Thanks to Jarren Duran’s fifth-inning go-ahead two-run home run, the American League beat the National League in the 94th MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night (AL 5, NL 3). The Boston Red Sox star took Cincinnati Reds ace Hunter Greene deep to break the tie at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and was named the All-Star Game MVP in return.
Here is Duran’s game-winning homer:
Two innings after his homer, Duran made a nifty play in center field to quickly retrieve Reds speedster Elly De La Cruz’s base hit and limit him to a single. Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds followed with a single later in the inning that surely would have scored De La Cruz had Duran not held him to a single.
Duran drove in two runs with his bat and helped save a run in the field. For that, he was named the All-Star Game MVP. He’s the fifth Red Sox player to win the award, joining Carl Yastrzemski (1970), Roger Clemens (1986), Pedro Martinez (1999) and J.D. Drew (2008).
The 27-year-old Duran earned his first career All-Star Game selection with a .284/.342/.477 line and 22 stolen bases in the first half. He also leads the league with 27 doubles and 10 triples, and has hit 10 homers. Duran ranks fifth among all players with 5.1 WAR.
