Miguel Vargas gave the White Sox the night’s loudest swing, and he did it on the biggest stage available. In the American League’s 4-0 shutout of the National League on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Vargas came off the bench and hammered a solo shot in the eighth inning that pushed the lead to 4-0.
The blast was a true no-doubt moment. It left his bat at 107.3 mph and carried 432-433 feet into the second deck in left field. It also stood as the first extra-base hit of the game.
For Chicago, it was a rare All-Star Game milestone. Vargas became just the third White Sox player to homer in the Midsummer Classic, joining Hall of Famer Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez. After the game, Vargas put the feeling into simple terms: “I have no words to describe the moment when I was running around the bases.”
The White Sox had two other representatives in action, though neither left with the same kind of memory. Munetaka Murakami entered at first base in the seventh inning and struck out in his only plate appearance, chasing a 101+ mph fastball from Mason Miller in the ninth. Tristan Peters also got into the game but did not collect a hit.
The AL got rolling early against Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, scoring three times in the first inning. Cody Bellinger and Yankees first baseman Ben Rice delivered the key hits, and Bellinger may have ended up with the MVP after driving in two early runs.
From there, the American League pitching took over and never let the National League breathe. The NL finished with just three hits and never mounted a real threat.
The result was the first All-Star Game shutout since 2013, and Vargas’ eighth-inning homer put the finishing touch on it. For White Sox fans, it was the kind of national-stage swing that cuts through the noise and gives the second half a jolt.
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