National League wins first All-Star Game with a home run tiebreaker
The game in Atlanta ended in a 6–6 tie after the Nationals built a six-run lead by the seventh inning. For the first time in its 95-year history, the All-Star Game was decided by a tiebreaker.
MLB All-Star Game
The All-Star Game was a night full of excitement, surprises, and home runs. On Tuesday night, the National League edged out the American League 7–6 in the first Major League showdown ever decided by a home run contest.
The game ended in Atlanta with a 6-6 tie after the Nationals built as much as a six-run lead going into the seventh inning.
For the first time in its 95 editions, the All Star Game defined the winner in a tiebreaker.
In this case, the format was a scaled-down version of the Home Run Derby—the power-hitting spectacle that served as a Monday appetizer at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
Each team selected three hitters for the showdown, and the National League came out on top, winning 4–3 thanks to a relentless performance by Kyle Schwarber.
The Philadelphia Phillies star connected a home run in each of his three swings, earning him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
After enduring a nine-game losing streak, the National League has now won two of the last three All-Star Games.
American team's comeback
The showdown at Truist Park began with a dominant first inning by Paul Skenes, who overpowered American League hitters with fastballs topping 100 mph.
The Pirates’ stellar pitcher—becoming the first to start two All-Star Games in his first two seasons in the Majors—struck out Venezuela’s Gleyber Torres, the Tigers’ Riley Greene, and the Yankees’ fearsome star Aaron Judge in succession.
Skenes’ dominance set the tone for the offensive onslaught against American League starter Tarik Skubal, who gave up a leadoff hit to Japan’s Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers in his first at-bat.
Venezuelan star Ronald Acuña Jr. of the hometown Atlanta Braves followed with another hit off the Tigers’ left-hander. With runners on base, Ketel Marte of the Dominican Republic—representing the Diamondbacks—cracked a double that drove in both Ohtani and Acuña Jr.
New technology
The scoreboard remained unchanged until the sixth inning, when the Nationals extended their lead with two home runs by American League players Pete Alonso and Corbin Carroll.
The home run by Alonso, who is of Spanish descent, was the first by a Mets player in the event since 2006 and also drove in two runs scored by Dominican Fernando Tatis Jr. and Brendan Donovan.
Ball to Suárez
The National League’s 6–0 lead seemed decisive, but the Americans reignited the excitement for the 41,000 spectators with a explosive seventh inning.
The Athletics' Brent Rooker put his team on the board with a home run that drew runs from Mexico's Jonathan Aranda and Alejandro Kirk.
The Americans closed the gap further when Bobby Witt Jr.’s grounder allowed Venezuela's Maikel Garcia to drive in a run.
The scare of the night came in the eighth inning, when Venezuelan Eugenio Suarez was hit hard on the left hand by pitcher Shane Smith.
Sore, the D-backs slugger was checked out on the field but stayed in the game.
The Americans completed their comeback in the ninth inning, when Bobby Witt Jr. hit a double to bring in Byron Buxton, then tied the game himself following a Steven Kwan single.
Cuban reliever Aroldis Chapman shut down the Nationals in the nightcap, and the game was ultimately decided in a mini Home Run Derby featuring three batters from each team.
Schwarber, who knocked it out of the park on all three of his swings, along with Kyle Stowers, led the Nationals to a 4–3 victory over the Americans, who hit two home runs by Brent Rooker and one by Cuban-Mexican Randy Arozarena.
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