2026 MLB All-Star Game Made Bizarre History Not Seen in 13 Years

The All-Star Game provided some history.

Jul 13, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks at the conference before the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game has come and gone. After the National League won in a Home Run Derby swing-off in 2025, the American League returned the favor, winning 4-0 at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.

The National League has only won twice since 2013. No longer does the game determine home-field advantage in the World Series, but the American League has had the upper hand for a very long time.

This year, some history was made. It had not been since 2013 that the All-Star Game had ended in a shutout. The American Leaguers changed that on Tuesday.

AL Makes All-Star History Not Seen Since 2013

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider fields questions during the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

2013 was the second straight All-Star shutout at the time. The National League had accomplished the feat in 2012, but it went back to the American League that year.

This year, there was a little bit of history made. The National League didn't accomplish much of anything on Tuesday night. The AL got clutch hits from Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice and Miguel Vargas, which accounted for all four runs.

Still, it's interesting to note that it had been so long since the All-Star Game had ended in a shutout. It doesn't happen as frequently as one might think. In truth, the game itself was somewhat of a letdown, as the American League took the crowd out of it pretty early with three runs in the first inning.

There wasn't anything else the National League could do at that point. The AL's pitching staff stole the show in Philadelphia. Dylan Cease threw a scoreless first inning. Then Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cam Smith, Drew Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman and Bryan Baker continued to work of blanking the National League.

In fact, the NL was held to just three hits on the night. Christopher Sanchez's early struggles were too much to overcome. But it had been 13 years since an All-Star Game had ended in a shutout, and that run finally came to an end on Tuesday night.

Fans aren't too pleased with how it turned out, but there was at least some interesting history made in the process, so it will be interesting to see how it is perceived by others around the industry.

Bellinger was named the MVP of this year's All-Star Game, and it was a New York Yankee in Mariano Rivera who got the award back in 2013, so there are some interesting parallels.