 And here's what you need to know. The first half of the season comes to a close on Sunday, and we have reached the all-star break in Major League Baseball. In games of note, the A's crushed the Phillies 18-3, Oakland hitting eight home runs. Lawrence Butler had three of them. Philadelphia, though, still has the best record in baseball at the break, 62-34. They've got an 8.5 game lead on Atlanta.