Following the conclusion of last night’s Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby, the Fall Stars Game took center stage at Sloan Park as the American League defeated the National League 6-5.
Since the transition from the East and West team format in 2022, the respective American League and National League teams each held a 1-1 record in the Fall Stars Game, a tie that was broken after the final out of Saturday’s contest.
Lineups:
AL:
- Alejandro Osuna (TEX), CF
- Creed Willems (BAL), C
- Niko Kavadas (LAA), RF
- Josue Briceño (DET), DH
- Jac Caglianone (KC), 1B
- Tre’ Morgan (TB), LF
- Caleb Durbin (NYY), 3B
- Max Ferguson (BOS), SS
- Adrian Pinto (TOR), 2B
SP: Alex Santos II (HOU), RHP
NL:
- Jett Williams (NYM), SS
- Ethan Salas (SD), C
- Thomas Saggese (STL), 2B
- Jonathon Long (CHI), 1B
- Sammy Siani (PIT), LF
- Robert Hassell III (WSH), CF
- Gino Groover (ARI), 3B
- Romeo Sanabria (SD), DH
- Zyhir Hope (LAD), RF
SP: Derek Diamond (PIT), RHP
Last year's Fall Stars Game featured 12 future big leaguers including Kyle Manzardo (CLE), DJ Herz (WSH), and Jace Jung (DET). With Saturday’s game featuring six Top-100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, the MLB-AFL alumni count looks to continue to rise.
It didn’t take “long” for the National League to make their first impression, as third baseman Jonathan Long (CHC No. 30) cashed in a sac fly to open the scoring in the bottom of the first.
Trailing 1-0, the American League responded in the second with a two-run double off the bat of Caleb Durbin (NYY), who would later steal third base and score on a three-run shot from Adrian Pinto (TOR). Pinto’s homer sailed out at 107 MPH and traveled an impressive 414 feet over the left field wall to give the American League a commanding 5-1 lead.
Pinto’s homer wasn’t the only thing sailing, as the National League picked up a run on an errant throw by the catcher Carten Jensen (KC No. 5) to pull back within three. Two more runs came across to score on Long’s RBI groundout and a double by Robert Hassell III (WSH No. 13) to bring home Sammy Siani (PIT) from first base.
Offense wasn’t the only thing on display for the fans. In the top of the fourth, right fielder Zyhir Hope (LAD No. 11) robbed Alejandro Osuna (TEX No. 16) of extra bases with a leaping catch at the wall. This complemented Jett Williams’ (NYM No. 2) leaping snag at shortstop in the previous inning to minimize the American League’s damage.
However, of the defensive highlights, none stood out more than the shoe-string catch made by Niko Kavadas (LAA No. 29), who hadn’t touched the outfield grass since 2018 before his tenure in this year’s Arizona Fall League. His efforts in the corner spots and massive power have made him an intriguing prospect in the Angel’s organization.
The National League finalized their comeback in the sixth when Moises Ballesteros (CHC No. 4) brought home Hope from third on a sac fly, knotting the score at 5-5.
The American League, despite their large five-run second inning, was held scoreless until the ninth inning when catcher Thayron Liranzo (DET) demolished a 437 ft. go-ahead solo homer to give his team the lead. With the clutch home run, the National League had just three outs to work with to even the score or win the game.
Marc Church (TEX) entered the ballgame in the ninth to close things out for the American League, and despite some traffic at first base, he was able to strike out Leodalis De Vries (SD) to end the game and solidify the win.
Thayron Liranzo’s homer earned him the Fall Star Game MVP Award, an award with prominent alumni such as Royce Lewis, Heston Kjerstad, and JJ Bleday.