4 winners and 3 losers from 2024 MLB All-Star weekend

This week’s events in Arlington have come and gone. The AL won the game, Teoscar Hernandez took home the Home Run Derby crown, and Arlington won because the All-Star Game is always great for its local host’s economy.

With the festivities now behind us, let’s review some of the most memorable moments we witnessed in this eventful week by running through a list of winners and losers.

4 winners from MLB All-Star weekend in Arlington

1. Jarren Duran

Jarren Duran became the fifth Boston Red Sox player to win the MLB All-Star MVP award. Duran initially never believed he was going to get the call. But he did, and every fan cheering for the AL couldn’t have been happier with his performance. Duran went 1-for-2, the one hit being a 413-foot, two-run blast off of Reds’ starter, Hunter Greene, to swing the game in favor of the AL.

2. Shohei Ohtani and his dog

The NL lost, but not before Ohtani managed to hit a three-run blast off of Tanner Houck to give them a 3-0 lead, the first ASG homer by a Dodger since 1996. Ohtani finished the day 1-for-2, but his contribution was for naught as the NL would fail to score anymore runs than what Ohtani had already contributed.

But this wasn’t the only reason for him to be listed in the winners’ section. Ohtani also graced the red carpet with a coat featuring pictures of his dog Decoy on the inside. This is one instance where both dog and owner can win best in show, or shall I say, best in Sho (couldn’t help the pun). While he didn’t win the All-Star MVP, Ohtani definitely made the trip to Arlington a very memorable one.

3. Teoscar Hernandez

And the winners’ section wouldn’t be complete without the Home Run Derby champ. Teoscar Hernandez barely made it into the one-on-one brackets with 19 HR, but he saved the best for last, topping Alec Bohm and Bobby Witt Jr to be the first Dodger to win the derby. As the champ, he shared the credit with Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Juan Soto, and Shohei Ohtani for helping with his swing.

4. Juan Soto

Not considering the two-run double, Juan Soto did something very noteworthy. Before the break, he promised to give Aaron Judge a shot at Paul Skenes, and he did just that. Soto managed to work a walk allowing Judge, the No. 4 hitter, to come to the plate. Judge’s at-bat ended anticlimactically grounding out on the first pitch, but Soto did his part. He finished the day 1-for-1 with a double that should’ve been a single, 2 RBIs, a run that shouldn’t have been a close play at the plate but was (Soto jogged home and was nearly tagged out but didn’t even seem to notice), and more importantly, a walk.

The 3 biggest losers from MLB All-Star weekend

1. Hunter Greene

Hunter Greene took the loss for the NL. Though he didn’t give up as many runs as Webb or Houck, Greene threw the ball that Duran sent into the seats resulting in the National League taking the loss.

2. Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso is the acclaimed two-time Home Run Derby champ. Sadly, he’s had trouble claiming his third title. Alonso struggled mightily this time only hitting 12 homers in the derby. But he’ll land on his feet and hopefully be back next year for another shot, maybe that time as an All-Star. The Polar Bear has 19 HR on the season through 366 ABs.

3. Gunnar Henderson

Gunnar Henderson entered the All-Star break with a whopping 28 home runs, behind only Judge and Ohtani for the MLB lead. Unfortunately, the young star didn’t give his best showing this time around. He hit only 11 home runs in the derby which gave him the lowest total of any participant in any round besides the swing-offs. The next day, Henderson went 0-2 in the All-Star Game. But he’s only in his second full year in the majors. He undoubtedly has plenty of star moments ahead of him.