Eleven American League pitchers combined for a three-hitter shutout to defeat the National League 4-0 in Tuesday night's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Philadelphia.
Dylan Cease started the dominant pitching performance by striking out the side in the opening inning.
He became only the seventh pitcher in history to strike out three batters in the first inning of an All-Star Game.
The collective effort of Cease and 10 relief pitchers produced the first All-Star shutout since 2013.
The relievers included Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Drew Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman, and Bryan Baker.
Offensively, Cody Bellinger won the game's Most Valuable Player award.
He drove in two runs with a single in the first inning against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez.
Ben Rice followed Bellinger with an RBI single during the same inning.
Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox hit an eighth-inning solo home run to provide the only extra-base hit of the night.
Sánchez endured a heavy 34-pitch first inning that allowed three hits and two walks before escaping further damage.
"It just took me a little time to soak it all in and enjoy it," Sánchez said through a translator.
The National League struggled throughout the contest, recording only three singles by Juan Soto, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Otto Lopez.
They failed to advance any runner past first base.
Defensive and pitching depth carried the game as both teams combined for 27 strikeouts.
American League hurlers accounted for 15 of them amidst notable absences of stars Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani.
Injury struck early in the third inning when Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero left the game after being hit by a 97.6 mph sinker.
Subsequent X-rays returned negative.
The event celebrated the upcoming United States semiquincentennial with historical pregame ceremonies. Managers signed lineup cards with feathered quills surrounding 13 stars representing the original colonies.
With this victory, the American League extended its historical advantage to 49-45-2 overall. They have won 18 of the last 23 All-Star matchups.
The next Major League Baseball All-Star Game is scheduled to take place at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
