PHILADELPHIA. Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game will celebrate its 96th edition this Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, with a constellation of stars that will bring together experience, youth, and talent in the traditional Midsummer Classic.
The National League will have Dominican Cristopher Sánchez, of the Philadelphia Phillies, as its starting pitcher, who will become the first pitcher from that organization to start an All-Star Game since Roy Halladay in 2011 and only the seventh in franchise history to receive that distinction.
Sánchez, who will play in his second Midsummer Classic, described the designation as the most important moment of his career.
“It feels very special and very exciting. Especially being here at home,” expressed the Dominican left-hander.
The American League will counter with right-hander Dylan Cease, of the Toronto Blue Jays, who will make his first All-Star Game start following an outstanding first half of the season.
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On offense, another Dominican will be a protagonist. Junior Caminero, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, was placed as the cleanup hitter in the American League’s starting lineup, escorted by figures such as Mike Trout, Yordan Álvarez, and Bobby Witt Jr..
For its part, the National League will line up with Kyle Schwarber as leadoff hitter and designated hitter, followed by Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman, CJ Abrams and Max Muncy, among others.
The meeting will also be marked by several important absences. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., elected as the starting first baseman for the American League, will not play due to physical discomfort, as will Aaron Judge, Byron Buxton, and Shohei Ohtani, who were left out of the game due to injury.
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The 2026 edition of the All-Star Game will have special significance as it will be part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States and will be the first time that Citizens Bank Park hosts the event.
The game will begin at 8:00 PM (Eastern Time) and will be broadcast by FOX in the United States, in addition to reaching more than 200 countries through Major League Baseball’s international partners.
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