​PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 14: Cody Bellinger #35 and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees talk during the 2026 96th MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images The 2026 MLB All-Star Game will not go down in history as one of the most memorable Midsummer Classics in the near-century-long history of the event. Highlights on the field were few and far between, broadcast debacles and poorly-executed ideas compromised the viewing experience, and several distracting pieces of vaguely baseball-themed pageantry bloated the presentation of a contest which would have otherwise flown by. But for our decidedly narrower purposes here at Pinstripe Alley, the game was a splendid success. The American League defeated the National League 4-0 at Citizens Bank Park, fueled by a first-inning rally which was paid off by both Yankees representatives in John Schneider’s starting lineup. The man who drove in the first two runs, Cody Bellinger, was eventually named All-Star Game MVP, the fourth Yankee to ever win the honor. The AL pitching staff limited the NL to just three hits all night in a tidy victory for the Junior Circuit.The game was listed as beginning at 8pm ET, but fans needn’t have worried about missing the first pitch, which came almost a full half-hour later. All the pomp and circumstance gave way to a dream start for the AL—and the little Yankee contingent nestled within their starting lineup. Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez received the opportunity to start the All-Star Game on his home mound, but he may have been a bit nervous. His command was sporadic as the AL built a rally on a Yordan Alvarez single and a pair of walks. With two outs, Cody Bellinger came up with an opportunity to stake his side to an early advantage.There are more ideal scenarios to face Bellinger than with two runners in scoring position and a left-handed pitcher on the mound. View LinkSánchez actually got ahead of Cody 0-2 with a pair of sinkers, then missed low with yet another. He turned to his signature changeup but missed badly inside. Having lost some confidence on that pitch, Sánchez returned to the sinker and left it belt-high in the strike zone. Bellinger swatted it up the middle and past shortstop CJ Abrams to score a pair.Thanks to this early knock in the low-scoring game, Bellinger was awarded the All-Star Game MVP. He joins Derek Jeter (2000), Mariano Rivera (2013), and Giancarlo Stanton (2022) as the lone Yankees to win the honor. Congrats to Cody!Ben Rice wasted little time coming up with a nearly-identical result two pitches later. The first-time All-Star took a first-pitch sinker from the desperate southpaw, who was fully scared off from his changeup. Another sinker came down the pipe, and Rice capitalized. He found the same hole Bellinger did, grounding it up the gap to the right of second base to bring in yet another run. Thanks to the two hard-hit singles fro