

ATLANTA — An All-Star Game that was once comfortably in the hands of the National League ended Tuesday night when the NL won, four homers to three, in the first tie-breaking home run swing-off in the history of the Midsummer Classic.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, a three-time All-Star, hit home runs on all three of his swings to help clinch the NL victory and secure an All-Star Game MVP for himself.
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The game was tied 6-6 before Schwarber, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets and Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins combined to redeem the NL, defeating an American League group made up of the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, Mariners’ Randy Arozarena and the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda.
The derby tiebreaker was implemented as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. Previous All-Star Games that were tied after nine went extra innings, most recently at Nationals Park in 2018, when the AL won in 10.
The NL led 6-4 when the Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton and Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. hit back-to-back doubles off San Diego Padres closer Robert Suárez with one out to make it a close game in the ninth inning. After the Mets’ Edwin Díaz, a three-time All-Star, retired the next batter, the Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan beat out a soft grounder to third, allowing Witt to score the tying run. Kwan tried to extend the AL’s fortune by stealing second, but the call on the field was overturned to end the frame.
The final score was not representative of a contest that had been relatively boring until Alonso crushed a pitch over the right-field fence in the sixth inning to give the NL a 5-0 lead.
Kyle Schwarber: legend #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/jkXyasugNX
— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
Through the first five innings, the scoring was limited to the NL’s two first-inning runs off AL starter Tarik Skubal and seven hits combined. A pair of NL pitchers compiled the extended highlights — with young Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes striking out two of the three batters he faced and reaching at least 98 mph on 13 of his 14 pitches, and honorary All-Star Clayton Kershaw getting two outs in the second inning before being removed by his Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, for an ovation.
Things were quiet until Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. strode into the batter’s box in the sixth inning, worked a 3-2 count against the Royals’ Kris Bubic and drew a walk on a high-and-away fastball. Then, Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals singled through the left side of the infield four pitches later.
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That brought up Alonso, who notably recused himself from the Home Run Derby despite having participated in it in his previous four All-Star campaigns and winning it twice. Within moments of a fan near the press box chanting, “We want offense,” Alonso delivered, drilling Bubic’s center-cut heater to right field for a 367-foot three-run blast.
Diamondbacks center fielder Corbin Carroll, participating in his second All-Star Game, padded the NL’s lead with a solo shot.
The output was nearly enough to keep the American League at bay, even after Athletics slugger Brent Rooker, who missed the semifinals of Monday’s Derby by less than an inch, lofted a middle fastball to left-center field for a three-run homer with no outs in the seventh. Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski, added to the All-Star roster after making just five major-league starts, retired three of four batters in the eighth to keep the NL in the lead.
However, after the National League stranded two runners in the bottom of the inning, the American League pounced, leading to the first All-Star Game tiebreaker.
(Photo of Kyle Schwarber celebrating with his NL teammates: Katharine Lotze / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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