Phillies’ infield trio puts on a show while mic’d up during the AL’s 5-3 win over NL in MLB All-Star game

ARLINGTON, Texas — Bryce Harper was busy yakking about one thing or another Tuesday night during Fox’s live telecast of the All-Star Game when a ball got hit up the middle.

What’s a mic’d up first baseman to do?

Take over the play-by-play, of course.

So, as Trea Turner dove to his left and flipped the ball to second base to complete a force out, Harper reacted in real time. “Are you kidding me? Let’s go!” he shrieked, before laughing and, yes, snapping his fingers, just as Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson does in recognition of a nice play.

» READ MORE: Phillies make the most of the All-Star spotlight, from Bryce Harper’s snakeskin to Trea Turner’s web gem

It was the second inning of the American League’s eventual 5-3 victory, and it turned into the Phillies show. Harper, Turner, and Alec Bohm — the first trio of Phillies infielders to start an All-Star Game since Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, and Manny Trillo in 1982 — wore mics and slung one-liners like they were chucking the ball around the horn.

“I wish we could’ve done it for a little bit longer,” Harper said. “I think they kind of got a sense of what type of team we are and how much fun we have and the camaraderie we have. You see it every day. But being able to kind of show that on a national level, pretty cool.”

To wit: As Turner dusted himself off after his highlight-reel play, Bohm joked with him about the oversized Texas-themed belt buckles that the players were given.

“That belt’s brutal,” Turner said, laughing. “That’s why I don’t wear these things. I need my Little League belt back.”

Harper doubled over laughing.

That was how it went throughout a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 second inning. But it was enough high jinks, at least in Philadelphia, to overshadow the national story lines of Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes’ 16-pitch scoreless first inning and Shohei Ohtani’s first All-Star homer, a three-run shot in the third inning.

For the record, the Red Sox’ Jarren Duran provided the winning margin with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, then took the All-Star Game MVP back to Boston.

But how’s this for a local story line: Harper, Turner, and Bohm became the first trio of infield teammates to start an All-Star Game and each record one hit since 2004, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs. Back then, it was the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter, Alex Rodríguez, and Jason Giambi, and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols, Edgar Rentería, and Scott Rolen.

» READ MORE: Alec Bohm’s place with the Phillies was in question two years ago. Now he’s starting in the All-Star Game.

“We wanted Bohmer to get on the board,” Turner said. “Bryce started us off, I blooped one in there, and Bohm got his signature hit the other way [to right field]. I thought it was pretty cool, all of us having a little bit of success in the game, especially for [Bohm]. It’s his first one.”

Said Bohm: “It’s kind of a rare opportunity to share that with two guys you play next to every night. It’s pretty cool.”

Harper doubled down the left-field line in the first inning before Turner singled to left in the third and Bohm singled in the fifth. They exited together in the sixth, after Harper narrowly missed a homer on his last swing, sending a 391-foot fly ball to the warning track in the sixth inning.

“It’s gone in Philly,” Harper said. “All good.”

Not to be outdone, the Phillies’ three All-Star pitchers — all first-timers in the midseason showcase — combined to record four outs — on a total of only 11 pitches.

Cristopher Sánchez, a groundball machine, got Isaac Paredes and Josh Naylor to roll weak grounders for the first two outs of the sixth inning. Matt Strahm, an avid baseball card collector who wore a custom belt made from cards, came on with two outs in the seventh inning. He threw five pitches, all strikes, and struck out Bobby Witt Jr.

That left Jeff Hoffman, the second-to-last reliever left in the National League bullpen. NL manager Torey Lovullo hoped to use Hoffman to close the game. Instead, with a two-run deficit, he summoned him with two out in the eighth inning, and Hoffman got the Twins’ Willi Castro to ground out.

The highlight of the two days: “Just being here,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter.

Sánchez, who has a 2.96 ERA in 18 starts, was a late addition to the NL roster. Two other Phillies starters were chosen, but Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez neither pitched in the game nor attended because of bothersome back issues.

Even without them, the Phillies were well represented. Bohm advanced to the semifinals of the Home Run Derby on Monday night. He walked the All-Star red carpet with his parents on Tuesday. Harper captured the Texas spirit by wearing a white cowboy hat and shirt with blue jeans and boots.

» READ MORE: Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman prove they don’t need designated reliever roles to make the All-Star game

And then, of course, there was the mic’d-up inning. After Turner’s dive, Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Davis declared it “the greatest play by a player who has worn the mic.”

“Probably a low bar,” Turner said later. “No, just being ourselves, having a good time, we’re usually joking with each other, laughing. It’s pretty genuine. It’s nice when that’s on display.”

Harper waited six years for it. Playing in his first All-Star Game since 2018 — and first with the Phillies — he returned to the sport’s summer stage with a bunch of his teammates.

“Really cool to be able to see our guys be successful,” Harper said, “and have a lot of fun.”