Jarren Duran had a night to remember in Arlington. Tanner Houck had an inning to forget.
Yet all in all, it was a night for celebration for both of the Boston Red Sox’ representatives in the 94th annual MLB All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.
Duran proved his selection to the Midsummer Classic was no fluke after he entered the game as a defensive replacement in the fifth. He stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, took a first-pitch strike from Hunter Greene, then delivered the highlight of his career.
The 27-year-old outfielder blasted a tiebreaking two-run homer that traveled an estimated 413 feet to right-center, giving the American League a 5-3 lead in an eventual victory by the same score over the National League.
Jarren Duran homers to make it 5 unanswered runs for the AL squad! #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/jRiI8d8EfE
— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2024
The heroic swing earned him All-Star Game MVP honors, making him the first Red Sox player to take home the award since J.D. Drew in 2008 at Yankee Stadium. He joins Drew, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Carl Yastrzemski as the only players in Boston’s storied franchise history to win it.
Now *that* is how you make an All-Star debut…
“Honestly, I can’t really put it into words right now,” Duran told the FOX broadcast after his on-field award ceremony. “I’m kind of overwhelmed with emotions, but I’m just very thankful to be here and to represent the Red Sox is a big honor.”
On his at-bat against Greene, Duran said that everything played out exactly the way he had hoped — right down to the bat flip.
“I know he throws really hard, so I’m like ‘Alright, I hope he throws me a fastball first pitch so I can see how hard it is, and then he just gave me a pitch and put a good swing on it,’” Duran said. “That’s probably the first pitch I ever pimped in my life, and I was just trying to soak it all in, but it was a surreal moment.”
Jarren Duran, All-Star Game MVP.
— Gethin Coolbaugh (@GethinCoolbaugh) July 17, 2024
Duran's career arc is pretty much the definition of unbelievable.
How could you be anything but happy for that guy? #DirtyWater #AllStarGame
And true to form, Duran ran out his groundout to second in his second and final at-bat in the eighth like he was stealing home in Game 7 of the World Series…
Houck first All-Star appearance was less memorable on the field, with the 28-year-old right-hander serving up a 400-foot, three-run bomb to Shohei Ohtani in the third. He finished the frame with three runs allowed on four hits, but did manage to get a swing and miss on a splitter from NL starting catcher William Contreras for first All-Star Game punch out.
SHOHEI OHTANI #ALLSTARGAME HOMER! pic.twitter.com/Q8QF8nuEbu
— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2024
Hey, if you’re gonna give up a bomb in the All-Star Game, it might as well be the best player on the planet…
"It was great," Houck told reporters about his All-Star moment. "I'm still in a little shock, but I love this game, I've loved this game since I was four years old. To get to live a dream out like this has been amazing. ... MLB knows how to put on a show for sure, and they know how to make it special for all of us."
Added Houck, "I 100 percent want to be back. I plan on it next year, for sure."
Houck’s teammates had his back, answering with three runs in the bottom of the third to tie it — with two coming on a two-run double by some guy named Juan Soto. There’s something poetic about a Yankee picking up a Red Sox, isn't there?
In a game that no longer determines home field advantage in the World Series, Houck’s struggles ultimately don’t matter. You’re playing against the best players representing teams in the best league in the world.
Truly, it was a night of celebration for Houck and Duran both, and for all of Red Sox Nation.
Potential Sox target pitches well
Another benefit of watching the All-Star Game is it gives you a chance to get a peak at the best of the rest of the league.
That includes some players who are firmly on the trade market.
One of those players I had my eyes on Tuesday was White Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet, who has already been linked to the Red Sox as a possible trade target.
At 6-foot-6, Crochet definitely commands a mound — and he certainly pitched with the swagger of an All-Star.
Garrett Crochet held it down in his All-Star Game debut 🔥
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) July 17, 2024
1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
18 pitches - 12 strikes (2 swinging)
pic.twitter.com/SVjVSCPCVa
Crochet tossed a clean fourth, allowing just one hit and picking up a strikeout on 18 pitches thrown — 12 of which were strikes. The 25-year-old definitely has All-Star stuff, he can zip it while mixing in his off speed pitches.
He was a little bit wild, which may be due entirely to nerves for a guy pitching in an All-Star Game for the first time. The same logic can be applied to Houck, in fairness. But it is interesting to see how these guys perform in pressure situations.
David Ortiz steals the show, too
It was a pretty good day for Big Papi.
Hours after the Red Sox drafted his son D’Angelo Ortiz in the 19th round of the MLB Draft, David Ortiz was front and center during Fox’s coverage of the Midsummer Classic.
At one point, the booth threw down to Ortiz on the field and let him do his thing.
Big Papi walked confidently into the American League dugout — a place he’s been a time or two. Ten times, to be exact — and unleashed his trademark charm while interviewing the stars of the spot, including a quick cameo with Duran.
A couple of Boston guys hanging out in AL dugout: @RedSox legend @davidortiz and Jarren Duran! 👏
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 17, 2024
📺: #AllStarGame on FOX pic.twitter.com/qthVtX96TT
“Hey you know what, I was talking to the Yankee guys over there on the other side, and when you went to the moon, I started screaming ‘It’s not apple Sox, it’s my boy!’” Ortiz said to Duran with a laugh.
What the heck does that mean? Nobody knows, but we loved every second of it…
Duran, with a smile said, “Thank you, man. I appreciate it.”
Any time you can put David Ortiz on a TV screen, good times are going to be had by all…
Just another enjoyable moment on an enjoyable night in Texas for Red Sox fans.
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.