​PHILADELPHIA — This was supposed to be a story centered around the dichotomy of baseball’s hardest-working closer, the definition of a blue-collar dude, getting fitted for a fancy All-Star suit. After all, no closer in baseball works harder than the Rangers’ Jacob Latz. He averages more outs per game (3.6) than any closer in the game. He’s got more two-inning saves than anybody in the game. And when you add in his four innings as a spot starter, he’s got the second-most innings among closers. It would be more appropriate if he was fitted for a lunch pail than a golden beige number from All-Star designer Tom Marchitelli of Gentleman’s Playbook.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen, Latz, flashed the custom lining he had made for the red carpet walk and it was filled with pictures of his family that he’d hand-selected and his mom, Tricia, started to shed a tear.So, it became a story about family. Because as the Latz family group chat is named: “Family is everything.”Jake named it that after a big wedding in 2016. It’s stuck. Because it’s appropriate. If there is anything that means more to Latz than being the best pitcher he can be, it’s his family. Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz shows off his custom jacket ahead of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia. (Bailey Orr / Texas Rangers)“It’s just the perfect thing,” Tricia said Tuesday morning at a fitting in the All-Star hotel’s “beauty suite.” “It’s just perfect for the whole family coming together. We’ve been there for each other and been supportive through all the ups and downs.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe whole design had been a surprise for his parents. Latz had seen some previous red carpet walks where players had an homage to their family sewn into their jacket linings. READ MORE: A grenade in the bullpen? Rangers’ Jacob Latz answers fans’ questions at the All-Star GameBut, then, Latz went the extra mile. He didn’t just grab a couple of photos. Each of the nine — the maximum Marchitelli could fit onto the silk screen for printing — was from a specific moment in his baseball life with his family. After a little league game back in suburban Chicago. His early minor league career. After his MLB debut, with a friend group still so close they all traveled to Cleveland for that one-day callup in 2021 and to Philly for his All-Star debut Tuesday. Showing his World Series ring to his parents. With his dad, Jeff, on the field at Fenway Park a month ago.“But,” Jeff said, shaking his head over the lining tribute, “that’s just who Jake is.” AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn Tuesday, Latz’s entourage was full of family, including all three of his sisters — Amanda, Olivia and Elaina — and his two toddler nephews. All three of the other Latz kids and their parents have migrated from Chicago to the Dallas area in the last five years.   “They’ve just obviously been with me my whole life, and they knew