Tulsa Beacon

It is quite appropriate that Major League Baseball decided a few years ago to hold the All-Star Game in Philadelphia this season. After all, here we are celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America, and Philadelphia is the birthplace of this nation.

There were many Independence Day celebrations held in Philadelphia over the past weekend, although the big parade was cancelled because of extreme heat.

The celebration will continue next week with the MLB All-Star game and the festivities that surround the All-Star game, July 12-14.

All-Star Sunday will be held in Philadelphia on July 12. The next generation of MLB stars at the All-Star Futures Game will put on a showcase at Citizens Bank Park beginning at 11:00 a.m. CDT and it will air on NBC and Peacock. Tulsa Drillers outfielder Josue De Paula will be a member of the National League team for the Futures Game.

That game will be followed by the brand new MLBx: All-Star 3-on-3 event that will air on Peacock. This will be a fast-paced competition featuring a 3-on-3 format built around power hitting, athletic catching and co-ed teamwork. The condensed setup is expected to create more action, quicker innings, and a heightened emphasis on individual athleticism. This isn’t just baseball, it’s baseball reimagined.

Perhaps the most groundbreaking aspect of MLBx is its co-ed team structure. Teams will feature a mix of male and female athletes competing side by side. MLBx rosters are expected to include current and former MLB players, legends of the game, celebrities, and special guest athletes. Obviously, the point is to make this a very entertaining event and a bit of a showcase for the athleticism involved.

Some of the athletes involved will be stars from the AUSL; Alyssa Brito, Tiare Jennings, Rachel Garcia and NiJaree Canady. Also scheduled to compete are Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, former NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens, and Phillies legends Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, along with Braves Hall of Fame outfielder Andruw Jones. I’m looking forward to watching this because I think it might be quite entertaining.

The annual Home Run Derby will be played on Monday, July 13 at 7:00 p.m. CDT on Netflix. Eight hitters will compete in three rounds, to determine a Home Run Derby Champion. The Home Run Derby will have a new format. The idea of hitting as many home runs as possible in a certain amount of time is not being replaced with a finite number of swings: 20 in Round 1, 15 in Round 2 and 15 again in the final round.

These are the players expected to compete in the Home Run Derby; Junior Caminero – Tampa Bay Rays (2025 Derby runner-up to Cal Raleigh), Kyle Schwarber – Philadelphia Phillies (MLB home run leader), Pete Alonso – Baltimore Orioles (two-time Derby champion, 2019 & 2021), Bryce Harper – Philadelphia Phillies (uncertain if he’ll participate), Thomas Sosa – Baltimore Orioles, Ethan Petry – Washington Nationals, James Wood – Washington Nationals, Matt Olson – Atlanta Braves.

On Tuesday, July 14, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. It will be the 96th Midsummer Classic and will air on FOX beginning at 7:00 p.m. CDT. Here are the rosters for the American League and National League All-Star teams. + indicates named as a replacement.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Starters

C: Cal Raleigh (SEA)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR)
2B: Gleyber Torres (DET)
3B: Junior Caminero (TB) +
SS: Jacob Wilson (ATH)
OF: Aaron Judge (NYY)
OF: Riley Greene (DET)
OF: Javier Báez (DET)
DH: Ryan O’Hearn (BAL)
SP: Tarik Skubal (DET)
José Ramírez (CLE) was elected as the AL’s starting third baseman but opted out of the game.

Reserves

C: Alejandro Kirk (TOR)
INF: Jonathan Aranda (TB)
INF: Alex Bregman (BOS)
INF: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY)
INF: Maikel Garcia (KC)
INF: Brandon Lowe (TB)
INF: Zach McKinstry (DET) +
INF: Isaac Paredes (HOU) +
INF: Jeremy Peña (HOU)
INF: Bobby Witt Jr. (KC)
OF: Randy Arozarena (SEA) +
OF: Byron Buxton (MIN)
OF: Steven Kwan (CLE)
OF: Julio Rodríguez (SEA)
DH: Brent Rooker (ATH)

Starting pitchers

RHP: Hunter Brown (HOU)
LHP: Kris Bubic (KC)
LHP: Garrett Crochet (BOS)
RHP: Jacob deGrom (TEX)
LHP: Max Fried (NYY)
LHP: Yusei Kikuchi (LAA)
RHP: Casey Mize (DET) +
RHP: Drew Rasmussen (TB) +
LHP: Carlos Rodón (NYY) +
RHP: Joe Ryan (MIN) +
RHP: Shane Smith (CWS)
RHP: Bryan Woo (SEA)

Relief pitchers

LHP: Aroldis Chapman (BOS)
RHP: Carlos Estévez (KC) +
LHP: Josh Hader (HOU)
RHP: Andrés Muñoz (SEA)

NATIONAL LEAGUE