Surprising Philadelphia Phillies Stat Shows Trend in NL's MLB All-Star Game Success
The National League emerged victorious in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, breaking a nine-game losing streak versus the American League. Looking back at their infrequent wins over the past 40 years, it turns out the NL had history on their side in Seattle.
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson was on the bench for the win, rejuvenating a pattern that dates back to 1981.
The National League is 5-1 when a Phillies manager is at the helm since that year, compared to just 7-28-1 when another team's manager is in charge.
Dallas Green led the NL to a tight 5-4 win in 1981, then Paul Owens called the shots in the NL's 3-1 win in 1984. The next time a Philadelphia skipper was in charge of the NL All-Star Team was in 1994, when Jim Fregosi coached his squad to an 8-7 victory in 10 innings.
That 1994 win snapped a six-year winning streak by the AL, which Charlie Manuel had a chance to repeat in 2009. The NL lost 4-3 that year, though, and Phillies managers' perfect All-Star Game record came to an end.
Manuel bounced back by leading the NL to a 3-1 win in 2010, though.
Thomson was the first Phillies manager to take on the role for the NL since Manuel, as Philadelphia made its first World Series in over a decade last postseason. While Thomson couldn't manage his team to four wins in the Fall Classic in 2022, he did pull all the right levers in Seattle on Tuesday.
The NL's final three pitchers of the night – San Francisco Giants reliever Camilo Doval, San Diego Padres lefty Josh Hader and Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel – combined to allow two hits and zero runs in their 3.0 innings of work. Even though Kimbrel walked two batters with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he still punched out Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez to shut the door.
At the plate, Thomson brought Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz in as a pinch-hitter for Marlins outfielder Jorge Soler in the eighth inning. Diaz crushed a two-run home run to left, giving the NL the 3-2 lead they would hold through the end of the night.
Thomson and the Phillies will return to action Friday at home versus the Padres. That game will be broadcast by NBC Sports Philadelphia, with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
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