Athletic has live broadcast 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
PHILADELPHIA – Dave Roberts arrived at Citizens Bank Park just before 1 p.m. Monday. He was hoping to get a head start on a few things, namely the nearly 100 baseballs he needed to sign. He explains that this is a time-consuming process and it can be difficult, if not impossible, to find the time to do it without getting distracted.
Indeed, eight boxes of balls neatly stacked on his desk greet him as he enters the coach’s office inside the home clubhouse.
The space is spacious and neat, with two leather sofas and a few extra chairs placed against the wall. But Roberts doesn’t have any appointments on his list, no last-minute issues to deal with. Preparing to lead the National League in the annual MLB All-Star Game is a song and dance that he and his coaching staff are well rehearsed in.
While preparing for his fourth All-Star Game, Roberts agreed to let go Athletic Keep an eye on him and his coaches throughout the day. The entire coaching staff of the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as invited guests Don Mattingly of the Philadelphia Phillies and Oli Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals, bustle through the halls of the club.
Roberts plops down in a chair and grabs water, Diet Dr. Pepper, and a box of marbles. He explains that each NL All-Star team player will sign these balls, and MLB will auction off some of these memorabilia or use them for various charitable causes. There is also a peculiar autograph etiquette. The best place is reserved for the manager’s signature. Players know that this spot should be left open if they sign in front of their captain – or at least they should.
But when Roberts snatches the ball from inside the box, he sighs.
“Come on, Yamamoto,” groans Roberts, spinning the ball to reveal his ace’s signature scrawled dangerously close to Roberts’ designated spot. “He should know better.”
Roberts’ playful jab at Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of six Los Angeles Dodgers to make the National League team, is timely. Because Yamamoto started on Saturday, he will not compete in the Midsummer Classic this year. In the next room, pitching coach Mark Pryor is trying to determine who will do it. Pryor has spent the last week communicating with pitching coaches around the league, reviewing workload and availability, and learning about any issues or concerns teams have about having their star pitchers play in this storied exhibition game.
Pryor walks into Roberts’ office with a detailed list of all available National League pitchers. He just heard from the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals with updates on Mason Miller and Foster Griffin, both of whom will be able to pitch, albeit with some restrictions. But restrictions on starting starters on the other two teams leave them with nine arms per nine innings, Pryor said. Rarely does an All-Star pitcher log more than two innings, and Pryor wants to make sure he doesn’t run out of weapons.
But before Pryor and Roberts can finish their conversation, a Dodgers public relations employee arrives to usher the latter away to his media duties. Roberts and John Schneider, manager of the Toronto Blue Jays and American League All-Star Game, are scheduled to hold a news conference with their chosen starting pitchers. Pryor retreats to the trainer’s room, where he and assistant pitching coach Connor McGuinness continue to plan the use of the ball.
Baseballs will have to wait.
Dave Roberts smiled as he signed All-Star baseballs, at least until he saw one of his pitchers take his sweet spot. (Katie Wu/The Athletic)
It helps that Roberts has already made the most important decisions before the game. His starting lineup has already been determined, and Philadelphia’s Christopher Sanchez will be selected as the starting pitcher.
“I’m trying to make it from the point of view: This is for the fans,” Roberts explained, sitting in his desk chair. “What gives the fans the best experience? Having their hometown guy start the game is the best way to do that.”
He confirmed his squad with bench coach Danny Lehmann on the plane Sunday night. Helpfully, the starting nine was decided by a fan vote a few weeks ago. But Roberts and Lehmann still needed to decide on their batting order, which was complicated by the fact that seven left-handed hitters had been selected.
“Obviously the starters have been selected,” Roberts said. “But from a design standpoint, some of it has to do with performance and workload and some game strategy. We have a ton of left-handed hitters. So how do I break up lefties? I could use, for example, Andy Pages or Ozzie Albies, who is better against left-handed pitching.”
But Roberts also believes in rewarding high performance and a stellar career.
“Ozzie, this is his fourth All-Star Game, so I wanted him to score more points than the guys did in their first game,” he said. “I want them to pay their dues. C.J. Abrams, he’s in his second All-Star Game, but he’s had such a successful year.”
Ultimately, Roberts and Lehmann decided that the top spot would be five lefties in a row: Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto, Freeman, Abrams and Muncy. He thought about hitting Mansi for cleaning, but restrained himself.
“I wanted to clear up my bias a little bit about the Dodgers,” he laughed.
By the time he arrived on the field Monday, he had just one position mystery to clear up. Both Soto and Brandon Marsh play left field. Roberts took into account Soto’s seniority and asked him where he preferred to play. He wanted to go left, which moved Marsh to the right.
Putting together a starting lineup, all things considered, is fairly easy. Figuring out how many starters want, planning replacements and ensuring each player has the best chance possible of getting a chance to play becomes more difficult.
“The hardest part is filtering out the next guys,” Lehmann said. “Part of it is timing, part of it is the number of All-Star appearances, and part of it is where they are in their careers. Just like in this game, having so many Phillies here is both a good and a bad thing. With Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Marsh, we’re trying to get them in their home stadium and give them as much playing time as possible, but at the same time we respect others and don’t have to wait until the ninth to rush them.”
“But it all starts with the starting lineup and what they want because they’ve earned it. Most guys need one or two (at bats). But we have 21 position players, so it’s not a direct replacement, a nine-for-nine deal. Trying to figure out which of these guys only needs one at-bat makes it a lot easier to get the extra three.”
The slant side setup for the Prior is still a work in progress. Most teams have already revealed the availability of their pitchers, but McGuinness laughs as he recalls a year when the organization waited just a few hours before the first pitch.
The positive, he said, is that he and Pryor can worry less about the matches because there will be so many substitutions.
“In an ideal world it would be great to put guys on the line, but they’ll be hitting on the other side just like us,” McGuinness said. “So a lot of it is more about figuring out where guys feel comfortable coming into the game.”
Dave Roberts talks with Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and James Wood of the Washington Nationals during the NL team’s practice. (Daniel Sheary/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Particular attention is always paid to placing the starting pitchers first. Pryor and McGuinness are still wondering who will follow Sanchez. They could round up the fan favorites and dump Jesus Luzardo next. But 33-year-old Eduardo Rodriguez was named an All-Star for the first time in his 11-year career, and they’d like to honor that, too.
They know how much they would like to close the game in a potential save situation. Choosing between Miller and Joan Duran in the closing stages, they again chose the home team. Miller, playing in his second All-Star Game, understood this.
“I was expecting him on the ninth,” Miller told McGuinness. “It doesn’t bother me at all.”
Only the middle of the innings remains. Pryor and McGuinness know better than to believe that a baseball game can be scripted. They need someone who can break the glass in an emergency, someone who has starting and replacement experience, can throw multiple innings, and can get ready quickly. Luckily, McGuinness only knows this guy.
“We think (Justin) Wrobleski can be our flex,” he said, referring to the Dodgers’ up-and-coming starting pitcher. “He’s the perfect guy for it.”
Dino Ebel walks down the dugout steps, away from the blazing sun, and into the air-conditioned tunnel of the clubhouse. He ducks into the closet and plops down on a stool, sweaty but smiling. The time is approaching 16:30.
Ebel, the Dodgers’ third base coach, is responsible for the usual scouting and video preparation needed to plan the game against the American League. He was also tasked with liaising with the outfield reserves and ensuring that each substitute knew when his name was likely to be called.
“Communication is important in the All-Star Game,” Ebel said. “These guys want to know when they’re coming and going. So I have to make sure the guys are ready to rush, run and change.”
But Ebel’s most pressing duty today won’t be game preparation. He competes in the Home Run Derby against local legend Bryce Harper. Abel and Harper, along with seven other participants and their chosen pitchers for practice, had just returned from a meeting with MLB where the new format was once again explained. Striking training will begin soon. Ebel will coordinate whether Harper wants to throw a shot on the field or in the cage. The two will then conduct another training session on the field shortly before the start of the derby.
Ebel is a seasoned professional. Monday night will be his fifth time practicing in the Home Run Derby. He threw to Teoscar Hernandez when Hernandez won in 2024 and pitched in last year’s All-Star clincher, which the National League won.
“I never take anything for granted,” Ebel said. “I have become a coach who gives players good BP because I know what it does to the players. When another team involved asks me, it means a lot.”
But he still has time to join the rest of the Dodgers’ coaches on the field during the National League playing window. He hits balls for those who want it. Pryor and McGuinness, along with bullpen coach Josh Bard, go to different pitchers, seeing who wants to throw or if anyone needs a catching partner. Hitting coaches Aaron Bates and Robert Van Scoyoc lean over the ball as their hitters practice. Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals launches one over the fence, setting up an epic home run derby.
Meanwhile, Roberts is back on the media train. After television interviews with MLB Network and Fox, he talks to on-field reporters and catches up with players, current and retired. As an ambassador for the game, Roberts knows the importance of celebrating this special week.
“As far as interviews go, there’s a lot of work to be done,” Roberts said. “Every fan wants to hang out with their players. But it’s also fun. The best thing is when all the players hang out with each other. That’s the coolest thing. When you look back and see guys joking with each other in the cage, start talking about their approach. It’s really a lot of fun.”
However, soon after, Roberts eludes the crowd and returns to his office. He will stay to watch the derby and finalize any last-minute squad changes. It’s getting close to 6:00 pm and there’s one more thing left on his to-do list.
There are still baseballs to sign.