ARLINGTON, Texas — The path to get here was long and treacherous.

But when he stepped up in the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star Game to face Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene, none of that mattered. Not the injuries. Not his impending free agency. Not the 100-loss seasons he suffered through.

This was Anthony Santander’s moment. It took him eight years to get to this stage, but only one at-bat to make an impact. With two outs of a tied 3-3 game, Santander hit a single down the right-field line. He scored the go-ahead run a batter later when Jarren Duran homered to right-center field.

The American League won, besting the National League 5-3. Duran was named the Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP thanks to the two-run shot.

“That was awesome, especially to get on base, with two outs, 0-2 count and the hitter behind me hit a homer for the win,” Santander said. “That’s something really good to get on base. I got a little piece of the win right there.”

Santander was one of five Orioles players to participate in the All-Star Game, the most since 2016. They weren’t just here; they were the faces of the game.

“I think it’s just a testament to the kind of talent that we have, the kind of players that we have,” he said. “It’s an extremely talented group. ... Our guys work extremely hard for it and they definitely deserve it.”

Corbin Burnes started the game, throwing to Adley Rutschman, the first-ever all-Baltimore battery at the exhibition. Burnes pitched one inning, walking Shohei Ohtani and giving up a double to Bryce Harper but holding the National League scoreless.

“It was a lot of fun, light-hearted,” Rutschman said of catching Burnes. “Just felt right at home.”

Rutschman caught five innings and went 0-for-2 at the plate, striking out against Giants pitcher Logan Webb. Gunnar Henderson started the game at shortstop, also going 0-for-2. But the 23-year-old did show off his defensive prowess in the fourth, fielding a short-hop near the hole and making a running throw to get the batter out.

Jordan Westburg and Santander both entered the game in the fifth inning, with Westburg playing second and Santander right field. Westburg struck out in his one plate appearance, while Santander flew out to right in his second.

“It was really cool just to share the field with all the guys here,” Westburg said. “Results don’t matter in this particular game — I’m glad we won — but that was a lot of fun.”

All five will now have two days of rest. Then they — and the rest of the team — will return to this stadium to start the second half against the Rangers on Friday.