ARLINGTON -- So many all-time greats have played for the Red Sox, a franchise rich in century-old history. Yet, the group of players who have won the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet -- an honor first awarded in 1962 and then renamed in honor of a Boston legend in 2002 -- is quite exclusive.

It features a pair of Hall of Famers -- 18-time All-Star outfielder Carl Yastrzemski (1970) and eight-time All-Star right-hander Pedro Martinez (¡®99) -- as well as 11-time All-Star right-hander Roger Clemens (¡®86) and outfielder J.D. Drew (2008).

On Tuesday night, Jarren Duran became the fifth.

Duran etched his name in the Midsummer Classic record books, seizing MVP honors with a go-ahead two-run homer that lifted the American League to a 5-3 win in the 94th edition of the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field. The Statcast-projected 413-foot blast in the fifth inning came in the 27-year-old outfielder¡¯s first career ASG plate appearance.

It also put Duran on a list featuring legends and some of today¡¯s top stars, with the ledger of All-Star Game MVPs reading like a who¡¯s who of baseball excellence.

¡°I didn't think about that. That's a great list of names to be a part of,¡± Duran said. ¡°I think I'm just thankful to be able to play in the All-Star Game and for the Red Sox, and to represent them well. It's just -- I don't know, it's a surreal moment. So I'm just thankful to be here.¡±

The fact that the glass bat trophy features the name of the late Williams -- who spent his entire 19-year big league career with the Red Sox -- made it even more special for one of Boston¡¯s emerging star players.

¡°That's an honor,¡± said Duran, who finished 1-for-2. ¡°Who else would I want to try and follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player, but a great human being? That guy was awesome, and I'm honored to be able to have his award.¡±

Duran became the first Red Sox player to hit an All-Star homer since Adri¨¢n Gonz¨¢lez in 2011. He¡¯s also the youngest Boston slugger with a home run in the Midsummer Classic since Fred Lynn went deep in the 1979 game, also when he was 27.

After entering as a defensive replacement in center field in the top of the fifth, Duran immediately drew a tough assignment in the bottom of the inning. Reds right-hander Hunter Greene has a four-seam fastball averaging 98 mph this season, and the 24-year-old is capable of dialing it up to 100-plus.

Greene retired the first two batters of the fifth before giving up a single to Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander. As Duran stepped to the plate, Greene planned to keep his approach simple.

¡°Just go attack the zone,¡± Greene said.

Meanwhile, Duran had his own strategy for the beginning of the at-bat.

¡°Well, I knew he threw really hard, so I was just praying he would throw me a first-pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was,¡± Duran said. ¡°After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up.¡±

It went perfectly. Greene laid a 95.9 mph heater into the strike zone. Then, he hung a splitter that didn¡¯t drop nearly enough to fool Duran, who clubbed the 0-1 offering to deep right-center field for the game¡¯s decisive swing.

Throughout All-Star Week, Duran has raved about the experience, as he enjoyed getting to spend time with a cast of baseball¡¯s best players. He even admitted it¡¯d be hard for him to dislike anybody as opponents after having the opportunity to learn that they¡¯re all great people.

Duran¡¯s counterparts felt the same about him.

¡°I'm happy for him,¡± said veteran Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who named Duran as one of the 37 first-time All-Stars he was most impressed by.

¡°He¡¯s a great player, he deserves to be here, and he put on a show today,¡± said Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg, a fellow first-time All-Star and an AL East rival. ¡°That¡¯s what he¡¯s been doing all year, so it was fun to watch him from the same dugout.¡±

Duran broke into the big leagues in 2021, but didn¡¯t stick. Over his first two seasons, he was often shuttled between Boston and Triple-A Worcester, hitting .219 with a .622 OPS in 91 MLB games.

Then, everything clicked for Duran during a breakout 2023 campaign, during which he slashed .295/.346/.482 with 34 doubles, two triples, eight homers and 40 RBIs in 102 games. He was even more impressive in the first half of ¡®24, recording a .284/.342/.477 slash line with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 95 games. Duran also leads the AL in both doubles (27) and triples (10).

But Duran¡¯s All-Star moment on the national stage won¡¯t make him complacent moving forward.

¡°I'm definitely not thinking I'm the best of the best. I'm a guy that keeps my head down and just works hard,¡± Duran said. ¡°There's so many good players in this league. I'm just thankful that I can play against these guys.¡±

After Duran fulfilled his media obligations and prepared to leave Globe Life Field alongside the eight members of his family who came to show support, his adrenaline was still flowing.

How could it not be? Duran had just experienced the greatest moment of his baseball life thus far.

¡°I'm just very thankful. It's hard to put into words,¡± Duran said. ¡°It won't hit me until I try to go to sleep tonight. Who knows if I'll be able to sleep tonight.¡±