PHILADELPHIA — In honor of the 250th birthday of America, Philadelphia — the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — was given the duty of hosting the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. A few weeks into the season, it seemed like the home Phillies were going to have to buy tickets to make it inside Citizens Bank Park for the event. Since a terrible start, though, they’ve completely turned it around, have looked like one of the best teams in baseball, and are well-represented at their own All-Star Game.

Interim manager Don Mattingly is here. Kyle Schwarber is leading off for the National League. Cristopher Sánchez is the starting pitcher, the first Phillies All-Star starter since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay in 2011. Schwarber and Bryce Harper were in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo is on the roster. Zack Wheeler was going to be named to the roster as a replacement but declined the invitation. There’s enough Phillies flavor left anyway. Brandon Marsh is also starting the game, hitting seventh for the NL. Harper will come off the bench for the NL and dominant closer Jhoan Duran looms from the bullpen. 

The Phillies are all over this thing. 

Just a few months ago, they were competing with the Mets for the biggest disappointment in the NL East. The Phillies lost 10 straight and sat 9-19 when then-manager Rob Thomson was fired. Then, things clicked into place. They started playing better as a whole, timed to Wheeler’s return from the injured list. But Mattingly, who took over as manager through the end of the 2026 season, won’t take any of the credit.

“I don’t really think it was (firing Thomson),” Mattingly said on Monday. “I just think that we had a good club and it was something that was gonna happen. One thing with the experience, though, I’ve been through it. Knowing that I was taking over after 29 games of a 162-game season with a talented club that was gonna find its mark — you know, water reaches its level. So I was pretty confident.” 

The team kept the faith too, Schwarber said.

“We knew the group that we had and we knew that we weren’t playing good baseball at the time,” he said. “Unfortunately, Thoms gets fired and, yeah, it’s a big slap in the face. We were really getting kicked and slapped and we knew we had to turn it around. It’s not like that was the big reason that we took off. It weighs on us because someone lost their job. We knew the group that we had and that we needed to get back to playing our game and we got that.

“We’ve continued to stay with that and it doesn’t happen without work and preparation and that’s what we do on a daily basis.” 

The Phillies won four in a row and eight of nine after Thomson was shown the door. They’ve gone 45-24 since then, tied for the best record in baseball in that span. 

“It’s been fun to turn things around and see our club play better,” Mattingly said. “It’s about us playing our best baseball going down the stretch. We should be proud of where we’re at now. The job’s not done. We just need to keep that mentality and that motivation throughout the second half.”

It’s a top-heavy roster, sure, but you can envision a deep playoff run with this group. 

• Trea Turner is still capable of being a great table-setter, even after a slow start. He’s hit .295/.333/.442 in his last 23 games. 
• Marsh is having a career year. 
• Harper and Schwarber are still middle-of-the-order powerhouses and Schwarber is one of the best sluggers in baseball. 
• Sánchez, Wheeler and Luzardo give the Phillies three frontline starters for a playoff rotation.
• Duran is an elite-tier closer.

Remember, in 2019, the Nationals were dragged across the finish line for a World Series title by a relatively small number of good or great players. It’s possible. You’d still want more from the supporting cast on these Phillies, but there’s time and there’s also a trade deadline. You know Dave Dombrowski’s front office will be as aggressive as it can in looking to gear up for a deep playoff run and, ultimately, a third Phillies World Series title. 

“That’s always our goal,” said Schwarber, who missed almost the entire 2016 season for the World Series-winning Cubs after tearing his ACL two games into the year. “It’s not even just here for us. Any ballplayer in any organization, the goal is to hold up that trophy. I’ve gotten to experience it. It wasn’t a full season of it, right? I just got to show up for the last couple games and help out, but to have that parade and have the remembrance, it’s amazing. To have a fan base here that cares so much and has a lot of history, you want to cement a lot of really great things that we’ve done here. We want to make sure that we can cement that forever.” 

Harper doesn’t have a ring yet; seven months after he signed a monster 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies before the 2019 season, the team he just left, the Washington Nationals, won the World Series.

“I just try to enjoy every moment, enjoy every opportunity that I have and just have fun with it,” Harper said. “I think the main thing on the mantle right now is the World Series. We gotta try to win one of those. It’s the ultimate goal. I’ve had the opportunity to win a lot of awards, personally, but being able to win a team award, the World Series, would be awesome.”

For now, though, the large Phillies contingent will be taking in the incredible atmosphere at the Midsummer Classic. First up was the Home Run Derby on Monday evening, where Schwarber and the Phillies crowd were featured prominently (though ultimately failed). Next up is Tuesday’s All-Star Game, when Sánchez gets the ball first and then in the bottom of the first, Schwarber digs in first. 

“It’s an honor for me,” Sánchez said of his assignment. “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous. I feel at home. I’m at home here, and that’s a point in favor for us, like, being at home. The joy that the fans bring and all the energy that our fans bring to the stadium, it’s something that motivates me every single day.

“This feels really special. Really exciting. Even more so being here at home. So I’m just super excited. So I can come here tomorrow and just take it all in, so going to lean in and just enjoy it overall.”

It’s a Philly Special All-Star break.