Phillies soak in All-Star atmosphere: 'This is just like heaven right now'

PHILADELPHIA -- After all these years, everybody wondered what Tuesday night’s All-Star Game might be like at Citizens Bank Park.

Bryce Harper wondered, too. He remembers the press conference he attended in front of Independence Hall in April 2019, when Major League Baseball announced the 2026 All-Star Game would be played in Philadelphia. Harper had been a Phillie for only a few weeks, but he knew Philly would be the perfect place for this Midsummer Classic, considering it would fall 10 days after the country’s 250th anniversary.

“It seemed like it was forever ago, but it went so quick,” Harper said following the game.

The American League beat the National League on Tuesday, 4-0. Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in the first inning. Jesús Luzardo threw a six-pitch scoreless fourth. Jhoan Duran recorded the final two outs in the top of the ninth. Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh went hitless in five at-bats.

None of that really mattered.

Phillies fans showed up. They made their mark. Players left with lifelong memories.

“I was talking to [Chris] Sale on the bench about the third inning,” Marsh said. “He goes, ‘Dude, you’ve got it made. First All-Star Game in your hometown? It only goes downhill from here.’”

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The fun started on Monday night with Schwarber and Harper in the Home Run Derby. Neither won the event, but Schwarber reached the finals and both hit enough blasts to enjoy the experience.

The next afternoon, the Phillies’ All-Stars walked the red carpet at Independence Hall with their families.

“I think my kid had a Spider-Man pose in one of the pictures today,” Schwarber said about his oldest son Kade. “That was a really cool thing to witness as a dad. Kid’s in a pretty public format, and he feels he's got the courage to go out there and do that. So that was like a pretty cool, proud dad moment right there -- to see him be him.”

Harper said he loved watching his oldest son Krew come up to him and tell him about the autographs he got.

“He got Bobby Witt on the sweet spot,” Harper said. “Seeing him spark and seeing his eyes twinkle a little bit, it's pretty cool.”

Players loved the conversations they had with players from other teams. Marsh chatted with James Wood and CJ Abrams of the Nationals. Luzardo caught up with Juan Soto of the Mets. He chatted with Sale of the Braves. He talked sweepers with Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers.

“No one really shared any tips or secrets,” Luzardo said. “But we definitely did talk a lot about pitching.”

From the moment the Home Run Derby started on Monday night until Duran entered the game in the ninth, Phillies fans cheered hard for their players and booed almost everybody else.

Was anybody booed louder than Mr. and Mrs. Met?

Maybe Soto.

“You see them all smiling,” Luzardo said. “I think everyone enjoys it. I think some guys enjoy being the villain. I think they love the passion out of these fans, and it kind of comes with the territory. You get booed, it's almost like a badge of honor.”

Sánchez was in the Phillies’ bullpen before the game when he heard his name announced. Fans roared.

He tapped his chest.

“Just a sign of respect to the fans,” Sánchez said via interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “It was just a little payback for all the love they gave me on such an important day, both for me and our fanbase.”

Sánchez fulfilled a lifelong dream, “coming from basically nothing” to join Juan Marichal, Mario Soto, Pedro Martínez, Ubaldo Jiménez and Johnny Cueto as the only Dominican Republic-born pitchers to start an All-Star Game.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It means a lot to me -- this experience. It’s just a sign that we’ve been doing things the right way. I see all that hard work paying off. I’m just super excited for that, and super happy for that, too.”

The game paused in the fifth inning for a tribute to the national pastime. It was “The Sandlot,” Ray Charles, “America the Beautiful” and fireworks. It gave goosebumps to people watching at home as kids rode bikes onto the field to talk and chat with players while Charles sang and fireworks filled the air. It was a sight to the sold-out crowd.

“You look at the aerial shots and you’re like, ‘This is just like heaven right now,’” Schwarber said.

The boy next to Marsh told him that his grandmother was a huge Phillies fan and an even bigger fan of Marsh. The kid pulled out his phone.

Marsh recorded a video message for grandma.

“Hopefully made her night,” he said.

“We were just talking about Philly and sports and everything else,” Harper said about the girl who rode her bike up to him. “I thought they did an incredible job. Obviously, starting with the Home Run Derby, and then obviously today, I thought they put on a great show. Really cool moment, kind of like ‘The Sandlot’ there. I love that song. I loved that moment in the game. I loved that moment in the movie as well. So, just really a cool opportunity to do that and be part of that.”

Marsh agreed.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” he said.

It will. And Marsh, like his teammates, will never forget.

“We should feel lucky that we get to do this for a living,” Schwarber said. “We know that it's not lifelong. We know that we're going to be non-players longer than we are players. But to have moments and experiences like this, these are things that you're just never going to forget.”