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

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