The 2026 MLB All-Star Game festivities kicked off in Philadelphia on Monday, and the first moment worth talking about had nothing to do with batting practice or media day scrums. It involved a birthday, a future Hall of Famer, and a quick dose of perspective.
Cody Bellinger turned 31 on Monday. The Yankees outfielder was walking through the corridors of Citizens Bank Park when someone shouted out a birthday greeting. Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander heard it, stopped, turned around and delivered his own message.
“You’re young,” Verlander told him. “Trust me, you’re young.”
Verlander is 43. He’s made 11 All-Star teams across two decades. So when he tells a 31-year-old that he’s still young, it lands a little differently. The Yankees posted a short video of the exchange on social media with the caption “The Gang Arrives to the All-Star Game.”
Bellinger’s long road back to the Midsummer Classic
This wasn’t just another All-Star appearance for Bellinger. It had been seven years since he last played in the game back in 2019. That season was his third in the majors and the year he won National League MVP with the Dodgers. He was electric that summer. Then injuries, mechanics issues and inconsistency knocked him off track for years.
He bounced from the Dodgers to the Cubs to the Yankees. New York acquired him in a 2024 trade with Chicago, then signed him to a five-year extension worth $162.5 million. That deal looked risky at the time. But Bellinger has started to look like his old self again this season, earning his first All-Star nod since that 2019 campaign.
Verlander’s final All-Star appearance
For Verlander, this week carries a different kind of weight. He announced before the season that 2026 will be his last. He’s made only one start this year due to injury, but MLB’s Legends Pick rule gave him one last spot on the roster. It’s fitting that he got to share a hallway moment with Bellinger, who is on the way up again while Verlander is closing out one of the best pitching careers in baseball history.
The Tigers ace has three Cy Young Awards, a Rookie of the Year award and two World Series rings. He doesn’t need the All-Star stage for validation. But a moment like that birthday exchange shows he still enjoys the clubhouse side of the sport. The guy who’s been everywhere reminding the younger star that there’s still plenty of runway left.
Bellinger’s 31 might not feel young to everyone. But compared to Verlander, it’s basically spring training.
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