MLB pauses All-Star Game for five-minute tribute to baseball, U.S. history

Major League Baseball paused play during the 2026 All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for a five-minute tribute to baseball and American history, the game broadcast showed.

The segment was narrated by J.K. Simmons and set to Ray Charles’ performance of “America the Beautiful,” the broadcast said. It included archival-style images and scenes showing fathers and sons playing catch, children riding bikes to neighborhood ballfields and shots of iconic stadiums.

The video culminated with footage of then-President George W. Bush’s ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the broadcast showed. The segment then showed children riding bikes onto the Citizens Bank Park field as fireworks were set off.

Players were shown interacting with the children, and some were seen with sparklers near the dugout, the broadcast said. The tribute ended with a fireworks display from the stadium roof, which the broadcast showed drawing applause from the sellout crowd.

The five-minute pause was part of the All-Star Game programming at Citizens Bank Park and was presented during the national telecast, the broadcast indicated.

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