The Braves sent five players to the 96th All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, and the night in Philadelphia gave Atlanta fans a little bit of everything: starter appearances, a long-awaited debut, and one more reminder of how deep this roster has been on the national stage.
The game itself was the fifth All-Star Game ever held in Philadelphia and the first there since 1996. For Atlanta, the headline was the group of five on the National League roster: Drake Baldwin and Ozzie Albies started, Matt Olson came off the bench, and Chris Sale and Raisel Iglesias were active on the pitching side.
Albies, making his first All-Star appearance since 2023, slotted into the sixth spot in the order and got his night started against Parker Messick in the second inning. He jumped on the second pitch he saw, an outside changeup, and rolled it sharply to Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop.
His second trip came in the fifth against Nick Martinez, and the result was almost identical. Albies attacked a fastball over the plate on the third pitch and grounded out to first baseman Willson Contreras.
He was lifted in the sixth, but did manage to add an assist from second.
Baldwin, another starter, hit ninth and got just one chance to step in. Michael Wacha faced him in the third inning, and Baldwin struck out looking on the third pitch.
Batting so low in the order, that was the end of his night at the plate. He was replaced in the fourth by former Brave William Contreras.
Baldwin also had a positive outlook on his first all-star experience:
Olson’s night came later. In his fourth career All-Star appearance and third with the Braves, he entered as a reserve in the top of the fifth after replacing former Brave Freddie Freeman at first base.
His first at-bat arrived in the bottom of the seventh against Drew Rasmussen. Olson battled through six pitches, even fouling off what would have been strike three, but finished with a routine fly ball to Randy Arozarena.
He got one more shot in the ninth against Aroldis Chapman, and on the first pitch - a 97 MPH sinker inside - he popped it up to shortstop. Defensively, Olson finished with four putouts.
Iglesias finally got his first All-Star nod in his 12th MLB season, and he made the most of the inning he was given. He worked the sixth and threw a scoreless frame, getting Kevin McGonigle to ground out and then inducing a deep fly out from Cody Bellinger. Willson Contreras, who was swinging it well, singled off him, but Iglesias bounced right back and got Randy Arozarena to hit into a ground ball.
Sale was eligible to pitch in what would have been his tenth All-Star Game, but he never got the call. Dave Roberts didn’t use him, and he also left rival Giants right-hander Logan Webb out of the action.
Coincidence? Maybe not.
One other Braves note stood out in the buildup: Hank Aaron is tied for the record for most All-Star Games played with 24. Part of that came during an era when the league staged two All-Star Games in some seasons, but it’s still a neat Braves number to hang on the wall.
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