great.” He has started every game so far this season.

The biggest issue: Finding a pitcher. Harper’s dad, Ron, did the honors in 2018, when Harper won the Home Run Derby in Washington, but hasn’t thrown batting practice in four or five years.

Harper’s phone has been buzzing with offers.

“A couple ex-players that throw BP now to their kids and stuff,” he said. “I think I can trust a couple of them, but it’s just hard for me, to tell you the truth, not being able to do it with somebody that I’m super comfortable with. You can’t just pick somebody random to go out there.

“I’m not going to do something if I’m going to have a half-mentality towards it. If I’m going to do it, I want to be full bore and very confident in winning. Because I’m not going to do it unless I’m going to try to win it. Like, I’m not going out there just to have fun. I want to win the thing.”

Chalk it up to a competitive streak that continues to fuel Harper in his 15th major-league season.

None other than Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, a six-time All-Star as a player, marveled at Harper’s nine All-Star selections for both the longevity and level of excellence.

“I think the first thing that comes to mind is, ‘Not enough,’” said Harper, who has five years left on his Phillies contract and a desire to play beyond that. “I’ve been in the game a long time. Nine’s a big number. But hopefully I’ll have more after the next couple of years.

“Every number or anything that I look at right now, it’s just I always kind of tell myself ‘not enough,’ you know? Just got to keep going, keep wanting more, and then hopefully get there.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A few minutes past 6 p.m. here Saturday, Don Mattingly gathered the Phillies for a team meeting.

That’s when Brandon Marsh and Jhoan Duran found out they were All-Stars.

For the first time.

Marsh, the leading vote-getter among National League outfielders in the final phase of fan voting, will be joined on July 14 in Philadelphia by Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Cristopher Sánchez, and Duran. All but Harper were selected by their peers; Harper was named by commissioner Rob Manfred.

“It’s a dream come true,” Duran said after the Phillies’ 6-1 victory over the Royals. “I always wanted to be there, and it happened this year.”

Zack Wheeler, who has made a remarkable return from thoracic outlet syndrome, was notably not selected. Wheeler missed the season’s first four weeks. He’s also lined up to start the last game before the break, which would leave him unable to pitch in the All-Star Game.

Mattingly said he wasn’t sure if Wheeler’s unavailability led to the snub. But other pitchers who are scheduled to start the last game before the break were selected, including flamethrowing Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, and will likely be replaced.

Even without Wheeler, the five All-Stars will tie for the second-largest contingent in Phillies history. They had eight selections to the 2024 All-Star Game in Texas, though Wheeler chose not to attend and Ranger Suárez was injured.

Mattingly was looking forward to breaking the news to all five players, but especially Marsh and Duran, who are All-Stars for the first time.

“I think that first one is always special because it kind of like validates, ‘Hey, I’ve made it. I’ve been an All-Star,’” said Mattingly, selected to six All-Star games as a player and slated to be a coach on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ National League staff this year. “It’s just huge.”

Of all the Phillies’ big names, the fans turned out in droves to vote for Marsh, who will become the first Phillies outfielder to start an All-Star Game since Raúl Ibañez in 2009.

Marsh, 28, entered Sunday fifth in the NL — and third among all major-league outfielders — with a .310 average. He had 15 doubles, 15 homers, and an .856 OPS, the continuation of a promising final four months last season. Since the beginning of May 2025, he was batting .309 with 25 homers and an .852 OPS in 702 plate appearances over 199 games.

In the first phase of fan voting, Marsh pulled in the second-most votes among NL outfielders and advanced to the final stage with the Dodgers’ Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández, the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II, and the Mets’ Juan Soto. Pages and Soto were also named starters.

Schwarber, 33, was runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in the fan voting but was a lock to be named on the players’ ballot. Aside from being immensely popular with his peers, Schwarber leads the majors in homers (30, entering play Sunday) and ranked fourth in the majors with a .943 OPS. It will be his fourth All-Star appearance, all but one coming with the Phillies.

Harper, 33, didn’t advance to the final round of fan voting after finishing behind the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman and Braves’ Matt Olson in the initial stage. But it wouldn’t have been an All-Star Game in Philadelphia without Harper, and his selection by Manfred was based as much on merit as reputation. Entering the weekend, the nine-time All-Star ranked 10th in the majors in OPS (.906) and was among only 15 players to reach the 20-homer mark.

“The longevity side of it with Harp — I think this is nine for him — I mean, it’s building to where you start getting those kind of guys that get 12-15,“ Mattingly said. ”Just the fact that he’s still continuing to play at that level is huge for me.”

Sánchez, 29, was a lock for the NL pitching staff after going 50⅔ innings without allowing a run, the longest streak ever by a lefty and fifth-longest all-time.

The only question is whether Roberts will choose him to start the game.

Sánchez is lined up to start the second-to-last game before the break, on Saturday in Detroit, which Mattingly said could put him on track to pitch one inning on July 14.

Whether or not Sánchez starts the All-Star Game, Duran could close it, in which case, warm up the tarantulas on the right-field scoreboard.

“That would be crazy,” Duran said. “We never know. I always say I never say never because you never know.”

Duran, 28, is having one of the best seasons ever by a Phillies reliever with 45 strikeouts, six walks, a 1.52 ERA, and a league-leading 21 saves (in 22 chances) entering the weekend.

Surely, he knew the All-Star Game was a possibility.

“I wasn’t thinking too much about that,” Duran said. “My wife, yes. She was on top of that. I never put too much time on it mentally.”

Now that the All-Star rosters have been announced, the Home Run Derby field will begin to form. Schwarber and Harper said they would consider competing in the Derby if they were on the All-Star team.

When he was with the Nationals, Harper raised his hand for the Derby — and won it — in Washington in 2018. He said earlier this week that he’s undecided about doing it again.

“The last time I did it, I won. I said I’d never do it again,” Harper said. “So, we’ll see how I’m feeling. … Obviously, I know the fans want me to do it, so I’ll take that into account, but we’ll see how much pump, I guess, I have behind me going out there and doing it.”

Said Mattingly: “It doesn’t bother me. It’s set up a lot better now than it was before where it’s not a zillion swings.”

One year after he was drafted by the Phillies, Gage Wood will make his Citizens Bank Park debut in the Futures Game.

Wood and fellow right-hander Wen-Hui Pan were selected to represent the Phillies in the annual prospect showcase as part of MLB’s All-Star festivities. The seven-inning game takes place July 12 (noon, NBC10).

The Phillies selected Wood with the 26th overall pick last year. After striking out 38% of the batters he faced over eight starts this season at low-A Clearwater, they promoted him two levels to double-A Reading, where he has a 3.86 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 25⅔ innings over seven starts.

Wood, 22, achieved notoriety last year with a no-hitter for Arkansas in the College World Series. He’s widely regarded as the Phillies’ top prospect, though not yet among the top 50 in baseball. MLB Pipeline has him 54th in its midseason rankings, while Baseball America lists him 69th.

Pan, a right-handed reliever, signed with the Phillies as an international amateur from Taiwan in 2023. The 23-year-old missed last season after Tommy John surgery but was promoted to double A roughly two weeks ago.

In 20 appearances at three levels, Pan has a 3.18 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 22⅔ innings, including a 5.40 ERA mark in five games since moving up to Reading.

Like everything about All-Star week, the Futures Game will have a Phillies flavor. Shane Victorino will manage the National League roster, while Larry Bowa will manage the American League. Bowa’s staff will include several former Phillies, notably Michael Bourn (first base coach), Juan Samuel (bench coach), Milt Thompson (hitting coach), and Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner (pitching coach).

Twelve of the top 13 prospects in Baseball America’s rankings were selected for the Futures Game: infielders Jesús Made (Brewers), Leo De Vries (Athletics), Franklin Arias (Red Sox), George Lombard (Yankees), and Eli Willits (Nationals); outfielders Josue De Paula (Dodgers), Theo Gillen (Rays), and Mike Sirota (Dodgers); pitchers Ryan Sloan (Mariners), Seth Hernandez (Pirates), and Kade Anderson (Mariners); and catcher Ethan Salas (Padres).

Larry Bowa remembers the roar.

Fifty years ago, the All-Star Game came to Philadelphia as part of the country’s bicentennial celebration. Bowa was among five Phillies players in the game, and when they were introduced with the National League squad, the ovation shook Veterans Stadium.

With the Midsummer Classic set to return to town next month, Bowa, 80, joined the Phillies Extra podcast to recall Philly’s baseball summer of ’76, as well as the state of the current Phillies.

Here are a few excerpts from the conversation with the World Series-winning former Phillies shortstop. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Q: When someone brings up the 1976 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, is there a specific moment or memory that comes to mind?

A: The fact that we played in our own city was unbelievable. The crowd reaction when they introduced all of us is something that you never, ever forget. With the exception of winning the ’80 World Series, that was an incredible moment for me to play in front of your hometown in your ballpark.

And looking at the cast of characters, the players on both sides — I happened to just check out the roster a couple days ago — and the American League had some good pitchers there. And the thing that stands out in my mind, you have a meeting before — it’s a lot different now, obviously; it’s more of an entertainment thing now. Back then, it was, “Hey, you better win or you’re going to be embarrassed.”

I remember Pete Rose. Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was going to pitch against us, and he was on fire. He had one of those years where he’s talking to the ball and doing all that. And three or four of us were sitting around there, and Pete says, “You know what I’m going to do? He’s going to start talking to that ball, I’m gonna hit a base hit up the middle.” … And I knew Pete was a great player, and I said, “Man, if this guy’s that good …” Sure enough, base hit, right up the middle. He’s talking to the ball, and boom. And he looked in the dugout, and he gave me like a little thumbs-up, and I went, this game must be easy for him because to call that against a pitcher that was probably the greatest pitcher at that time in the American League, it was unbelievable.

Just the reaction of the crowd, especially when they said, “And now from the Phillies,” and they introduced all of us. And if I’m not mistaken, I think there were seven Reds on that team and five Phillie guys, which at that time, those two teams were pretty good. You can throw in the Dodgers, they were really good, too. So, there were three teams there that were well represented in that game.

Q: Have you ever seen anything like Cristopher Sánchez, just in terms of a transformation or the kind of growth that he’s had?

A: No, I haven’t. And when I first saw him pitch, the control was a huge issue, and now I’m watching this individual pitch now, and to me, and I know there might be some guys slighted, but he’s the best pitcher in baseball. The outs that he makes other teams get are very soft. As an infielder, as an outfielder, you’re always ready, because he doesn’t walk a lot of guys. He doesn’t run deep counts. His work ethic is off the charts. He’s a very humble individual. Hopefully, this can continue because literally right now we have two No. 1s. I mean, you talk about Sánchez and [Zack] Wheeler, and I still believe in my heart that we’re going to be in the playoffs. I know Atlanta has got a big lead and all that. I’m not even worried about that. But when we get in, and I know we’re going to get in, I wouldn’t want to face this team with the pitching staff that we have, especially in a short series, whether it’s five games, whether it’s seven games.

Sánchez is the kind of guy that you wouldn’t know if he won 20 games or if he lost 20 games. You wouldn’t know if he’s losing 8-1 or winning 1-0 . He’s a humble individual. … I wish, and I love Ranger [Suárez], [but] I wish Ranger had a little bit of Sánchez’s work ethic because I think Ranger could have attained the same type of success.

But Sánchez’s work ethic, I haven’t seen anybody — I should say this, Clayton Kershaw worked like that, and that when I watch Sánchez, I’m thinking of Clayton Kershaw, the work ethic that they put in. Hopefully this thing can continue, because right now, when we take the field and we have Wheeler or Sánchez on the mound, it’s almost like that team in ’72 when [Steve] Carlton took the mound, we knew we were going to win. And I think that’s the feeling right now when those two guys take the take the mound in Philadelphia.

Q: If they could get Trea Turner going at the top of the order in that one or two spot, that would be a huge boost to an offense that could really use it. What do you see from Trea?

A: I expect him to be where he’s supposed to be at the end of the year. People don’t see the work he puts in. … This guy works harder than anybody out there. I think sometimes he lets his hitting affect when he goes [on the field at shortstop], not as much as he did the first year when he first came over, but when he feels he’s not helping the ballclub offensively, I think it weighs on him a little bit. I think they made a great move hitting him second.

I don’t think Trea’s the kind of guy that’s going to work pitchers and all that and look for walks. He’s one of those guys that, once he gets into his groove, I don’t care where you throw him, he’s going to get base hits. And lately he’s been coming on. I expect a good second half … I think he’s going to be fine, but he’s his own worst critic. Believe me, he wants to do well. He knows he’s disappointed the team. It seems like when Trea doesn’t get on — I know we got the big boys in [Kyle Schwarber] and [Bryce Harper] — but when Trea gets on, we’re a very good offensive ballclub. When he’s not, sometimes we have to struggle for runs.

Nothing against the other guys on the team, but Trea seems to be the guy that ignites us. And them switching the lineup a little bit lately, having Schwarber lead off, I think it might have eased his mind a little bit. But I expect big things from him moving forward, because he’s too good a hitter to be hitting what he’s hitting. To me, he’s the catalyst for our team.