Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL 5-3 victory over NL in All-Star Game started by rookie pitcher Skenes

ARLINGTON, Texas – Boston’s Jarren Duran, the All-Star MVP, hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and the American League beat the National League 5-3 on Tuesday night for its 10th victory in recent memory. 11 All-Star Games.

Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes threw a first no-hitter for the NL, twice reaching 160 mph, and Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run home run in the third for a 3-0 lead.

Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single to tie the score in the third, and Duran homered off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene.

Duran is the fifth Boston player to be an All-Star MVP, the first since JD Drew in 2008. The others were Pedro Martinez in 1999, Roger Clemens in 1986 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.

Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest in the All-Star Game since tracking began in 2008. Cleveland hard-throwing Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the defense.

The 22-year-old Skenes, who has played just 11 major league games since being the No. 1 overall draft pick last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to reach an All-Star Team. The right-hander threw a first no-hitter with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge struck out on the next pitch.

Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for strikes, with seven fastballs up to 160.1 mph.

Ohtani, who went deep 29 times in the first season of his record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pulled a road 400 feet to the right off Tanner Houck. This came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two hitters he faced: No. 9 hitter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.

“I didn’t hit well in the All-Star Game, so I’m relieved I put the ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I just focused on hitting regularly, like I was in the regular season.”

When Ohtani faced Miller in the fifth, he hit an 89.2 mph slider well in and out of the strike zone. This was after twice hitting fastballs over 100 mph.

Ohtani’s first All-Star home run made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza against Cleveland’s Charles Nagy in 1996 at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time – his first in the NL.

Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, after replacing Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right center after he relieved Judge in center.

The AL has a 48-44-2 All-Star Game record and had won nine straight before the National League’s 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.

AL starter Corbin Burnes arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with her newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a recovery by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.

After throwing the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face as he continued running and wrapped his arm around Contreras at the baseline.

Played in 2 hours and 28 minutes, it was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, a game that the AL won 2-1 in Cincinnati and which took just two minutes less time.

Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series and All-Star Games titles in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to victory in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL’s San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.

The MLB regular series resumes on Friday, when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that will not play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has a .611 winning percentage, the best in the AL, although Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins. San Diego (50-49) is set to become the first team to play its 100th game, at the Guardians, on Friday night.

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