PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia is now underway.
Six players are representing the Phillies, including Brandon Marsh, pitchers Jhoan Duran, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo, first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber will lead off for the National League as the replacement for designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who is skipping the showcase to have a knee procedure ahead of the season's second half.
The National League will look for a second consecutive victory over the American League after winning last year in a first-ever, Home Run Derby-style swing-off -- the tiebreaker, as the game was tied 6-6 after nine innings.
The Phillies are hosting the All-Star Game for the fourth time in their history -- but it will be the first time at Citizens Bank Park.
Follow live updates on all the excitement below:
It's almost time for the pregame ceremony.
Philadelphia native and Godmother of Soul Patti LaBelle will perform the national anthem, while Jennifer Hudson will sing "America the Beautiful."
Downingtown native Miles Teller will also narrate a tribute to baseball's impact on American life before the game begins.
Legendary Philadelphia group Boyz II Men will perform during MLB's Stand Up To Cancer moment at the end of the 5th inning.
Tonight's ceremonial first pitches will be thrown by a pair of Phillies legends, Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton.
Receiving the pitches will be two other Phillies greats, Hall of Famer Scott Rolen and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels.
Fans braved extreme heat Tuesday as they lined up outside Citizens Bank Park ahead of the MLB All-Star Game.
Gates opened at 5 p.m., but some fans arrived hours earlier for baseball's Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia.
"I got here at 1:30," said Mike Shipula of Flemington, New Jersey.
Among those waiting was Dalton Foster of Cherry Hill, who paid tribute to his favorite player, Phillies star Bryce Harper.
"He just exudes Philadelphia," Foster said. "He's rough and tough. He doesn't mind being the villain, and I absolutely love that."
The All-Star Game is being played in Philadelphia for the first time in 30 years, drawing fans from across the region and prompting many to spend hundreds of dollars for a ticket.
"I paid $650 to be here tonight," Foster said.
"One thousand," Shipula added.
For newlyweds Nicole and Wes Sheffer, the MLB All-Star Game is more than a baseball event - it's the latest chapter in their Philadelphia love story.
"This is our honeymoon; this is how we're kicking off our honeymoon. This is All-Star Week," said Nicole Sheffer of Glenside.
The couple first met at Citizens Bank Park. Four years later, Wes proposed in the same spot on the day of the Eagles' Super Bowl parade.
They were married on July 3 and are now spending their honeymoon celebrating MLB All-Star Week in Philadelphia.
"As soon as we booked our wedding, we were like, 'Oh, stop, it lines up perfectly. So we were like, 'Where else would you want to celebrate but Citizens Bank Park where we met and got engaged? Now it's the All-Star Game. It's literally like the Emmys of baseball. C'mon, you can't not be here," said Sheffer.
