Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout opened the 2026 MLB All-Star Game with a strikeout in his first plate appearance.

Trout is making his 12th All-Star appearance near home, with Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park sitting roughly 40 miles from where he was born and raised in New Jersey. But the Angels entered the break once again at the bottom of the AL West standings.

The Angels have not reached the postseason since 2014, the longest active playoff drought in MLB, with the Pittsburgh Pirates next on the list after last playing October baseball in 2015.

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At 38-59 entering the break, Los Angeles faces long odds of reversing course and mounting a playoff push, but Trout said the doubt surrounding the team has only fueled his motivation.

“I think the fuel of people doubting us kind of makes it more of a fire for me to try to get back to the playoffs,” Trout told the Los Angeles Times. “I think that’s the biggest key for me.”

Trout made his big league debut with the Angels in 2011, but the franchise has reached the postseason just once during his tenure.

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The lack of team success has raised questions about whether he would consider playing elsewhere in the twilight of his career. But ahead of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, the three-time AL MVP said he still has unfinished business in Southern California.

“Could I take the easy way out and just leave? Yeah,” Trout said.

“But I think – I said this last year around this time, but it’s the same feeling I’ve been having – I really haven’t sat down and talked to anybody about it specifically, but I know there’s a time where, if things change, who knows? I don’t know. But, for me, right now, my focus is on trying to get this club back in the playoffs.”

If Trout’s playoff hopes are going to become reality this season, the Angels must make up 10 games in the wild-card race or close an 11.5-game deficit behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West.

Trout’s long-term future remains tied to the Angels after he signed a record-breaking extension in 2019 that runs through the 2030 season and includes a full no-trade clause. Injuries have interrupted much of his otherwise stellar career, but he entered the All-Star break having played in 78 of Los Angeles’ 97 games while hitting 18 home runs.

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