Cody Bellinger celebrates after his first-inning single gave the American League a 2-0 lead. Eric Hartline / Imagn ImagesBy The Athletic StaffJuly 14, 2026 11:24 pm EDT Updated PHILADELPHIA — His team was booed all week, clearly no love lost between the Philadelphia faithful and the Bronx after the 2009 World Series, but New York Yankees slugger Cody Bellinger turned those heckles into an All-Star Game MVP award on Tuesday in the City of Brotherly Love.Making the start in place of teammate Aaron Judge (right rib stress fracture) and the Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton (right hip strain), Bellinger made the most of his moment in the American League’s 4-0 win over the National League on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.Facing NL Cy Young Award candidate Cristopher Sánchez, Bellinger turned on a middle-middle sinker for a two-run single into center field in the first inning. It helped set the tone for the AL in what was mostly an uneventful game. His Yankees teammate Ben Rice, also in the AL starting lineup, chipped in an RBI single of his own in the first. That was all of the scoring until Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox hit a solo homer in the eighth.
It’s the Yankees’ third All-Star Game MVP award and the club’s first since Giancarlo Stanton in 2022.How Philly landed the All-Star Game for America’s 250Tyler Kepner and moreA three-time All-Star, Bellinger was appearing in the Midsummer Classic for the first time since winning the NL MVP as a Los Angeles Dodger in 2019.This season, he’s posted a 114 OPS+ while playing solid defense all around the field for the Yankees. It’s his second season in New York and first since signing a five-year, $162.5 million deal in the offseason to remain in the Bronx.Jul 15, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
