Old rivals and now close friends don’t often get together in public to talk about games and championships long past, but it happened on Thursday night in the Sycuan Casino Theater.

Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer was named to the National League All-Star team Friday as a replacement for teammate Stephen Strasburg, who won’t pitch in Tuesday’s Midsummer Classic but will attend the festivities.

The San Diego State University marching band and mascots from various Major League teams welcomed hundreds of fans pouring into the San Diego Convention Center on Friday morning for the grand opening of the MLB All-Star FanFest.

Infielder Trea Turner is on his way to Citi Field to join the Nationals for this weekend’s series against the Mets, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Never was the late Tony Gwynn prouder than on July 14, 1992, the day the stars gathered in San Diego for the second time. “I was thrilled to be playing in my home ballpark surrounded by our own San Diego fans,” Gwynn said. “I worked hard to make that National League All-Star team.”

Remember the Hot Stove season last winter, in particular the excitement generated by the 10 most highly regarded free agents? That group took home contracts worth almost $1.4 billion combined. So surely we’ll find those guys at the All-Star Game, right? Not so much, as it turns out.

The debate is conclusively settled.

On Thursday night against the Dodgers, Drew Pomeranz made sure another excellent start didn’t go to waste, as he turned in seven innings of a combined two-hit shutout in a 6-0 Padres win, an effort that could end up being the difference in the search for the injured Clayton Kershaw’s replacement on the National League All-Star team.

In a wild game full of twists and turns, the Nationals looked poised to add one final layer of intrigue to what ultimately became a 9-7 Mets win Thursday night at Citi Field. But a sharp grounder off the bat of Daniel Murphy in the ninth inning turned into a double play, the result of a slick play by Asdrubal Cabrera and an interference call against Jayson Werth at second base.

Commissioner Rob Manfred will once again interact with fans from around the globe during his online Town Hall Meeting exclusively on MLB.com, now in its 16th year, an event that has become one of the highlights of the MLB All-Star FanFest.

Wilmer Flores did not need much prodding. He had only just finished celebrating with his teammates when, heeding the chants of his name at Citi Field, Flores shuffled his way back over to the dugout steps, made the short climb up and acknowledged the crowd.

Wilmer Flores’ flair for the dramatic has meshed with his battle for playing time in a most beneficial way for the Mets. Flores came off the bench on Thursday to crack a go-ahead three-run home run, leading the Mets to a record-setting 9-7 victory over the Nationals. The win moved the Mets to within three games of the division-leading Nats.

The Twins jumped out to a four-run lead after two innings against Rangers starter Chi Chi Gonzalez and went on to a 10-1 victory Thursday night at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Twins have won three of four games against the Rangers over the past seven days.

In a game controlled by starting pitching, the A’s eked out a 3-1 win over the Astros Thursday night at Minute Maid Park. Lefty Rich Hill thoroughly dominated Houston, striking out 10 in six innings and retiring 10 straight Astros batters at one point.

Who will be the next host city announced for the 2019 All-Star Game? Will Leitch predicts Toronto might do the honors.

Salvador Perez delivered a two-run double in the ninth inning to lift the Royals to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Mariners on Thursday.

Thursday saw the Boston Red Sox acquired veteran infielder Aaron Hill from the Milwaukee Brewers. Assuredly, that won’t be Dave Dombrowski’s last deal before the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline.