Cristopher Sánchez‘s meteoric rise to the ranks of elite major league pitchers will now come with the stamp of an All-Star Game start.
Sánchez, the Phillies‘ ace lefty, was informed Sunday by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts that he’s the choice to start for the National League on Tuesday night in Citizens Bank Park, a league source confirmed before Roberts made it official.
“I smiled a lot,” Sánchez told reporters, through a team interpreter, after the Phillies wrapped up the first half in Detroit. “It’s reflection of all the hard work that I’ve been doing throughout the year, and I’m just extremely proud of myself right now.”
Sánchez, who will be opposed by Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease for the American League, is the first Phillies pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Roy Halladay in 2011. Curt Schilling, Steve Carlton, Curt Simmons, and Robin Roberts also started at least one All-Star Game as a Phillie.
“He deserves it,” Roberts told reporters in Los Angeles. “He’s a hometown ballplayer, and I think the city of Philly will enjoy watching and supporting him. He was very grateful. In a time where guys are not wanting to participate in the midsummer classic for the fans, this is a good thing that he’s that excited about pitching.”
Sánchez ranks second in the majors in innings (127⅓), third in strikeouts (144), and ninth in ERA (2.62). The 29-year-old is also second among pitchers in wins above replacement (4.0, according to Fangraphs).
But Sánchez’s chances of starting for the NL improved because neither ERA leader Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers nor Dodgers two-way unicorn Shohei Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game. Misiorowski was scheduled to start Sunday for Milwaukee and later scratched with arm fatigue, while Ohtani bowed out with an irritated left knee.
Cristopher Sanchez will join teammates Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber as starters for the National League.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Sánchez will join the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber in the NL’s lineup. Marsh was elected by fans to start in the outfield; Schwarber, chosen as a reserve on the players’ ballot, will replace Ohtani as the NL’s designated hitter.
A year ago, Sánchez was overlooked for the All-Star team, which rankled many of his teammates. There wasn’t any chance of that happening this year.
Not after Sánchez went 50⅔ innings without allowing a run, the longest streak ever by a lefty and fifth-longest all-time. He had a 1.80 ERA through 16 starts before stumbling in a five-run start at Washington and a career-worst nine-run start last Sunday in Kansas City.
This season, the Phillies’ frustration stems from the omission of Zack Wheeler, who lowered his ERA to 2.13 with six scoreless innings Sunday in Detroit but also missed the season’s first month while coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome.
Wheeler said it was “B.S.” that MLB didn’t name him as an All-Star and later replaced him on the NL roster. (Pitchers who start their team’s last game before the break don’t usually pitch in the All-Star Game on one day’s rest.) The league approached Wheeler on Friday about adding him as a replacement, but he said he declined “because they disrespected me.”
But Wheeler also declined to pitch — or even attend — the All-Star Game in 2024 in Texas and last year in Atlanta, his hometown.
“There’s certain circumstances where guys can’t play, they are injured. But this is an honor,” Roberts said. “It’s not only just an honor to be named it, but it’s an honor to participate and want to participate. Cristopher wants to, and I’m excited about naming him the starter in the All-Star Game.”
Sánchez is at his best at home. In his last 56 starts in Citizens Bank Park dating to 2024, he is 23-8 with a 2.21 ERA and 377 strikeouts in 354 innings. This year, he’s 7-1 with an 0.86 ERA in 11 home starts.
“I think it’s just fan support overall,” Sánchez said recently through a team interpreter, “and also knowing every inch of this stadium.”
After giving up two runs on 10 hits Saturday in Detroit, Sánchez said, “It would be awesome to start the All-Star Game at home. With the fans, it just would be an awesome thing. It’s another accomplishment and another goal, for sure, but it would be an awesome thing to do.”
It’s now a reality.
“Yeah, it’s just going to be crazy,” Sánchez said. “You guys know that Philly is the best environment in baseball that there is, so it’s just going to be really joyful and really crazy.”
Staff writer Lochlahn March contributed to this report.
DETROIT — The Phillies were playing that night, so Kevin McGonigle had to get to the ballpark early. Around 10 a.m., when the batting cages would be empty.
He was a senior in high school, and the Phillies hitting coach, Kevin Long, had invited him to take some swings at Citizens Bank Park. Long’s son, Jaron, worked for the agency that represented McGonigle. He asked his father if he would hit with his client, who was a Delco native, a big Phillies fan, and poised to be taken early in the 2023 MLB draft.
“I said, ‘I’d love to. Let me check out what this guy’s got,’” Long said.
Long is used to working with major leaguers. On the Phillies, he oversees the second-oldest group of hitters in baseball. McGonigle was on the cusp of being selected 37th overall by the Tigers, but at the time, he was still a high schooler at Bonner-Prendergast, still a teenager.
The session was a memorable experience for both of them. They spent about half an hour swinging in the cages. And when they were done, McGonigle still had more questions.
“Hey, can you show me Bryce Harper’s routine?” he asked Long. “Can you show me Kyle Schwarber’s routine?”
Long would demonstrate, explaining how and why a certain player would approach a drill. And so the session went on for another half an hour, with McGonigle emulating the major leaguers he’d grown up admiring, in their batting cage.
“I had a feeling he was going to be special,” Long said. “Had a feeling he was going to be in the big leagues. This quick of success probably surprised me a little bit.”
Bonner-Prendergast’s Kevin McGonigle was the 37th overall selection in the 2023 draft.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
This week, McGonigle will return to the same stadium, this time as a major leaguer himself. The 21-year-old Tigers infielder will make his Citizens Bank Park debut in the All-Star game, just over three years after that session with Long.
The Tigers drafted McGonigle during Competitive Balance Round A, which falls between the first and second rounds. He went 10 picks after the Phillies selected shortstop Aidan Miller 27th overall.
During the 2025 All-Star festivities in Atlanta, McGonigle was one of the top prospects selected to play in the Futures Game. He was playing for Detroit’s double-A affiliate at the time. But after making the Tigers’ opening day lineup in March, the kid from Delco has put together a sparkling rookie season.
“Growing up wanting to go to an All-Star Game in Philadelphia just as a fan, it was always a dream of mine,” McGonigle said. “Just to go experience it and watch the All-Star Game in Philly. But now I get to have a front-row seat and actually play in it, so I haven’t really been able to think of words to describe the way I feel.”
He has a .285/.394/.424 slash line in his first 92 games, and will be an infield reserve on the American League team.
McGonigle will be staying at home with his parents for the festivities. He said about 35 friends and family members will be in attendance at the game. He also had plenty of family in the stands over the weekend at Comerica Park to see him face his hometown team, a trip planned before McGonigle was selected for the game.
None of this has sunk in yet for him.
“I think it’s gonna all hit me either when my name gets called or the national anthem, somewhere in the lines of the All-Star Game,” he said.
His phone started blowing up immediately on Friday after McGonigle took starter Aaron Nola deep in the series opener. In the third inning, he sent a sinker 414 feet into the Phillies’ bullpen in right-center field.
After the game, Nola gave an unprompted shoutout to McGonigle, who grew up a fan of his. He was 10 years old when Nola debuted for the Phillies in 2015.
“Good hitting, right there,” Nola said of McGonigle. “Hit that ball pretty hard, out of one of the deepest parts of the field. So hat off to him on that one.”
McGonigle was excited after seeing the clip.
“He gave me some props on that, which was really nice of him,” McGonigle said. “So hopefully, I can run into him at some point, and just get to know him a little bit and thank him for the good words he said about me.”
McGonigle briefly chatted with Harper on the field in Detroit. The first baseman was one of his favorite Phillies growing up, after Chase Utley. He hopes to get the chance to talk more during the All-Star festivities.
“I was nervous to say something to him, and it was just like a normal conversation, which was awesome,” McGonigle said. “I think that’s the best part about it. All these superstars are just normal guys, and you get to build relationships with them, learn from them, and just get to know them.”
He and Long have kept in touch over text since their hitting session three years ago. They haven’t been able to connect in person in Detroit because Long’s duties usually keep him busy in the batting cages underneath the stadium.
But they have been messaging. McGonigle had a bat sent over to Long at his request. And watching him from the opposite dugout, Long still recognizes the high schooler he swung with back in 2023.
“That’s the same kid,” Long said. “He’s tough. He’s gritty. He puts together these at-bats, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ Takes a really good swing. He’s not trying to baby his swing. He’s letting it kind of eat a little bit, which I like.”
He recalled seeing similarities between a younger McGonigle and former Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia, based on his size, demeanor, and his toughness.
What makes him a tough at-bat now for the Phillies to plan for is McGonigle’s discipline at the plate, Long said.
“His swing is a little bit unorthodox, but it’s a tight, compact swing,” Long said. “He controls his barrel very well. Uses the whole field. And his toughness. You can just see it. You can see it as soon as he goes to that at-bat, and overall, what he does at the plate. You sense that he’s not going to get out, or he’s going to make it really tough on the opposing pitcher.”
Long was so impressed by McGonigle back then that he later stopped by one of McGonigle’s games at Bonner in his senior season, to get a look at how he played defense.
He was blown away.
“I’m very proud of him, and I’m glad that we were able to cross paths,” Long said. “Something he’ll remember for a long time, and I’ll never forget it.”
Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels — the core of one of the greatest eras in Phillies history — will record a live podcast on Tuesday at All-Star Village at the Convention Center.
The recording will be an episode of Rollins and Howard’s “6-1-1 Podcast,” which is produced by Major League Baseball. Fans attending All-Star Village on Tuesday will be able to attend the hourlong live show, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Rollins and Howard launched their podcast in 2024 and have been joined this year by Freddie Freeman, Darryl Strawberry, and rapper Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan.
“That’s big bro, right there,” Howard said of Rollins. “Jimmy took me into his house when I first came up. He showed me the ropes and showed me what it’s like to be a big leaguer. It was always natural with Jimmy and us being ourselves around each other.”
Howard said Rollins was a good landlord as he didn’t charge him rent after he moved in during the end of the 2004 season. Rollins did the same a season later for Shane Victorino.
“We kept it clean,” Howard said. “Despite what he might try to tell you about the ‘Dishgate.’ He’ll try to talk about me not cleaning up dishes and stuff like that. I beg to differ. He probably had the cleanest dishes when I was there.”
Howard said the Phillies from his era remain close years later because they always cared about more than what happened on the field. The four players many symbolized from those years will be together on Tuesday.
“That’s what gave such a great bond,” Howard said. “We still have a text chain now where we update each other and try to see about getting together for a golf trip. It was a great time. It was a fun time.”
Ricky Bottalico often walks NBC Sports Philadelphia with a hockey stick, pacing the newsroom like a third-line enforcer before it’s his turn to dissect that night’s Phillies game.
Bottalico battled that same restlessness during his 12-year major league career, often bothering fellow relievers with his inability to simply relax in the bullpen while they waited for the phone to ring. It’s only fitting that he prepares for TV the same way.
“He’ll take slap shots at people,” said Sean Kane, a senior producer who oversees the network’s Phillies coverage. “People are trying to get work done, and he’s shooting hockey pucks. He’s all amped up talking to people. It’s just how he is. How he’s wired. And it makes for good TV.”
Bottalico pitched with intensity — he once started a brawl by beaning Barry Bonds and cursed at his old manager after earning a save — once he left those jitters in the bullpen. His fastball was blazing, and his stare was glaring. Bottalico had an edge. So does the guy who carries the hockey stick around the newsroom.
The 56-year-old Bottalico has made his name on TV as a no-nonsense analyst who isn’t afraid to criticize the Phillies, even though the team owns part of the station. Bottalico is irate after a loss, fumes when relievers don’t throw strikes, and blows his lid when fundamentals are lacking.
He does praise the Phils when they deserve it and is just as heavy-handed with the opponent. But it is his barbs against the Phils — “This is pathetic,” he said after a rough loss one night — that players have bristled at over the years. Bottalico pitched seven seasons for the Phils, and it’s uncommon for a former player working as an analyst on the station that carries the games to have as strong opinions as him.
The former player said he never takes a cheap shot as he speaks solely on what happens on the field. It’s never personal. He’s doing his job, just like he did when he was on the mound. Bottalico is throwing strikes.
“I’m sure there are some guys who are pissed at me,” Bottalico said. “You don’t want to piss anyone off. That’s not why we do it. I’m sure there are some people who enjoy teeing off on players. I don’t enjoy teeing off on something that happens in a game, but you have to. It’s part of the job. The way I look at it is if you can look in the mirror and see that you had a bad game or you made some bad pitches, then everything is status quo.”
Ricky Bottalico (left) prepares for “Phillies Pregame Live” with senior producer and digital contributor Sean Kane and host Michael Barkann on Thursday at the NBC Sports Philadelphia studio inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Truthful to the fans
Bottalico started with the network, then called Comcast SportsNet, late in the 2007 season. He retired two years earlier and was looking for the next chapter.
“You get your first summer off in 15 or 20 years,” Bottalico said. “And I’m like, ‘This is going to be great.’ Then you realize that it’s not everything you thought it would be. You’re sitting around a lot. Everything is getting stale. I missed the game.”
Bottalico’s TV gig gave him a chance to get back to baseball. He didn’t have much experience, but station fixture Michael Barkann said the former All-Star closer had what it took to be in front of a camera: knowledge, passion, and an opinion.
“He’s just so good at conveying what’s going on on the field,” said Barkann, who hosts the pregame and postgame show. “Many people will say baseball is just as simple as ‘See ball, hit ball, field ball, and throw ball.’ But it’s so much more than that situationally. When you absolutely live it and it just runs right through you and it’s a language you can speak with other people who have been there, it enables you to explain the game in a much more clear way. That’s him.”
Bottalico’s work that season led to more postgame shifts in 2008 along with work as a color commentator for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. A Daily News review of broadcasters in 2009 said Bottalico would be a star once he lost “the alumni-bias that sometimes causes him to broad-brush obvious chinks in the Phillies’ armor.” That soon happened.
“You have to be truthful to the fans,” said Bottalico, who also cohosts an afternoon radio show on 97.5 FM. “I don’t like to beat around the bush. I learned early on that you have to be truthful about what happens because fans see what happens. But the other side of that is when they’re good, you point out that they’re good. I will say it’s a lot easier to do the show when they’re good.
“I’ve been doing this job for a long time. I now work with Cole Hamels. I see Ryan Howard around all the time. Jimmy Rollins, I played with and analyzed. They never had a problem with me. They might say, ‘Ah, you’re getting on me today.’ But that’s about it.”
The network started broadcasting Phillies games in 1998 and gave the team a share of the station in 2014 as part of its current $2.5 billion TV deal. So Kane said it can be “a little tricky sometimes” when the studio analyst working for the rights-holder takes a dig at the team.
Kane said he’s heard Bottalico might not be the most popular person if he walked into the Phillies clubhouse, but he’s never fielded a complaint from anyone. So Bottalico keeps bringing the heat.
“He’s going to tell it like it is, and I think that’s why fans love him,” Kane said. “He’s not going to worry about ‘Well, if I say this it might upset the players or it might upset the front office.’ I don’t think he takes cheap shots, but I just think he tells it like it is. If someone needs to play better or if someone needs to be more accountable, then he’s going to say it on TV.
“I’m sure over the years that has rubbed some guys in the clubhouse the wrong way. Like, ‘What’s this former player doing? He should be more protective. He should be more of a player-friendly analyst like, ‘They’re trying hard. That’s all you can ask.’ But I really don’t think he takes cheap shots. I just think he’s objectively watching this like a fan and ‘This guy needs to be better’ and ‘This guy needs to hustle’ and ‘This was a stupid decision’ and ‘They should’ve done this.’ When they’re not playing well, he’ll get angry. It’s not manufactured.”
Ricky Bottalico (right) with host Michael Barkann during a show on Thursday at the NBC Sports Philadelphia studio inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Treating it like football
If you think Bottalico is intense, he said you should watch a Phillies game with his dad in Connecticut.
“It’s unreal. It is unreal,” Bottalico said. “I’ll be there every once in a while and be outside with my brothers and we’ll hear ‘What the heck are they doing?’ You’re like, ‘Wow. OK. I guess I know where I got it.’”
The intensity Bottalico inherited from his father, Jay, proved to be a perfect match with Barkann, the host who rides an emotional roller-coaster every night during a 162-game season.
“He made a comment the other night and said, ‘You know what I love about Philadelphia is that we treat it like the Eagles, and they play once a week. That’s how we do every game,’” Bottalico said. “But it’s true. Because that’s our job. A lot of people don’t understand, ‘How are you getting so excited over this one game?’ Because that’s our job to bring what we feel that night. I think he’s a perfect example of what Philadelphia is and how intense the city has always been.”
Treating the result of a baseball game the same as a football score is the antithesis of how baseball players manage the grind of a season that often is characterized as a marathon. But how many viewers would tune in after a loss if the hosts simply said, “That’s baseball?” This is TV they’re making, and even the pitcher who ran those marathons for years had to become a sprinter.
“When you’re playing, you don’t do this,” Bottalico said. “But let’s face it: If I wasn’t true to what’s happening each and every game, I wouldn’t be doing this anymore. It’s one of those things where you have to have a love of the game, a passion for what you’re doing, and you have to be able to talk and explain it.”
The analysts know their tone may not resonate in the clubhouse, but their audience is the fans who are reeling — or riding high — like they are. The team’s postgame show meets the die-hards where they are.
“You want to be true to them,” Barkann said. “If you treat 162 games like Don Mattingly treats 162 games or Dave Dombrowski does, then come on. You want people to watch the program. You want people to get excited. You also understand as a fan that it’s not one of 162. It’s everything on that particular day or night. I pride our program on the fact that we do get excited, maybe a little over the top, about every win or every loss.”
Ricky Bottalico had a 3.70 ERA and 78 saves over seven seasons with the Phillies, and was their lone All-Star in 1996 at Veterans Stadium.INQ LODRIGUSS
A natural edge
Bottalico signed his first professional contract with the Phillies in 1991 in the backseat of a scout’s car after being discovered in a men’s league in Hartford, Conn. He was a catcher who didn’t start pitching until his junior year of college before going undrafted. Bottalico reported to Clearwater, Fla., and another pitcher wondered how Bottalico fell through the cracks.
“He looks at me and goes, ‘You throw harder than anyone else in here,’” Bottalico said.
It would have been easy to be bitter about the route he needed to take, but Bottalico never felt slighted. The edge he pitched with was not because he was overlooked. It was just him.
“I had it in Little League,” Bottalico said. “And I’m being honest. In Little League, I wanted to win every game. I wanted to get a hit every at-bat. At that point of your life, you don’t realize that the game is a game of failures. I always wanted to win. I always had that desire to make everyone on the team better, no matter where it was. I just think you’re born with that fire and desire.”
Five years after being undrafted, he was the lone Phillies’ All-Star in 1996 at Veterans Stadium. He was a big league closer, which meant the reporters flocked to his locker after a blown save but practically ignored him after a 1-2-3 ninth. Like a kicker, the closer usually makes news only after a botch. Bottalico understood the game.
Ricky Bottalico says “If you can look in the mirror and self-evaluate, then you don’t have a problem with getting ripped apart.”Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“John Marzano was doing pre- and postgame, and he would rip us apart,” Bottalico said. “But I thought it was funny. I never took it offensively. I’d be like, ‘OK, John. Get on me. What are you going to do? Rip me tonight.’ It was just one of those things. I was always the look-in-the-mirror-first guy. We used to have to stand in front of our lockers, and if I had a bad game, I would tear myself apart before they even asked a question. I was true to myself. If you can look in the mirror and self-evaluate, then you don’t have a problem with getting ripped apart.”
The analyst who presses the Phillies every night once was the player who got pressed. He didn’t have issues taking it, so he has no issues dishing it out. Bottalico is doing his job just like Marzano was. The guy who carries a hockey stick around the office can still pump one by you.
“Let’s face it: People criticize me,” Bottalico said. “You know what I do? I laugh at it. OK. You have your opinion, and I have mine. I’ve never thought about it as a critical thing. It’s just that I have a job to do. I’m doing my job, and they have a job to do, and they do their jobs.”
DETROIT — As he crossed the infield to return to the Tigers dugout, Zach McKinstry took off his helmet and tipped it toward Derek Hill.
There wasn’t much else McKinstry could do. Not after watching Hill cover tons of ground in center field at a dead sprint. Without slowing down, without taking his eye off the ball, Hill left his feet and snagged the ball midair. The spectacular play robbed McKinstry of extra bases and the Tigers of a run.
Hill contributed on both sides of the ball in the Phillies’ 4-2 win over Detroit on Saturday night. Cristopher Sánchez gave up 10 hits but held the Tigers to two runs in his final audition for the starting job at Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
The decision will come down to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who is managing the National League squad. But Don Mattingly, who accepted an invitation to serve on Roberts’ staff, believes his lefty has earned it.
“Not my call, but I mean, obviously, Sánchy in Philly would be a great story,” Mattingly said. “And I don’t know everybody’s numbers and everything else and what they look into that, but I would think he would have a good shot at starting, especially being in Philly.”
Hill started in place of Justin Crawford, who was out with a sore left knee, and manufactured the Phillies’ first run. In the third inning, he reached on a throwing error from Delco native Kevin McGonigle, stole second base, and then stole third. It put him in position to score when Trea Turner hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
Derek Hill made a leaping catch to take away a hit in the third inning.Lon Horwedel
Hill is very quick on his feet — he has a 98th percentile sprint speed — but it still marked the first time in his career that the outfielder had multiple stolen bases in a game, let alone an inning. He swiped another base in the fourth inning for good measure.
“Doesn’t mean much,” Hill said. “I just want to go out there and help my team win. I mean, whatever it takes, whether it’s three bags or a catch or getting a guy over with a bunt, it doesn’t matter to me. Just whatever it takes.”
The defensive play against McKinstry came in the bottom of the third, with a runner on first. Off the bat, Hill knew he had a chance. It helped that he has a lot of familiarity with Comerica Park and how the ball flies there. The Tigers drafted Hill in the first round in 2014, and he spent the first part of his career with the organization until he was designated for assignment in 2022.
“I knew it was going to hang up just a little, a little bit longer than other spots,” Hill said.
Brandon Marsh, playing in left field, assisted him by communicating how much distance he had until the wall.
“He’s a tremendous guy and a tremendous player,” Sánchez said of Hill, through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “Both with his offense and his defense, and even with his speed.”
The outfielder also delivered an RBI single in the fourth, contributing to a three-run rally against Tigers starter Casey Mize.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto’s batting average had dipped below .200 entering Saturday’s game after some extended struggles at the plate. But he showed some promising results with a big two-run double to the left field corner.
Bryce Harper snapped an 0-for-22 skid with a double in the first inning. He added a single in the fifth, but was thrown out trying to steal second.
Cristopher Sánchez pitched into the eighth inning and allowed 10 hits and two earned runs.Lon Horwedel
Four runs were a big enough cushion for Sánchez to earn his 11th win, even though he gave up a lot of contact. Of the Tigers’ 10 hits off the lefty, only one was for extra bases when Eduardo Valencia hit a solo homer in the fifth. Sánchez’s defense helped him out, too. In addition to Hill’s catch, the infield turned three double plays — one each in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.
He struck out seven batters, six on his changeup.
“Bend, but don’t break today,” Mattingly said. “The pitch to Valencia, kind of left one up just a little bit. I think he’s probably just trying to sink him out there. Left it up a little bit, but still the guy hits the ball to right center. Pretty good swing.”
A day after his move to pull Aaron Nola after five innings and 84 pitches backfired, Mattingly let Sánchez begin the eighth with his pitch count at 97. Considering the struggles the Phillies bullpen has been experiencing lately — especially the left-handers — Mattingly hoped to get Sánchez through McGonigle, a lefty due up second in the inning.
Things did not go according to plan. Sánchez walked Matt Vierling to lead it off and then McGonigle got to him with a single. Sánchez wasn’t able to record an out, and Mattingly handed the ball to Jonathan Bowlan.
The right-hander hit the next batter to load the bases. Bowlan then forced Spencer Torkelson to ground into a double play that conceded a run, but helped him limit the damage. He walked the next batter before inducing another groundout to end the inning.
“Bowlan came in and kind of got it done for us,” Mattingly said. “Obviously sixth, seventh, and eighth [inning] double play balls are huge. With traffic, we’re able to get two outs out of those, keep those innings down.”
Bowlan passed the baton to closer Jhoan Duran, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 24th save.
The next time Sánchez takes the ball, it will be at the All-Star Game on Tuesday. He doesn’t know yet if he will be given the opportunity to start it in front of the hometown crowd, but with a 2.62 ERA and 10.18 strikeouts per nine innings this year, Sánchez has made his case.
“It would be awesome to start the All-Star Game at home,” he said. “With the fans, it just would be an awesome thing. It’s another accomplishment and another goal, for sure.”
The All-Star festivities continued this weekend as the MLB draft was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, marking the first time that Philadelphia has hosted the event.
However, for the second consecutive year, there wasn’t a single draftee in attendance. Spectators certainly showed out. Fans repping jerseys from across the league filled the space to celebrate future MLB talent.
MLB Network’s Siera Santos and Robert Flores, along with Eliza Andrus served as the draft hosts, and fans were treated to a parade of mascots, karaoke, and Home Run Derby prize tickets while teams were on the clock. The West Powelton Steppers, also known as the Phillies Bassline, also contributed to energizing the crowd.
League commissioner Rob Manfred was met with a chorus of boos as he offered his opening remarks, where he highlighted the city and America’s 250th.
“There’s no place more fitting to celebrate the games future than a city that has helped define its past,” Manfred said.
Fans cheer during the 2026 MLB draft at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“From Hall of Fame legends Dick Allen, Richie Ashburn, Steve Carlton, and Mike Schmidt, to World Series champions Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley, generations of Phillies greats have inspired the passionate fans in this city. [On Saturday], that historic spotlight turns to a new wave of players who may one day evoke the same type of admiration for these young men and their families. Today marks a life-changing milestone on their journey.”
Rollins was in attendance and made an appearance on stage with Greg Luzinski. Hamels was also present as one of the analysts for the draft coverage, alongside Mark DeRosa, Harold Reynolds, and Dan O’Dowd. MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger was the broadcast’s host.
Saturday consisted of the first four rounds and Sunday will conclude the remaining 16. Here’s a look at the locals who were selected on Day 1.
Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins during an NCAA baseball game against Coastal Carolina on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke).Michael Wyke
Third round
The first area player off the board was Holy Ghost Prep graduate Aiden Robbins, a Yardley native, who was selected by the New York Mets with the 92nd overall pick.
The 6-foot-2 outfielder transferred to Texas this past season after spending his first two years of college at Seton Hall, where he led the Big East with a .422 batting average.
With the Longhorns, Robbins was among the team leaders in average (.333), OPS (1.122), runs (68), hits (79), total bases (165), and slugging percentage (.696). He also was a key contributor to Texas’ run to the College World Series. The Longhorns were eliminated by Georgia and finished fifth nationally. Robbins capped his junior season with 24 homers and was named SEC Newcomer of the Year.
Moorestown High product Ryan Lynch was drafted 97th to the San Diego Padres.
Lynch, a 6-3 right-handed pitcher, spent most of his freshman year with North Carolina in a reliever role, before earning starts in the postseason. Following his freshman season, Lynch earned freshman second team All-American honors by D1Baseball and Baseball America, along with a spot on the 2025 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
As a sophomore, Moorestown native Ryan Lynch started in 18 of his 19 appearances, finishing the season with a 4.21 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98⅓ innings pitched.Vera Nieuwenhuis
This year, as a sophomore, he started in 18 of his 19 appearances, finishing the season with a 4.21 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98⅓ innings pitched. He finished his two years with a 10-5 record, 161 career strikeouts, 61 walks, and a 3.72 ERA.
During the Tar Heels’ run in the College World Series, Lynch pitched in North Carolina’s first win over West Virginia, throwing 4⅔ innings, giving up two runs. In Game 2 of the final series against Oklahoma, Lynch left the game in the fourth inning with an oblique injury after recording five strikeouts and giving up two earned runs.
In 2023, the Phillies used their first-round pick on an infielder who graded highly among high school hitters but slipped in the draft because of an injury.
With the 36th overall selection — a 10-pick penalty for exceeding the second luxury-tax threshold last year — the Phillies took Tyler Spangler, an 18-year-old shortstop from De La Salle High School in Northern California who didn’t play at all this year because of a back injury.
“We have an extensive medical review on the player and just felt comfortable taking him,” scouting director Brian Barber said Saturday from the Phillies’ draft room in Citizens Bank Park. “We’ve looked at everything that there is to look at there and felt completely comfortable taking the player.”
Barber declined to discuss the nature of the back injury.
Spangler, a 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter, was projected in early mock drafts as a first-round pick, in which case he would’ve been off the board long before the Phillies picked. But he injured his back after a mid-January tournament that the Phillies attended, Barber said, and missed his senior season.
Teams were finally able to see Spangler hit last month at the MLB draft combine in Phoenix. The Phillies watched him again in a workout on June 30. Barber said he has been given “a clear return to action,” and the Phillies are “hoping to see him on the field in [minor-league] games at some point this season.”
Tyler Spangler is back 👀
After missing his high school senior spring with a back injury, Spangler is on the field participating in drills at the MLB Draft Combine. He ranks No. 32 on BA's latest draft rankings and at one point ranked among the top high schoolers in the class… pic.twitter.com/0GvM39v2Dr
That would suggest the Phillies are confident that they can sign Spangler, who committed to attend Stanford. It may require a bonus larger than the $2.76 million slot value assigned to the 36th pick. But without a pick in the first round, the Phillies are likely to meet Spangler’s price.
Clubs have until July 27 to sign their 2026 draft picks.
If Spangler’s injury saga sounds familiar, Miller slid to the Phillies at No. 27 overall three years ago because of a broken hamate bone in his left hand. He recovered from that injury and became the organization’s top prospect, but hasn’t played this season because of a lower back condition that necessitated a spinal procedure in June.
In Spangler’s case, there’s also the matter of De La Salle suspending its varsity baseball team for the first five games this season for what the school described as “violations of school policy, team rules, and code of conduct.”
Barber said the Phillies interviewed Spangler at the combine and were confident that whatever happened (De La Salle officials didn’t specify the violations) “had nothing to do with Tyler.”
The Phillies drafted Spangler one pick before catcher Daniel Jackson went to the Rockies. Jackson won the Golden Spikes Award this year as the top collegiate player in the country.
Spangler is tall for a shortstop, prompting comparisons to lefty-hitting Corey Seager. Barber said the Phillies believe Spangler “probably moves a little bit better than, let’s say, Corey did at 18″ and that he won’t need to switch positions.
Ty Spangler goes to the Phillies at pick No. 36.
55-grade hit and power tools with not one tool projecting below 50.
But it’s his bat that most impressed the Phillies.
Barber said Spangler showed “a little bit of rust and stiffness” at the combine. But when the Phillies saw him hit a week later, he appeared “more loose and free,” as they remembered when they scouted him as a junior.
“We think it’s just a really advanced 18-year-old swing,” Barber said. “The path is just perfect to be able to add to his power game, as well. It’s a hit-first with a really good feel for the power in the future.
“The opportunity to be at pick 36 and get this player that we identified going back two years, saw him play all throughout the summer and fall last year, we just think he’s a very good player.”
Here’s how the Phillies rounded out the first day of the draft:
Caden Bogenpohl broke Ryan Howard’s Missouri State school record with 20 homers as a freshman in 2024 and finished with 39 homers in three seasons.Colin E Braley
Round 2
Caden Bogenpohl, OF, Missouri State
A few weeks ago, after the college season, the Phillies took the unusual step of inviting the 6-6 left-handed hitter to their facility in Clearwater for a one-on-one workout with farm director Luke Murton.
“Unfortunately, we did that before the Combine, where he was able to [go to] the Combine and put on an absolute show out there,” Barber said, laughing. “But it did help us answer some of the questions about why the exit velocity was at the elite level, but the home runs didn’t go with it.”
Indeed, Bogenpohl broke Ryan Howard’s school record with 20 homers as a freshman, then hit only 19 over the last two years. But after their private workout, the Phillies believe they can unlock the power that has gone missing.
A farm system that lacks home-run hitters can use it.
After pitching as a reliever for two years at Texas-San Antonio, he transferred and became a starter. That’s how the Phillies plan to use him in the minors because of a five-pitch repertoire from multiple arm slots.
The 23-year-old righty is on the older side, but Barber believes he’s also more advanced than most draftees.
“It’s now stuff,” Barber said. “It’s now strikes. It’s now pitchability.”
Deven Sheerin (RS-SO @LSUbaseball) funky crossfire with lively heater 96-97 T98. Sweeper has an extra gear to miss barrels. Backend mentality on the hill. ‘26 elig. pic.twitter.com/ajUxgnKjQD
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 20, 2026
Round 4
Deven Sheerin, RHP, LSU
Most relief pitchers get drafted as starters and move to the bullpen as they go through the minors. But Barber left no doubt about the 20-year-old righty’s future role.
“We see him as a high-upside leverage reliever,” he said.
Sheerin throws a slider and upper-90s fastball from a low-slot delivery, a combination that Barber described as “just completely loud stuff.”
Oh, and he grew up in Reading, home to the Phillies’ longstanding double-A club.
Kentucky pitcher Jaxon Jelkin had a 4.08 ERA in 17 games last season.Mike Buscher
Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, Kentucky
A collegiate nomad, he left Nebraska as a freshman for junior college in Arizona, then transferred to Houston, where he had Tommy John elbow surgery before going to Kentucky. But he’s 6-5 with four pitches from a low three-quarters arm slot. At age 23, he could start at a more advanced level of the system than younger draftees.
“It’s older, but we’re just not using a lot of projection there,” Barber said. “What we try to do with these [older college] guys is acclimate them to pro ball, get them on a professional routine, and then just try to optimize their pitch package a little bit more.”
DETROIT — Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler declined to be added to the National League All-Star team when approached by MLB on Friday, he said.
“Because they disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate in it,” Wheeler said. “I’m not going to be disrespected.”
Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski was named a replacement instead on Saturday for Reds pitcher Chase Burns. Wrobleski has a 2.69 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 100⅓ innings pitched this year.
Despite a 2.28 ERA in his first 14 starts, Wheeler was not named to the initial roster through the player vote. Nor was he included in the first round of player replacements for pitchers who opted out of appearing in the game. Phillies lefty Jesús Luzardo was added to the NL team on Tuesday and is set to make his first career All-Star appearance.
Wheeler was almost certainly initially excluded because of the Phillies’ rotation schedule, which has him starting Sunday’s series finale in Detroit. Typically, pitchers who start the final game before the All-Star break are unable to appear in the All-Star Game.
However, following his start Tuesday in Cincinnati, Wheeler said he would be willing to throw an inning anyway. After striking out 14 Reds over seven innings, Wheeler said the snub had been on his mind.
After his start on Tuesday in Cinncinnati, Zack Wheeler said his seven inning, 14 strikeout start was “kind of a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded.”
Carolyn Kaster
“I feel like that’s kind of a reminder,” Wheeler said, “for whoever needs to be reminded.”
But because the league didn’t approach him until three days later, Wheeler said he felt like their “fifth option,” which he found disrespectful. If the league had invited him earlier in the week, his answer would have been different.
Making the All-Star team is one of three goals Wheeler sets for himself every year, along with winning a Cy Young Award and a World Series. He has three career All-Star selections, but has only appeared in the game in 2021. He did not pitch in 2024 or 2025.
“There’s other years where they ask me to be in it, and I said no, but I was maybe struggling through some stuff or whatever it may be, but this time it’s pure disrespect,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler believes his numbers speak for themselves, and doesn’t think that his return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery less than a year ago should have factored into the league’s decision. The right-hander had a rib removed last September to treat his venous thoracic outlet syndrome.
It’s a procedure that has ended other pitchers’ careers, but Wheeler has not missed a step.
“I don’t need somebody saying, ”Oh, he’s had major surgery. Look at him now.’ No, I don’t need that. That was my plan to come back as who I was, or even better,” Wheeler said.
Zack Wheeler has a 2.28 ERA in 14 starts since his return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Although he felt disrespected by the league, his teammates made sure that he knew they valued him. Following Wheeler’s postgame interview Tuesday, catcher Garrett Stubbs had T-shirts made with Wheeler’s quote on them, which he distributed to everyone. The shirts also featured a rooster with Wheeler’s No. 45, a nod to his walk-out song, “Rooster” by Alice in Chains.
“He deserves being an All-Star. And it’s [B.S.] that he’s not,” Stubbs told The Inquirer on Friday.
While Wheeler didn’t wear the shirt himself, many of his teammates did, along with Phillies staff and coaches. Even interim manager Don Mattingly wore one during his media availability on Friday.
“I really just don’t say much. So when I do, I guess they think it’s funny and stuff,” Wheeler said. “So they just made a funny T-shirt and supported me. So I appreciate it.”
Adding to Wheeler’s overall frustration was the fact that this snub could affect him post-career. Along with other factors, All-Star selections are sometimes taken into account by some Hall of Fame voters evaluating a player post-career.
“People who vote on stuff after your career might look at that too,” Wheeler said. “And for somebody to kind of take that away from me, it doesn’t sit well with me. So that’s why I’m kind of saying what I’m saying.”
He added that he doesn’t want to hate on the All-Star Weekend festivities and hopes his six teammates attending the festivities in Philadelphia — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, Cristopher Sánchez, Jhoan Duran, and Luzardo — enjoy it.
“I don’t want to sit here and sound like I’m just hating on the whole thing. It’s fun. It’s a privilege,” Wheeler said. “There’s something to it, especially after your career, you have those accolades next to your name. Two-time All-Star, or seven-time All-Star. Obviously, the seven sounds a lot better.
“But at the same time, it was kind of just personal. I just don’t want to be disrespected as a person or at my job. I take it very seriously, and it’s just me as a person, too. Like I said before, maybe I didn’t earn it from the get-go, but maybe the second choice. Once I feel like they kind of messed that up, I’m out.”
Extra bases
Justin Crawford (left knee soreness) was out of the Phillies starting lineup Saturday for the second consecutive game after slipping on the grass pregame Friday. He woke up Saturday feeling better and without swelling, so Mattingly said there currently isn’t a plan for him to get imaging. He could possibly be a pinch-hit option Saturday. … Andrew Painter struggled Friday for triple-A Lehigh Valley, giving up seven earned runs on eight hits over just 2⅔ innings. He walked four batters. … Wheeler (9-1, 2.28 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal (5-4, 3.06) Sunday in the Phillies’ final game before the All-Star break.
The former Phillies World Series champion made his way to the Mitchell & Ness flagship store on Saturday morning to help Make-A-Wish dreams come true. Afterward, the three-time All-Star went to Dilworth Park for an All-Star rollout with Xfinity.
“I know a lot of us are doing things,” Rollins said. “Shane [Victorino] is going to be doing things. Chase [Utley] is doing a lot. … Ryan [Howard]. We’re the last team to win a championship for baseball here. So, it’s only right that we’re here representing the city the way we are.”
Fanatics hosted a private shopping experience for five Make-A-Wish kids at the new Mitchell & Ness flagship. Their families will also attend All-Star Weekend festivities.
Each child was given a $250 gift card and were surprised with a special appearance from Rollins, who was in charge of helping the children shop. For 11-year-old Braxton Ham, he had his eyes set on a classic Rollins Phillies jersey.
Fanatics hosted a private shopping experience at the new Mitchell and Ness flagship for five Make-A-Wish kids and their families ahead of attending their All-Star Weekend festivities.Fanatics
When Rollins noticed, he decided to gift Ham a separate item.
“I got Braxton over there the store exclusive All-Star basketball warmup for baseball,” Rollins said. “You can only get it at this store. He’s the only one that went for it. It’s fire, he’s wearing it right now. He got the green Phillie Phanatic hat on. And that was courtesy of me. He spent his $250 on my jersey and I couldn’t just let him walk away with one thing.
“So, I was like lets go through, lets get something. He was looking at me [with his] eyes big. I was like you bought my jersey, let me return the favor. He’s over there fitted. He’s going to look clean at the Home Run Derby.”
Throughout the hourlong shopping spree, Rollins searched the racks and got to know the kids a little more. The three-time All-Star even tried to make a few important Facetime calls.
“These events are very special,” Rollins said. “We have a chance to make an impact. … I was speaking to [one of the kids], a big Red Sox fan. Of course, I called David [Ortiz], no response. I called Pedro [Martinez], no response. But, Tuesday after the All-Star game, I told him I would be in the studio with Pedro and we’re going to Facetime him. So, little stuff that I can add on top of this experience.”
The Fanatics Foundation serves as the official sports partner of Make-A-Wish, dating back to Oct. 2023.
“In the last three years we have already granted 1,000 sports related wishes,” said Grace Farraj, the executive director of Fanatics Foundation. “And again today, we’ll have the honor to grant five more wishes. Our mission is to engage our network of athletes and teams and leagues to bring to bear some amazing experiences in our local communities around the globe.”
Rollins and Xfinity’s All-Star rollout
Nearly an hour later, Rollins greeted a number of fans at Dilworth Park. The former NL MVP climbed inside a purple Xfinity All-Star rollout truck, handing out autographs and items like iPads, baseball gloves, socks, and hats. He posed with fans in front of a purple Xfinity lowrider afterwards.
“It’s a good event for the city,” Rollins said. “Xfinity is putting on and I’m here just to bring some smiles. I’m handing out some autographs, I’m here just to put on for the city to be honest.
“I’ve been here doing a lot of things. This is another activation. So, everything I got to do to bring joy to the city. It’s been 30 years since the All-Star Game was here last. I was drafted 30 years ago by this team and it’s been a fun ride growing up in this city.”
Xfinity’s All-Star rollout truck and lowrider will continue to tour the city, making stops at FIFA Fan Fest, Spruce Street Harbor, and the Comcast Plaza. Sunday, the truck will return to Dilworth Park with an appearance from John Kruk taking place between 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to have the All-Star game here,” said 21-year-old Eddie Mazurkiewicz. “There’s been a lot of excitement for a while now and I feel like people are ready for it.”
Numerous events will take place over the next four days in honor of the league’s All-Stars. And through all the festivities, there’s just one thing missing — or we should say, one person missing — Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler.
The right-hander has been left off the National League roster, which features six Phillies players: Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Christopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo. The snub left many voicing their frustration, including World Series champion Jimmy Rollins.
“I 100 percent believe he was snubbed from being an All-Star,” Rollins said. “We’ve seen the guys they want to make stars come up and have five starts and become an All-Star because they have a name for themselves. Zack Wheeler has been doing it for a while and part of being an All-Star is having a reputation of being a great starter, that he is. He’s been Cy Young second place for a number of years. The guy over in Pittsburgh [Paul Skenes] is pretty good so we understand that.
“But for him to not be in the All-Stars, especially in this city, coming back with nine wins in the first half, that’s a pretty tough pill to swallow. And if I’m him I would be [ticked]. But I would want to make sure if I’m him, I’m taking it out on everyone who had a chance to vote me in. And we open against the Dodgers when we start the second half. So, that’s all I’m saying. I’m going to leave it at that.”
In Wheeler’s first 14 starts of the season since returning from thoracic outlet syndrome, he posted a 2.28 ERA.
Wheeler is currently scheduled to start on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, making him ineligible to pitch for the midsummer classic two days later.
Various MLB players are displayed at the All-Star Village at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday, and Zack Wheeler’s face is not among them.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
“Most over-hated player in baseball,” said 17-year-old Caleb Garbcht. “He should’ve been in over Luzardo. Should have a Cy Young to his name. Should be in the All-Star Game. I think this motivates him. I think we’re going to see him come back in the playoffs, throwing 97, 98. Honestly, he’s going to be more motivated than ever.”
Haley Garbcht, 22, Caleb’s sibling, added: “Yeah, Philly loves an underdog. So, Wheeler will just keep getting better and finally get the recognition he deserves.”
Following the Phillies’ 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, which saw Wheeler tie a career-high with 14 strikeouts across seven innings, the 36 year old revealed he was bothered by the snub.
“I feel like that’s kind of a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded,” Wheeler said after his stellar performance.
The quote has now led to a new Garrett Stubbs T-shirt, featuring the outline of a rooster with Wheeler’s No. 45 inscribed on it, which pays homage to Wheeler’s walkout song “Rooster” by Alice in Chains.
“Stubbs always brings the energy and does everything he can to get the guys ramped up,” said 18-year-old Brian Donahue. “[Wheeler] will just prove that he deserved it during the season and in the playoffs, and people will regret not picking him.”
