Tuesday, July 14 · 8 PM ET
Citizens Bank Park · Philadelphia, PA
On FOX
The rosters for the 2026 Midsummer Classic dropped on Saturday, and South Jersey has every reason to tune in. The Philadelphia Phillies are sending five players to the All-Star Game — tied with the Braves and Dodgers for the most selections of any team in baseball. And this year, the game is literally in their house.
Citizens Bank Park will host the 96th All-Star Game on July 14. That means no cross-country flights, no hotel lobbies in some other city. The best players in baseball are coming to Broad Street, and South Jersey is the closest neighborhood to the party.
The Five Who Made It
Voted in as a starter. Career year across the board — and MLB noted his BABIP mastery as one of the most consistent contact skill sets in the National League.
Selected by Commissioner Rob Manfred as a "Legend Pick." At 33, Harper is putting together one of the cleaner seasons of his career — his .906 OPS ranks 10th among all qualified hitters in the sport.
The first player in all of baseball to reach 30 home runs this season. His .935 OPS is second in the entire NL. MLB noted he "could threaten the 60-homer mark by season's end." That is not a typo.
Second-best ERA in the NL, with an MLB-best 117 innings pitched. He is quietly in the middle of the most absurd NL Cy Young race in recent memory — and holding his own against names like Misiorowski and Sale.
Duran earns his first All-Star selection as one of the most dominant relievers in the National League. The Phillies bullpen has been the unsung engine of this team all season — and Duran's selection is recognition that it doesn't just show up in wins and losses.
Schwarber and The Chase
Let's slow down on the Schwarber number for a moment, because it deserves it. Kyle Schwarber was the first player in all of Major League Baseball to hit his 30th home run this season. His .935 OPS ranks second in the entire National League. And MLB's own coverage of the All-Star rosters noted — straight up — that he "could threaten the 60-homer mark by season's end."
The single-season home run record is 73, set by Barry Bonds in 2001. Schwarber being mentioned in the same conversation — with half a season still to play — tells you everything about what kind of year he's having. South Jersey fans are watching history in real time.
Marsh and Harper: A Study in Different Kinds of Earned
Brandon Marsh's All-Star selection is a first. He's never been here before. The outfielder is batting .315 with an .871 OPS and 15 home runs — all career highs — in what MLB describes as a "career year." He was voted in as a starter, meaning the fans saw it too. This isn't a sentiment pick. The numbers back it up entirely.
"A BABIP master throughout his career, the 28-year-old is batting .315 with an .871 OPS and 15 homers."
— MLB.com on Brandon MarshBryce Harper, meanwhile, is on his ninth. Commissioner Rob Manfred named him a "Legend Pick" — a designation that recognizes sustained excellence at the highest level. At 33, Harper's .906 OPS places him 10th among all qualified hitters in baseball. He's not coasting on a title. He's still producing. And in a year where he'll play an All-Star Game in his own ballpark, that feels like the right kind of storybook moment.
Sánchez, Duran, and the Case for the Bullpen
Cristopher Sánchez has a 2.00 ERA over 117 innings — the second-best ERA in the National League, in the most innings pitched of any NL pitcher. He is, by any honest measure, in the conversation for the best pitcher in baseball right now. The NL Cy Young race includes Jacob Misiorowski (1.47 ERA), Chris Sale (2.10 ERA), and Chase Burns (2.40 ERA). Sánchez is in all of it. He didn't get here by accident.
And Jhoan Duran's selection as a first-time All-Star is the quiet acknowledgment that the Phillies bullpen deserves recognition. Duran has been one of the steadiest late-game arms in the NL all season. His first All-Star nod is long overdue.
Mike Trout — 12-time All-Star, Angels outfielder, and one of the greatest players in baseball history — is from Millville, New Jersey. That's roughly 40 miles from Citizens Bank Park. Trout has been dealing with a right hamstring strain since June 18 but is expected to be ready in time for July 14. He will play an All-Star Game 40 miles from where he grew up. Don't miss it.
What This Game Means For Us
The All-Star Game doesn't come to Philadelphia every year. When it does, it's an event. Citizens Bank Park on July 14 will be packed with the best players in baseball, in one of the best sports towns in the country, surrounded by people who take their baseball as seriously as anywhere in the world.
South Jersey residents sit within 30 minutes of that ballpark. The Phillies have five of their own guys walking out to the field. And one of the best players on the other side of the diamond grew up 40 minutes down Route 55. This is our game — not because we bought tickets or wore the right jersey, but because we're here, and this is home.
The 96th MLB All-Star Game. July 14. Citizens Bank Park. FOX. 8 PM. Don't miss it.
Samuel Banks covers Phillies and regional sports for The Neighborhood Gazette. All stats per MLB.com as of July 4, 2026. Roster information sourced from the official 2026 MLB All-Star Game announcement. The All-Star Game airs July 14 on FOX at 8 PM ET from Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia.