Cease, bullpen silence NL in 15-K shutout as AL wins All-Star Game

PHILADELPHIA — In a year when pitchers throwing unhittable 100 mph fastballs have generated many of baseball’s headlines, the story of the 2026 All-Star Game was that there are many ways to dominate the 60 feet, 6 inches between the pitcher’s rubber and home plate.

Eleven American League pitchers combined to allow three hits and strike out 15 National League batters in a 4-0 victory Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, the AL’s fourth shutout in All-Star play. It was arguably the most impressive team pitching performance in All-Star history, with the 15 strikeouts one short of the nine-inning record and the three hits allowed tied for second fewest.

Not all those AL pitchers were throwing triple-digit fastballs. In fact, there was only one 100 mph pitch the entire game from the American League. A few of those AL pitchers might even be best described as craftsmen or masters of the art of pitching or, in the case of Michael Wacha and Nick Martinez, wily veterans. Or in the case of Parker Messick, a wily young rookie.

“That was very cool,” said Wacha, who pitched a flawless third inning. “The fact that we didn’t give up any runs against that lineup and that roster, it was a pretty cool feeling.”

The AL’s list of somewhat anonymous pitchers stood in stark contrast to those who didn’t pitch in this game for the National League, which has dominated the pitching leaderboards this season. Of the NL’s top 10 pitchers in FanGraphs WAR, only two appeared in the game, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo. No Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, Chase Burns, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Braxton Ashcraft or Chris Sale — all of whom were All-Stars, but none of whom pitched Tuesday.

It’s a situation that has created enough controversy that commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters earlier Tuesday that MLB will need to reevaluate the rule that allows pitchers who pitch Sunday not to appear in the All-Star Game.

“I do think it’s really important that we always reevaluate our approach to the All-Star Game in order to get the very, very best players actually participating in that game,” he said.

The one NL star pitcher who did appear was Sanchez of the hometown Phillies, who was uncharacteristically wild in the first inning as he threw 34 pitches and walked two batters in one inning for just the second time this season. Yankees teammates Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice, both left-handed batters, delivered RBI hits to give the AL a quick 3-0 lead before Phillies fans could finish their cheesesteaks. That was another rarity for Sanchez, who allowed a .137 average to lefties in the first half.

Bellinger earned MVP honors for his two-out, two-run single. Rice followed with an RBI single, the first time since 1962 that two Yankees had an RBI in an All-Star Game.

“I just try to keep it simple,” Bellinger said. “Single up the middle and, you know, the pitching today was just dominant. I mean, it was nasty, hard to score some runs. So, you know, just try to stay within myself and just try and get the job done there.”

Staked to an early lead, the AL pitching staff then took over.

Oh, there was some hard stuff mixed in there as well. “That’s nasty,” a miked up Bryce Harper said after striking out against Guardians reliever Cade Smith. Harper swung through a 98.1 mph fastball, watched another 98.6 mph fastball for a strike and then went down swinging on a splitter.

Toronto’s Louis Varland threw the game’s lone triple-digit pitch.

But Smith and Varland are relievers. Wacha’s fastball averages a mere 93.1 mph — well below the MLB average of 94.7 mph — but he throws six different pitches, mixes them up, keeps batters off-balance and, yes, knows how to pitch. Martinez’s sinker averages a mere 92.6 mph, but he has an outstanding changeup, a six-pitch mix and, yes, knows how to pitch. Messick is a 25-year-old who pitches like a 35-year-old, with a fastball that averages 93.9 mph and, you got it, a six-pitch repertoire.

Wacha, the 35-year-old veteran for the Kansas City Royals, made the All-Star team back in 2015 when he was a young pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals but didn’t pitch in the game. Understandable when his NL teammates included Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner, Gerrit Cole and Jacob deGrom. His career has gone through ups and downs, with injuries, a 5.54 ERA across the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and then a stretch of six teams in six seasons. He found a home in Kansas City and made his second All-Star team — his 11-year gap between selections is the second longest behind Bert Blyleven’s 12.

In Wacha’s inning Tuesday night, he threw 17 pitches, striking out Andy Pages and Drake Baldwin and getting Kyle Schwarber to ground out.

“There was a lot of pressure going in there,” Wacha said. “We hadn’t given up anything. Just tried to have a quick 1-2-3. Keep them off the board. You don’t want to be the guy that blows it.”

Martinez was a first-time All-Star at 35. The Tampa Bay Rays starter first reached the majors in 2014 with the Rangers, but after posting a 4.77 ERA in four seasons, he went to Japan for four seasons and honed his craft. He returned to the majors with the Padres in 2022 and then went to the Reds, working as a swingman. He signed with the Rays this offseason and has worked exclusively as a starter, going 8-2 with a 2.65 ERA. He pitched a flawless fifth inning, throwing 12 pitches and getting a strikeout and two grounders.

“It was awesome,” he said. “Super exciting. The boys showed up. We were able to hold off a great lineup. I did as I could. Tried to pound the zone.”

Messick, pitching the second inning, had the easiest inning of the three: 10 pitches, seven strikes, three quick outs. Dylan Cease, the AL starter who does have a big fastball, set the tone by striking out the side in the first inning around a walk.

“I always want to strike guys out,” said Cease, who became just the seventh pitcher to strike out three batters in the first inning of an All-Star Game. “I just wanted to throw strikes and not walk guys.”

The key might have been his first pitch.

“Before the game, I was pondering, do I start with a changeup?” he said. “I thought it would be funny, but Justin Verlander talked me out of it.”