Latest news with #95thAll-StarGame
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
MLB All-Star winners and losers: Tiebreaker is cool, MLB draft is lame
A little heavy, eh? Well, that's sort of how it felt when this 95th All-Star Game went to extra innings and was decided for the first time by a swing-off, which replaced the mega-roster to ensure there'd be plenty of pitchers for extra innings, which replaced How The Game Once Was, at least until it ended in a tie before a befuddled Bud Selig in 2002. Yet the game always seems to win, thanks in large part to the stars in the arena that seem to produce spectacular feats, regardless of format. On this night, it was Kyle Schwarber's three homers in three swings that stood up for a National League "victory" after American Leaguer Jonathan Aranda's bullet line drive hit brick and not seats. When Aranda followed with a harmless pop fly that sent the NL into a bobbing mass of celebration down the first base line, they were 7-6 victors (4-3 on penalty swings). Somehow, it all worked out. That could be a theme for an All-Star week that was at times grim and sweaty and confusing and at others fresh and fun. With that, the winners and losers from All-Star Week in the A (or at least Cobb County): Winners Tiebreaker swing-off The various buttons MLB pushes in the Rob Manfred era often serve two purposes: Teeth-gnashing followed by pragmatic acceptance. It was fascinating to discover that everyone from casuals in your contacts list to superstars on the field had no idea - "I honestly had no clue this was a thing," says Giants pitcher Logan Webb - what was to come. Yet the swing-off - the derby after the Derby, if you will - has been on the books since 2022. They just hadn't had to break the glass yet in case of emergency, and Tuesday that emergency was Robert Suarez and Edwin Diaz blowing a two-run ninth-inning NL lead. While extra-inning baseball has its charms, there can be a certain death march element to it. And in an All-Star Game, it honestly comes down to leftover pitchers trying to get out batters who hadn't yet hopped a private jet to their final All-Star break destinations. Nah, we weren't exactly "robbed" of drama not seeing Shane Smith and Hunter Goodman clash in the bottom of the 11th, just one scenario had managers not had the freedom to burn all their pitchers before game's end. And while roughly half the 41,702 in attendance had departed, those that remained were plenty engaged by the oohs and ahhs of the swing-off. Kyle Schwarber The baddest dude on the first-place Philadelphia Phillies is seemingly universally respected in the game, and his ability to take three batting practice pitches and put them all in the seats - with a result literally on the line - goes to his superior skill and ability to focus. That man is a free agent at the end of the year, and his late-night power show, even coming in a fake game, nicely illustrated why he'll be paid superstar money, and not DH money. Players who like playing baseball If the swing-off exposed anything to the casual fan, it's that the All-Star starters - typically the game's biggest superstars - have long beaten a hasty path to the airport by game's end. Hey, they got places to be and money to burn and it is their break time. That's why teams lock in their three swing-off participants ahead of time, knowing who will be around in a 10th inning - and no, it almost surely won't be Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. But anytime he's on the roster, Mets slugger Pete Alonso counts himself in. The two-time Home Run Derby champion is both an avid competitor and a ball enthusiast. And there's something of a difference between dudes who both love baseball and are very good at it, and those for whom the latter is the only qualifier. That's not to say the players that begged off this All-Star Game - ultimately more than 80 were named to the rosters - don't love it. Rest is important and unpublicized injuries are very real. But it never hurts to have stars who want to be here. "It's an honor for me," says Alonso. "Certain guys, if they're banged up, it's situational. But I'm healthy and I'm appreciative and it's a great event. For me, it's a no-brainer to come." Sometimes, a player will have his star-is-born year and back it up at an All-Star Game expected to serve as his platform - think Judge in 2017. Raleigh roared into the break with an AL record 38 first-half homers, the curiosity of being a switch-hitting catcher outslugging Judge and the best nickname in the game - and backed all of it up. His Home Run Derby championship was both a compelling tale and a remarkable feat, and gives the game a legitimate star in a Pacific Northwest outpost that too often gets ignored. Dino Ebel He might be the greatest batting-practice pitcher of all time, or at least the most decorated. Ebel has been the soft tosser for two Home Run Derby champions - Vladimir Guerrero Sr. in 2007 and Teoscar Hernandez in 2024 - and as the clock neared midnight Tuesday he climbed halfway up the Truist Park mound and tossed cookies to Stowers and Schwarber. Four of the six pitches ended up in the seats. "Put a 'W' next to Dino's name in the paper," says Dodgers and NL manager Dave Roberts, whom Ebel serves as third base coach. "Well, there's no more papers anymore, but Dino should get the win. Absolutely." That's only the half of it. Sunday night, Ebel's son Brady was drafted 32nd overall by Milwaukee, and he has another lad, Trey, who is a well-regarded prospect for the 2026 draft. Let's just say mid-July has been very good to the Ebel clan. Losers It remains Manfred's pet project, and the optics are good holding it in conjunction with All-Star Week. Enough space fillers wearing overpriced Fanatics gear are willing to fill up the couple hundred chairs to create a well-crafted television show. And sliding the draft into the most desirable television slot in the sport - supplanting Sunday Night Baseball for a night - will ensure its ratings will be sufficient even if the in-person product resembles a Potemkin Village. Yet it's an undeniable setback that exactly zero prospects showed up all dressed up for the show and ready to grip and grin with Manfred. They certainly have their reasons, be it advisors who prefer they not forfeit leverage with drafting teams, to the greater uncertainty involved with baseball's draft compared to its NFL and NBA cohorts. No one wants to get stuck in a green room for a couple hours, especially an 18-year-old whose reps might be haggling over bonus pool money right up to the moment they'd be picked. Manfred is perhaps the only baseball official who wants to drag the process into mid-July, putting scouting departments, front offices, college coaches and, of course, the players in flux deep into the summer when the whole thing could be done in early June. Pat McAfee, or whoever decided to loop him into the festivities That was weird. What's usually a pretty rote process - the pregame All-Star press conference where starting pitchers and lineups are announced got a startling charge when McAfee, ESPN's sleeveless ambassador to the Coveted Young Demographic, was on stage to moderate the session. It's tough to fake baseball, and while McAfee did all right, the entire presser was simply bizarre. It helped that Paul Skenes' presence enabled McAfee to lean into his Yinzer shtick, yet couldn't save him from mispronouncing Ketel Marte. And an inquiry from a reporter on baseball's unexplained decision to move the game back to Atlanta after onerous voting laws were passed - and Roberts' general abdication of stances on social issues important to Dodgers fans - resulted in McAfee trying to parry the whole exchange. He was also tapped to intro the participants in that night's Home Run Derby, which is among ESPN's most important broadcasts all year. The whole thing smacked of the erstwhile Worldwide Leader signing all its inventory over to McAfee, and MLB eagerly (desperately?) hoping to cash in some of that cultural currency. The Phillies Hey, they're on the clock for the next All-Star Week and the pressure is mounting. The game comes less than two weeks after the country's Semiquincentennial, and there may not be enough red, white and blue to out-America all the Midsummer Classics that came before it. Also, Kyle Schwarber is a free agent. As this 95th game showed, some things you just can't let get away.
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
‘Don't Take It For Granted': As Young All-Stars Dazzle, Clayton Kershaw Get His Flowers
ATLANTA — At 9:58 p.m. local time, Clayton Kershaw departed the press conference room from the bowels of Truist Park after recording two outs in his 11th All-Star Game when he was stopped unexpectedly by a fan. It was Pedro Martinez, who wanted to congratulate Kershaw for his performance, let him know how much he appreciated the 18-year veteran and ask if his family could get a couple photos. Kershaw happily obliged. "You're the closest thing to me," the current Hall of Famer told the future Hall of Famer, which evoked a hearty chuckle from Kershaw. As much as the 95th All-Star Game was a representation of a new school of baseball — from the numerous young superstars on the field, to the automated ball-strike challenge system, to the first ever swing-off to determine the result of a tie game — Kershaw loomed as both a tribute to its past and a reminder of why, at a time when many players elected not to participate, the event still remains an honor to many of those invited to participate. Before the game began, Kershaw passed that message along when manager Dave Roberts offered him the floor to say a few words in the National League All-Star team meeting. "We're all a lot younger than him, so he was saying, 'Don't take it for granted,'" Giants starter Logan Webb recalled. "It was really cool. It was special for me, getting to grow up watching him. I just respect him so much." "The All-Star Game, it can be hard at times for the players," Kershaw said. "It's a lot of travel, it's a lot of stress, chaos, family, all this stuff. But it's meaningful. It's impactful for the game. It's important for the game. We have the best All-Star Game of any sport. We do have the best product. To be here, to realize your responsibility in the sport, is important." This year, though, it took a bit of time for Kershaw to feel comfortable with the honor. When he learned he would be an All-Star again, he did not feel deserving. The commissioner's office chose him as a "legend pick" in recognition of his illustrious career after he became the 20th player to join the 3,000-strikeout club earlier this month, a group that isn't likely to see another member for many years, if ever. The distinction felt a little bit like a swan song, and he is not ready to say this year will be it. Plus, despite a 3.38 ERA, he did not think his election was earned. "You don't ever want to take somebody's spot," Kershaw said. "You don't ever want to be like a sideshow. You just want to be a part of it, if you deserve it." He started to feel better about it once he realized he would be added as an extra player and wouldn't be taking the roster spot of a pitcher with a more exemplary first half. And, ultimately, he was thankful he decided to go. "Had my whole family here, get to see me pitch in an All-Star Game again," Kershaw said. "I didn't think it was going to happen, so it was pretty cool." Kershaw's tough exterior has softened in recent years as he savors every moment he has left on a Major League Baseball field. That was obvious Tuesday, when he wore a microphone on the mound, something he never imagined he would one day do — an act those who know him never thought they'd see, either. "I'm getting blown up by former teammates saying, 'Wow, you've changed so much,'" Kershaw said. "And they're right. I don't think I would've ever done that." But he embraced it. And even enjoyed it. "It was actually kind of fun," Kershaw admitted. In the eighth inning, rookie Jacob Misiorowski's first fastball clocked in at 101.7 mph. Six innings prior, Kershaw's first heater to Cal Raleigh registered at 89 on the radar. "I'm going to try to throw some cheese real quick, hold on," Kershaw said before unleashing the pitch. Raleigh hooked a line drive into left field that was tracked down by a sliding Kyle Tucker. "That was sick," Kershaw said. After striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looking, Kershaw's two-batter appearance came to an end. Departing in the middle of the inning would allow him to soak in an ovation from the crowd. Roberts emerged from the dugout. Kershaw thanked his teammates and went to hand the baseball to his manager. "That's yours," Roberts said. "I keep it?" Kershaw said with a smile as the fans rose to their feet, acknowledging what could very well be his final All-Star performance. "However long he wants to play," Padres reliever Jason Adam said, "he should be in every All-Star Game." Adam trotted in from the bullpen to relieve Kershaw in the second inning. He called that one of the coolest experiences of his career. "Thankful he didn't leave anybody on base for me," Adam said. "You don't want the weight of a Hall of Famer's runs on base in an All-Star Game." Kershaw still vividly remembers his first All-Star Game back in 2011, when he got to stand in the outfield alongside Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay and the players he looked up to. On Tuesday, the 37-year-old became the oldest pitcher to record a strikeout in the All-Star Game since Fernando Rodney in 2016. Kershaw is now tied with Mike Trout for the most All-Star selections among active players. "Now, to kind of be on the other end of it, is weird," Kershaw said. "It happens fast." So, he tries to absorb every opportunity he has left until he's ready to call it a career. Before Kershaw left the stadium, Martinez reminded him of what awaits whenever that time comes. "I'm going to be waiting for you," Martinez said, "in Cooperstown." Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner . recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: Dino Ebel turns out to be key man on NL All-Star team
From Jack Harris: Technically, there was no winning pitcher in Major League Baseball's 95th All-Star Game. The man who gave up the night's biggest swings, however, was probably as deserving as any. As the American League stormed back from a 6-0 deficit in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic, a rarely contemplated reality started to dawn in both dugouts. Three years ago, MLB changed its rules for how to break ties in its annual marquee event, instituting a home run 'swing-off' to be conducted at the conclusion of the ninth inning. Each team selected three players, who each got three swings. Whichever team hit the most home runs in those nine swings wins the game. Enter Dino Ebel — veteran Dodgers' third base coach — and, now, victorious pitcher in the inaugural All-Star Game swing-off. 'What an exciting moment, I think, for baseball, for all the people that stayed, who watched on television, everything,' Ebel said, after teeing up the NL hitters for a 4-3 win in the home run swing-off, and a 7-6 win overall in the All-Star Game. Continue reading here ———— From Jack Harris: In a week where so much of the focus was on players who weren't playing in the All-Star Game, and those who were selected that weren't seen as deserving, it was the player who had been in more Midsummer Classics than anyone else who delivered the most profound reminder. Before the start of Major League Baseball's 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, National League manager Dave Roberts called upon longtime Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw to speak in the clubhouse. And in an impromptu pregame speech as the team's elder statesman, Kershaw imparted the most important lesson he's learned from his 11 All-Star Games. 'The All-Star Game, it can be hard at times for the players,' Kershaw recounted when asked about his message to the team. 'It's a lot of travel, it's a lot of stress, chaos, family, all this stuff.' 'But,' the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer added, 'it's meaningful, it's impactful for the game, it's important for the game. We have the best All-Star Game of any sport. We do have the best product. So to be here, to realize your responsibility to the sport is important … And I just said I was super honored to be part of it.' Continue reading here All-Star Game box score Shaikin: Live from Atlanta: The next front in the war between MLB owners and players Amid immigration raids, MLBPA advises players to keep legal documents with them Rob Manfred: MLB won't cancel the 2028 All-Star Game for the Olympics From Jack Harris: The hierarchy of stars was obvious even in the table arrangements. At an All-Star Game media day event on Monday at the Roxy Coca-Cola Theater in Atlanta, the Dodgers' five All-Star representatives were in the same area of the large venue. In the first row, basking under large spotlights near an elevated stage, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw were positioned front and center, expected to attract so many reporters that retractable ropes lined the perimeter of their podiums. Several feet behind them, in the shadows of a balcony overhang, sat Will Smith and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. An obvious A-List, followed by a clear B-group. And even then, where Yamamoto's media contingent stretched several rows deep, Smith's rarely swelled beyond a few people. He was a third-time All-Star, National League starter and batting title contender — once again relegated to the background of the sport's public consciousness. 'He's up there as far as being overlooked,' Dodgers manager and NL All-Star skipper Dave Roberts said of his ever-present but easily forgotten backstop. 'You know what you're going to get, but you probably don't appreciate it as much as you should.' Appreciated, Smith has not been this year. Not fully, at the very least. Continue reading here From Chuck Schilken: The Chargers are going for the gold this season. Or are they going for the mustard bottle? Or the banana? Fans will be able to figure that out for themselves this fall when the team debuts its 'Charger Power' uniforms, one of two alternate looks revealed by the team Tuesday that will be worn during the 2025 season. The Chargers also announced that they now have the option to wear powder blue pants with their regular jerseys, which are powder blue at home and white on the road. Continue reading here From Kelvin Kuo: AVP, the biggest and longest-running professional volleyball league, hosted beach volleyball matches for the first time in an NBA arena last weekend. Hosted at the Intuit Dome, crews were tasked with bringing 300 tons of sand from a quarry in Palm Springs, which is roughly 16 truckloads. AVP is looking for creative ways to attract a new audiences to the sport, often hosting its marquee volleyball events in unconventional locations. A wooden sandbox was constructed to contain the pre-washed sand and form a single court. It took the crew, which consists of about 150 people for a change over a typical event at Intuit Dome, five hours after the conclusion of the event to ready the arena for Clippers season ticket-holders the following day. Click here to watch video of the transformation. LAFC defender Aaron Long will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles. The team — which said the surgery was successful — made the announcement on Tuesday, three days after Long was injured in the 76th minute of a 2-0 win over Dallas. The 32-year-old Long is in his third season with LAFC and has started all 15 games this year, scoring one goal. He's started 60 games for the club over the last three seasons. Continue reading here Commentary: 2026 FIFA World Cup dress rehearsal exposes the big problem of extreme heat From Ira Gorawara: Dearica Hamby lined up for one of those last-second launches as the first-half clock dipped toward zero. The ball clanged off the front rim, appearing short — until backspin carried it to the back iron for a second bounce. With Julie Allemand holding her knees and Kelsey Plum already prancing away, the ball kissed the rim twice more. And, finally, after a two-second pause that held the whole arena hostage, the ball dropped. Hamby fell with it, her teammates swarming to lift her as Arena erupted for what was perhaps the Sparks' finest half of basketball of the season in a 99-80 stomping of the Washington Mystics. 'No one on our team would want anyone to hit a buzzer beater more from three than Dearica,' Plum said. 'We were just all super excited, and especially the way it rolled in — it was very, like, climactic. … It was a great moment and it just represented the style we're trying to play moving forward.' Continue reading here Sparks box score WNBA standings The WNBA players' union and league officials have much to discuss when they sit down this week for their first in-person talks as a group since December about the new collective bargaining agreement. After sharing initial proposals, the two sides apparently are far apart in the early negotiations as they prepare for their first face-to-face meeting that includes the players executive council in Indianapolis on Thursday heading into All-Star weekend. 'We got a proposal from the league, which was honestly a slap in the face,' Phoenix Mercury forward and union rep Satou Sabally said. Increased salaries, revenue sharing and roster size are three areas where the union expect to see major changes from the current CBA that will expire at the end of this season after the players decided to opt out last year. Nearly all the players who aren't on rookie scale contracts right now will be free agents after this season and looking for big salary increases. Continue reading here Expansion WNBA team brings back the original Portland Fire name 1920 — The United States sweeps Australia in five matches to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1913. The U.S. team is made up of Bill Tilden and Bill Johnston. 1938 — Paul Runyan wins the PGA Championship by routing Sam Snead 8 and 7 in the final round. 1947 — Rocky Graziano scores a technical knockout with a barrage of 30 punches against Tony Zale in the sixth round to win the world middleweight boxing title. Held in Chicago Stadium, it's the largest grossing fight in history. 1950 — Uruguay beats Brazil 2-1 to win soccer's World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. 1967 — Kathy Whitworth wins the LPGA championship by one stroke over Shirley Englehorn. Whitworth sinks a fifty-foot uphill putt for a birdie on the 18th green at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Mass. 1989 — Betsy King birdies three of the first four holes of the final round to win her first U.S. Women's Open championship by four strokes over Nancy Lopez. 1993 — Nick Faldo ties the best single round in 122 years of the British Open with a course-record 63 to give him a one-stroke lead after the second round. 1995 — Annika Sorenstam of Sweden wins the U.S. Women's Open by one stroke over Meg Mallon, her first victory on the LPGA Tour. 2005 — In Las Vegas, Jermain Taylor beats Bernard Hopkins for the undisputed middleweight title. Hopkins, a winner of a record 20 consecutive defenses, starts slowly and the undefeated challenger builds up a big enough lead on two judges' scorecards to take the crown. 2006 — J.R. Todd becomes the first Bblack driver to win an NHRA Top Fuel event, beating Tony Schumacher in the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. 2011 — Kyle Busch wins the Nationwide race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to become the third driver to win 100 races in NASCAR's three national series. Busch, with 22 Cup victories and 29 Trucks wins, also ties Mark Martin for first place in career Nationwide Series victories with 49. Richard Petty and David Pearson are the other drivers with at least 100 wins. 2012 — Roger Federer surpasses Pete Sampras to set the record for the most weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings. After winning Wimbledon a week ago — his 75th career ATP title — Federer returns to the top for the first time since June 2010. Today marks his 287th week at No. 1, one more than Sampras. 2017 — Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4, to claim a record 8th Wimbledon men's title. 2023 — Wimbledon Men's Tennis: In a classic final, 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz ends Novak Đoković's 34-match win streak at the All England Club with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory. 1897 — Chicago's Cap Anson became the first major leaguer to reach 3,000 hits when he singled off Baltimore's George Blackburn. 1902 — John McGraw was named manager of the New York Giants, a post he would hold for 30 years. 1909 — Ed Summers of the Detroit Tigers allowed only seven hits and pitched all 18 innings of a 0-0 tie with the Washington Senators, the longest scoreless game in AL history. 1920 — Babe Ruth broke his own season record of 29 homers with his 30th as the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns, 5-2. Ruth would finish the season with 54. 1933 — Red Lucas of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 15-inning 1-0 win over Roy Parmelee and the New York Giants in the opener of a doubleheader. 1941 — Joe DiMaggio extended his hitting streak to 56 games with a 3-for-4 day as the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians 10-3. 1958 — In the nitecap of a doubleheader, Baltimore pitcher Jack Harshman hit two homers in a 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. 1970 — The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pirates 3-2 before 48,846 in the first game at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. 1985 — Sparky Anderson became the first manager to lose an All-Star Game in both leagues. The National League won 6-1 for the 21st win in the last 23 games. 1996 — Colorado's streak of scoring seven runs in a game ended at 11. The Rockies beat the Giants 5-3 and tied the 1911 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1938 New York Yankees and 1976 Cincinnati Reds with 11 7-run games. 1997 — Kevin Brown pitched his first career one-hitter to lead Florida to 5-1 win over the Dodgers. Brown, who no-hit San Francisco on June 10th, faced two batters over the minimum and allowed a lead-off single to left by Raul Mondesi in the fifth. He struck out eight and retired his final 15 batters. 1998 — Randy Johnson pitched a one-hitter to lead Seattle to a 3-0 win over Minnesota. Johnson struck out 11 and gave up a single to third baseman Brent Gates. 2006 — Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer in Atlanta's 10-5 win at San Diego to give him an extra-base hit in 14 straight games, tying a 79-year-old major league record. Jones tied the record set in 1927 by Pittsburgh's Paul Waner. 2006 — Mariano Rivera earned his 400th save, escaping two jams and getting six outs to preserve the New York Yankees' 6-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Rivera joined Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman and John Franco in the 400-save club. 2009 — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard became the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 career home runs, breaking the record previously held by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner. Howard reached 200 homers in his 658th game, hitting his 23rd of the season in the sixth inning of a 4-0 win over Florida. Kiner hit No. 200 in his 706th game. 2013 — Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect eighth inning in his final All-Star appearance, Jose Bautista, J.J. Hardy and Jason Kipnis drove in runs to back a night of pulsating pitching, and the American League beat the National League 3-0. 2015 — Brock Holt became the first Boston player to hit for the cycle since 1996 and the Red Sox slugged their way out to a 9-4 victory over Atlanta. 2021 — Jake Cronenworth hit for his first career cycle, Wil Myers had a grand slam and a two-run shot and the San Diego Padres set a franchise record for runs in a 24-8 blowout of the Washington Nationals. Compiled by the Associated Press That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MLB All-Star winners and losers: Dramatic mini HR derby spices up festivities
ATLANTA – If you're the sort who enjoys plotting the demise of baseball – and, in a grander sense, Western Civilization – then it all was neatly summed up by one moment in the wee hours at Truist Park. A line drive striking the faux brick just to the right of a FanDuel advertisement, a crucial moment in a home-run hitting contest intended to pump life in a once culturally-dominant Midsummer Classic that now claws for viability in the attention economy. A little heavy, eh? Well, that's sort of how it felt when this 95th All-Star Game went to extra innings and was decided for the first time by a swing-off, which replaced the mega-roster to ensure there'd be plenty of pitchers for extra innings, which replaced How The Game Once Was, at least until it ended in a tie before a befuddled Bud Selig in 2002. Yet the game always seems to win, thanks in large part to the stars in the arena that seem to produce spectacular feats, regardless of format. On this night, it was Kyle Schwarber's three homers in three swings that stood up for a National League 'victory' after American Leaguer Jonathan Aranda's bullet line drive hit brick and not seats. When Aranda followed with a harmless pop fly that sent the NL into a bobbing mass of celebration down the first base line, they were 7-6 victors (4-3 on penalty swings). Somehow, it all worked out. That could be a theme for an All-Star week that was at times grim and sweaty and confusing and at others fresh and fun. With that, the winners and losers from All-Star Week in the A (or at least Cobb County): Winners Tiebreaker swing-off The various buttons MLB pushes in the Rob Manfred era often serve two purposes: Teeth-gnashing followed by pragmatic acceptance. It was fascinating to discover that everyone from casuals in your contacts list to superstars on the field had no idea – 'I honestly had no clue this was a thing,' says Giants pitcher Logan Webb – what was to come. Yet the swing-off – the derby after the Derby, if you will – has been on the books since 2022. They just hadn't had to break the glass yet in case of emergency, and Tuesday that emergency was Robert Suarez and Edwin Diaz blowing a two-run ninth-inning NL lead. While extra-inning baseball has its charms, there can be a certain death march element to it. And in an All-Star Game, it honestly comes down to leftover pitchers trying to get out batters who hadn't yet hopped a private jet to their final All-Star break destinations. Nah, we weren't exactly 'robbed' of drama not seeing Shane Smith and Hunter Goodman clash in the bottom of the 11th, just one scenario had managers not had the freedom to burn all their pitchers before game's end. And while roughly half the 41,702 in attendance had departed, those that remained were plenty engaged by the oohs and ahhs of the swing-off. Kyle Schwarber The baddest dude on the first-place Philadelphia Phillies is seemingly universally respected in the game, and his ability to take three batting practice pitches and put them all in the seats – with a result literally on the line – goes to his superior skill and ability to focus. That man is a free agent at the end of the year, and his late-night power show, even coming in a fake game, nicely illustrated why he'll be paid superstar money, and not DH money. Players who like playing baseball If the swing-off exposed anything to the casual fan, it's that the All-Star starters – typically the game's biggest superstars – have long beaten a hasty path to the airport by game's end. Hey, they got places to be and money to burn and it is their break time. That's why teams lock in their three swing-off participants ahead of time, knowing who will be around in a 10th inning – and no, it almost surely won't be Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. But anytime he's on the roster, Mets slugger Pete Alonso counts himself in. The two-time Home Run Derby champion is both an avid competitor and a ball enthusiast. And there's something of a difference between dudes who both love baseball and are very good at it, and those for whom the latter is the only qualifier. That's not to say the players that begged off this All-Star Game – ultimately more than 80 were named to the rosters – don't love it. Rest is important and unpublicized injuries are very real. But it never hurts to have stars who want to be here. 'It's an honor for me,' says Alonso. 'Certain guys, if they're banged up, it's situational. But I'm healthy and I'm appreciative and it's a great event. For me, it's a no-brainer to come.' Cal Raleigh Sometimes, a player will have his star-is-born year and back it up at an All-Star Game expected to serve as his platform – think Judge in 2017. Raleigh roared into the break with an AL record 38 first-half homers, the curiosity of being a switch-hitting catcher outslugging Judge and the best nickname in the game – and backed all of it up. His Home Run Derby championship was both a compelling tale and a remarkable feat, and gives the game a legitimate star in a Pacific Northwest outpost that too often gets ignored. Dino Ebel He might be the greatest batting-practice pitcher of all time, or at least the most decorated. Ebel has been the soft tosser for two Home Run Derby champions – Vladimir Guerrero Sr. in 2007 and Teoscar Hernández in 2024 – and as the clock neared midnight Tuesday he climbed halfway up the Truist Park mound and tossed cookies to Stowers and Schwarber. Four of the six pitches ended up in the seats. 'Put a 'W' next to Dino's name in the paper,' says Dodgers and NL manager Dave Roberts, whom Ebel serves as third base coach. 'Well, there's no more papers anymore, but Dino should get the win. Absolutely." That's only the half of it. Sunday night, Ebel's son Brady was drafted 32nd overall by Milwaukee, and he has another lad, Trey, who is a well-regarded prospect for the 2026 draft. Let's just say mid-July has been very good to the Ebel clan. Losers The MLB draft It remains Manfred's pet project, and the optics are good holding it in conjunction with All-Star Week. Enough space fillers wearing overpriced Fanatics gear are willing to fill up the couple hundred chairs to create a well-crafted television show. And sliding the draft into the most desirable television slot in the sport – supplanting Sunday Night Baseball for a night – will ensure its ratings will be sufficient even if the in-person product resembles a Potemkin Village. Yet it's an undeniable setback that exactly zero prospects showed up all dressed up for the show and ready to grip and grin with Manfred. They certainly have their reasons, be it advisors who prefer they not forfeit leverage with drafting teams, to the greater uncertainty involved with baseball's draft compared to its NFL and NBA cohorts. No one wants to get stuck in a green room for a couple hours, especially an 18-year-old whose reps might be haggling over bonus pool money right up to the moment they'd be picked. Manfred is perhaps the only baseball official who wants to drag the process into mid-July, putting scouting departments, front offices, college coaches and, of course, the players in flux deep into the summer when the whole thing could be done in early June. Pat McAfee, or whoever decided to loop him into the festivities That was weird. What's usually a pretty rote process – the pregame All-Star press conference where starting pitchers and lineups are announced got a startling charge when McAfee, ESPN's sleeveless ambassador to the Coveted Young Demographic, was on stage to moderate the session. It's tough to fake baseball, and while McAfee did all right, the entire presser was simply bizarre. It helped that Paul Skenes' presence enabled McAfee to lean into his Yinzer shtick, yet couldn't save him from mispronouncing Ketel Marte. And an inquiry from a reporter on baseball's unexplained decision to move the game back to Atlanta after onerous voting laws were passed – and Roberts' general abdication of stances on social issues important to Dodgers fans – resulted in McAfee trying to parry the whole exchange. He was also tapped to intro the participants in that night's Home Run Derby, which is among ESPN's most important broadcasts all year. The whole thing smacked of the erstwhile Worldwide Leader signing all its inventory over to McAfee, and MLB eagerly (desperately?) hoping to cash in some of that cultural currency. The Phillies Hey, they're on the clock for the next All-Star Week and the pressure is mounting. The game comes less than two weeks after the country's Semiquincentennial, and there may not be enough red, white and blue to out-America all the Midsummer Classics that came before it. Also, Kyle Schwarber is a free agent. As this 95th game showed, some things you just can't let get away.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘Put a ‘W' next to Dino's name.' NL wins All-Star Game swing-off, with help from Dino Ebel
Technically, there was no winning pitcher in Major League Baseball's 95th All-Star Game. The man who gave up the night's biggest swings, however, was probably as deserving as any. As the American League stormed back from a 6-0 deficit in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic, a rarely contemplated reality started to dawn in both dugouts. Three years ago, MLB changed its rules for how to break ties in its annual marquee event, instituting a home run 'swing-off' to be conducted at the conclusion of the ninth inning. Each team selected three players, who each got three swings. Whichever team hit the most home runs in those nine swings wins the game. It was penalty kicks for baseball. A hockey shootout on the diamond. The only difference, though, was that this sport's version required a coach to take part in the action. Enter Dino Ebel — veteran Dodgers' third base coach — and, now, victorious pitcher in the inaugural All-Star Game swing-off. 'What an exciting moment, I think, for baseball, for all the people that stayed, who watched on television, everything,' Ebel said, after teeing up the NL hitters for a 4-3 win in the home run swing-off, and a 7-6 win overall in the All-Star Game. 'That was pretty awesome to be a part of … I had like 10 throws just to get loose. And then it's like, 'Let's bring it on.' ' Indeed, in an event that can often go stale once starters get removed in the early innings, the finish to Tuesday's game energized both the stands and the dugouts, with players from both teams emptying onto the field and wildly cheering each swing. 'That was like the baseball version of a shootout or extra time,' said Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber, who went 3-for-3 in his turn at the plate to ultimately lift the NL to the win, and earn All-Star Game MVP honors for himself. 'It was really fun. I credit the guys on our side, who were really into it.' 'First time in history we got to do this,' added Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, who was previously 0-3 as an All-Star Game manager before Tuesday's dramatic conclusion. 'I think it played pretty well tonight.' Perhaps the greatest twist: In the middle of it all was Ebel, a 59-year-old base coach who, as a utility infielder from 1988 to 1994 in the Dodgers' minor-league system, never advanced past triple-A. In addition to his duties as third base coach and outfield instructor for the Dodgers, Ebel is something of a batting practice specialist these days. He's thrown it on a daily basis to Dodgers hitters ever since the team hired him in 2019, and as a staff member with the Angels for years before that. He has pitched for four different players in the Home Run Derby, including Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero and Teoscar Hernández's win in Texas last year. Ebel and Schwarber even had previous history of doing batting practice together, back when Ebel was a coach on Team USA's 2023 World Baseball Classic squad two years prior. 'He's got great BP,' Schwarber said. 'A lot of credit goes to him, just kind of getting thrown into the firestorm there and not being rattled by it, being able to keep pumping really good strikes to us.' By the time Schwarber came up in the second round of the swing-off, the NL was in somewhat dicey position. Brent Rooker of the A's started the event off with two home runs for the AL. Kyle Stowers of the Miami Marlins and Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners each traded one, leaving the AL ahead 3-1. And while Schwarber is one of the league's most feared sluggers, with 30 long balls this year and 314 in his career, he said he rarely takes actual batting practice on the field, leaving him admittedly 'a little nervous' as strolled to the dish. 'I think the first swing was kind of the big one,' Schwarber said. 'I was just really trying to hit a line drive, versus trying to hit the home run. Usually, that tends to work out — especially in games.' As Schwarber was preparing for his round, he and Ebel discussed where exactly he wanted the ball thrown. 'I'm gonna go left-center to center field,' Schwarber told Ebel. 'So just throw it down the middle.' Three thunderous swings later, Schwarber had put the NL in front with three towering blasts. 'This was putting it more on the line,' Ebel said of Tuesday's format, which unlike the Home Run Derby or daily BP, required more patience and precision with each player permitted only three swings. 'Like right now, you're gonna win it or you're gonna lose it. And we won it.' Indeed, when the Tampa Bay Rays' Jonathan Aranda suffered an 0-fer that culminated in a pop-up, the NL team swarmed Schwarber, who then sought out Ebel and embraced him with a hug. 'A lot of credit goes to him for the National League bringing it home,' Schwarber reiterated. 'Put a 'W' next to Dino's name in the paper,' Roberts echoed. 'Dino should get the win, absolutely.' This week was memorable for Ebel even before Tuesday's swing-off. On Sunday morning, he flew home early from the Dodgers' road series in San Francisco to be with his son, Brady, for the MLB Draft. From their living room, the Ebel family celebrated after Brady was selected 32nd overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, then packed up and headed for Ontario International Airport to catch a red-eye flight Sunday for Atlanta. And after getting in early on Monday morning, Ebel had been going non-stop around All-Star festivities, joining his fellow Dodgers coaches (who made up the honorary NL staff after winning the pennant last year) for media appearances, throwing batting practice in a pre-Home Run Derby workout on Monday and, as it turned out, doing it again with Tuesday's game in the balance. 'It's pretty high adrenaline going for me right now,' Ebel said from the NL clubhouse postgame. 'I haven't gotten too much sleep. But right now, I feel like I've slept for days. Because I'm wired up.'
