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Reuters
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Kyle Schwarber powers NL to first 'swing-off' win at All-Star Game
July 16 - ATLANTA -- Albeit in unique -- and maybe even bizarre -- fashion, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was the National League's hero and All-Star Game MVP on Tuesday. After going 0-for-2 in the regularly scheduled event, Schwarber launched three home runs in the All-Star Game's first "swing-off," propelling the NL to a victory. The game was tied at 6 after nine innings, so the teams competed in a three-man Home Run Derby in which American League manager Aaron Boone selected Tampa Bay's Jonathan Aranda and Randy Arozarena and the Athletics' Brent Rooker, while NL manager Dave Roberts picked the New York Mets' Pete Alonso, Schwarber and Miami's Kyle Stowers. Each player got three swings. Rooker launched two over the fence, while Stowers went 1-for-3. Arozarena then hit one, before Schwarber sent all three out to give the NL a 4-3 running lead entering the final round. Aranda then went 0-for-3, clinching the bizarre National League victory -- technically a 7-6 win -- the league's second All-Star Game triumph in three years after dropping the previous nine. A rule change in 2022 provided what was left of the 41,702 fans with a spectacle they likely weren't expecting when they entered Truist Park. "It was interesting," Schwarber said after being named the Phillies' first All-Star Game MVP since Johnny Callison in 1964. "Exciting, fun. There's a lot of guys who deserve this (trophy), but I'm glad it's going home with us to Philly." Fifteen minutes or so before Schwarber hoisted the award, he lined out against Boston flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to begin the bottom of the ninth -- a stark difference of what was to come in the impromptu batting practice. "Luckily, I had just got done breaking my bat on a 100-mph sinker from Aroldis, then praying that we'd hit a walk-off home run," Schwarber laughed. "Then it was just go up there, get a new bat and get ready to take some BP." Trailing 6-0, the American League mounted a rally in the seventh, as San Diego's Adrian Morejon allowed a single to Toronto's Alejandro Kirk and Aranda's walk. San Francisco reliever Randy Rodriguez entered and surrendered Rooker's three-run homer. Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. later drove in the AL's fourth run on a groundout. Minnesota's Byron Buxton and Witt each doubled to pull the AL within one run against San Diego's Robert Suarez in the ninth. New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz then entered and retired the New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. before Cleveland's Steven Kwan tied the game with an infield single. Chapman retired the side in the bottom of the ninth. The NL struck first in the home half of the first inning. Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and hometown favorite Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. reached on singles, before Arizona's Ketel Marte laced a two-run double to right against AL starter Tarik Skubal. The Detroit Tigers' reigning Cy Young winner recorded his first strikeout by way of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, Major League Baseball's experimental technology to determine balls and strikes being used in the game, retiring San Diego's Manny Machado. In the sixth, after the Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. walked and St. Louis' Brendan Donovan singled, Alonso belted a three-run blast off Kansas City's Kris Bubic to give the National League a 5-0 advantage. It appeared Alonso was on his way to the game's MVP before the American League's rally, and he still might have had a chance had his turn arrived in the swing-off. "It was something that was addressed, we were asked prior," Alonso said of the swing-off. "I was in the batting cage taking swings, so I was ready if I needed to come in there and close it, but Schwarber did an unbelievable job." Detroit's Casey Mize replaced Bubic, surrendering a 414-foot solo homer to Arizona star Corbin Carroll to extend the margin to six runs. Making his second All-Star Game start in as many seasons, Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes struck out Detroit's Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in the first before inducing Yankees slugger Aaron Judge into a groundout in the ace's lone inning. "I was throwing every pitch as hard as I could, hoping that it landed in the strike zone," Skenes said. "Every game is max effort, but I was emptying the tank a little bit more." The game marked another return to Atlanta for the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, who took part in his ninth Midsummer Classic. As is custom for Freeman's appearances at Truist Park since departing the Braves for Los Angeles in 2022, an ovation greeted the first baseman who won a World Series with Atlanta in 2021. "I didn't know how it was going to go today. A lot of emotions," Freeman said. "I really do appreciate the moments, the 12 years I've spent here were obviously a wonderful time for me. So, to be able to have that moment with the fans was awesome." The game, which lasted three hours and 20 minutes, was the first without a winning and losing pitcher since the infamous 2002 World Series in Milwaukee, which ended in a 7-7 tie. Tuesday marked the highest-scoring game since the AL won 8-6 in 10 innings in 2018. --Jack Batten, Field Level Media
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
ABS challenge system quickly makes an impact in All-Star Game debut
ATLANTA – It took all of eight batters for the Automated Ball-Strike system to make an impact at the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, its first such appearance in a non-spring training MLB contest. Facing an early 2-0 deficit, in the bottom of the first inning, with Ketel Marte on second base, American League starting pitcher Tarik Skubal used it against Manny Machado after an 89.5 mph changeup that clipped the bottom of the zone was called a ball. It transformed a 1-2 count into a strikeout looking for the inning's second out, and thus the first successful ABS challenge at the All-Star game was minted. Entering Tuesday night's Midsummer Classic, Skubal didn't anticipate using ABS but ended up signaling for the call, alongside catcher Cal Raleigh and even shortstop Jacob Wilson. 'No, honestly I wasn't even going to use them, but I felt like that was a strike,' Skubal said.'You want that in a 0-2 count, especially with the way the inning was going — the ball finding a lot of grass.' Advertisement Raleigh acknowledged that, despite having not discussed the ABS system with Skubal, it was a necessary call in the moment. 'Obviously a strike and thought it was, called for it and it helped us out,' Raleigh said. With the second out secured, Skubal plowed past Will Smith on three straight fastballs to end the inning and escape any further damage. 'It's coming, whether players like it or not, it's going to come, so might as well get used to it,' Skubal added. If there's anyone who's gotten used to rules changes early, it's Machado. Back in 2023, Machado became the first hitter to start an at-bat with 0-1 count after a pitch-clock violation that resulted in an automatic strike. 'I was the first in spring training, so I kinda figured out I would be the first,' Machado said about being on the receiving end of the first successful ABS challenge. 'Should've swung at the pitch, actually. I knew it was a strike instantly.' Despite his side getting its early traffic ended early, National League manager Dave Roberts was a fan of the system's overall implementation in a game. 'I thought it was great,' Roberts said. 'The fans enjoy it. I thought the players had fun with it. And there's a strategy to it, if it does get to us during the season. But I like it. I think it's good for the game. I'm okay with it.' While the eighth batter of the game presented the first challenge, it wasn't the only one on the night. In total, four challenges were utilized, with Wilson, the A's 23-year-old shortstop, being part of two of them, as both a defender and batter. In the fifth inning, Wilson successfully overturned a 1-0 fastball that was called a strike initially, giving him a 2-0 count in his final at-bat of the night. 'I don't really think about it too much,' Wilson said. 'I just saw we had it today and I thought Skubal's was a strike. I was like 'Oh, maybe. Just cause why not, we have it?' Advertisement 'I thought the pitch that I saw was a little bit down. That was a successful challenge. It's just funny to use the ABS in the All-Star Game for me just being a young guy.' Wilson said he experienced the ABS system in Triple A, one of multiple young players to have gone through the minors with the system as a normal part of a game. He acknowledged that an unsuccessful challenge could put the team in a bad spot, particularly late in the game, making the decision to tap the top of his head not an easy one. 'It's definitely very nerve-wracking,' Wilson said. 'It could be a strike and I could waste a challenge for my team but at the same time I ended up being right. It's definitely different for sure. Something I never really experienced.' The first-time All-Star said with a smile that with the two successful challenges on Tuesday, plus two more from his time in the minors, he's batting 1.000. A novelty to some, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he plans to introduce a proposal for implementing ABS as early as next season, meaning its impact could extend far beyond AL or NL supremacy in a mid-July exhibition. 'It's interesting,' Kyle Schwarber, the 2025 All-Star Game MVP said. 'I think it's a unique way for the league to kind of try different things. …To have it kind of out there for the fans to see what it will look like in a real situational game (where) things are on the line, I think it was just a way for them to see that.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Robots are closing in! MLB to use Automated Ball-Strike challenge system during All-Star Game
Feb. 2025 photo of the Automated Ball-Strike System plays on the scoreboard after a pitch call was challenged during the second inning of a spring training baseball game in Phoenix. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press) The MLB All-Star Game has served disparate purposes over the years. It always has been a showcase for baseball's top talent. Once upon a time, the outcome determined home field advantage in the World Series. In recent years, it has been a fashion runway for ridiculous uniforms. This year, it will be an incubator. Advertisement The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will take its next measured step toward regular-season implementation when it is used in the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Atlanta. Just as ABS was conducted during spring training, each team will get two challenges that can be made only by the pitcher, catcher or batter. Successful challenges are retained. The player making a challenge taps his cap or helmet to let the plate umpire know that his ball or strike call will be reviewed. The ubiquitous Hawk-Eye system tracks the trajectory and location of the pitch and and a graphic of the pitch is displayed on the scoreboard while the call is being reviewed. Read more: The Dodgers need a break, and a lot of help | Dodgers Debate Advertisement In the minor leagues, ABS has been tested since 2021 and the ABS challenge was implemented in 2022. Major leaguers got their first taste during spring training. Result? Not much difference from the calls made by human umpires. Strikeouts were reduced slightly and walks increased a tick. 'We have made a lot of progress in the way the system works,' MLB vice president of on-field strategy Joe Martinez said at a media-demonstration session during spring training, 'and also the way we weave the system into the game play. And we're at a point in triple-A where we have a system that the players like, the coaches like, the umpires like and the fans like.' The shape of a major league strike zone as called by umpires isn't the precise cube seen on television but takes a rounded form that bulges wider in the middle of the zone and tightens at the top and bottom. Advertisement Human umpires continue to improve, in no small part because pitch tracking puts every call under a microscope. MLB umpires have improved their accuracy in calling balls and strikes every year since pitch tracking technology was introduced in 2008, according to FanGraphs. Accuracy has spiked from 81.3% to 92.4%. Expressed another way, incorrect calls have been reduced by nearly 60% in 15 years. Read more: Clayton Kershaw grateful for 'weird but cool' All-Star selection as 'Legend Pick' Major League Baseball negotiated a change with the umpires association last offseason in how home-plate umpires are evaluated, effectively tightening the strike zone. The change decreased the margin of error for umpires in their evaluations, resulting in fewer called strikes off the edges of the plate. Still, a handful of calls are missed in nearly every game, and the all-stars will have an opportunity to tap their caps and challenge at least two calls per team. Should the experiment be a hit with participants and fans, the next step will be for the 11-person MLB competition committee to consider implementing the challenge system for the 2026 regular season. Advertisement All-Star notes — All-Stars will wear what they wear during regular-season games, meaning those unsightly uniforms that were uniformly panned by players and fans the last several years will remain in a closet somewhere. This will be the first year since 2019 that players wear the regular-season uniforms of their teams. — Department of serendipity: The All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday (7/15) in Atlanta, the number and location of Hank Aaron's historic home run in 1974 that vaulted him past Babe Ruth to become MLB's all-time leader at the time. Hammerin' Hank blasted No. 715 off the Dodgers' Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The tribute will re-create the moment through the use of projection mapping and custom pyrotechnics at the end of the sixth inning. — MLB All-Star week begins Saturday with the Futures Game. The MLB draft will be held Sunday, the Home Run Derby is scheduled for Monday with the All-Star Game taking place Tuesday. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Robots are closing in! MLB to use Automated Ball-Strike challenge system during All-Star Game
The MLB All-Star Game has served disparate purposes over the years. It always has been a showcase for baseball's top talent. Once upon a time, the outcome determined home field advantage in the World Series. In recent years, it has been a fashion runway for ridiculous uniforms. This year, it will be an incubator. The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will take its next measured step toward regular-season implementation when it is used in the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Atlanta. Just as ABS was conducted during spring training, each team will get two challenges that can be made only by the pitcher, catcher or batter. Successful challenges are retained. The player making a challenge taps his cap or helmet to let the plate umpire know that his ball or strike call will be reviewed. The ubiquitous Hawk-Eye system tracks the trajectory and location of the pitch and and a graphic of the pitch is displayed on the scoreboard while the all is being reviewed. In the minor leagues, ABS has been tested since 2021 and the ABS challenge was implemented in 2022. Major leaguers got their first taste during spring training. Result? Not much difference from the calls by made by human umpires. Strikeouts were reduced slightly and walks increased a tick. 'We have made a lot of progress in the way the system works,' MLB vice president of on-field strategy Joe Martinez said at a media-demonstration session during spring training, 'and also the way we weave the system into the game play. And we're at a point in triple-A where we have a system that the players like, the coaches like, the umpires like and the fans like.' The shape of a major league strike zone as called by umpires isn't the precise cube seen on television but takes a rounded form that bulges wider in the middle of the zone and tightens at the top and bottom. Human umpires continue to improve, in no small part because pitch tracking puts every call under a microscope. MLB umpires have improved their accuracy in calling balls and strikes every year since pitch tracking technology was introduced in 2008, according to FanGraphs. Accuracy has spiked from 81.3% to 92.4%. Expressed another way, incorrect calls have been reduced by nearly 60% in 15 years. Major League Baseball negotiated a change with the umpires association last offseason in how home-plate umpires are evaluated, effectively tightening the strike zone. The change decreased the margin of error for umpires in their evaluations, resulting in fewer called strikes off the edges of the plate. Still, a handful of calls are missed in nearly every game, and the all-stars will have an opportunity to tap their caps and challenge at least two calls per team. Should the experiment be a hit with participants and fans, the next step will be for the 11-person MLB competition committee to consider implementing the challenge system for the 2026 regular season. All-Star notes — All-Stars will wear what they wear during regular-season games, meaning those unsightly uniforms that were uniformly panned by players and fans the last several years will remain in a closet somewhere. This will be the first year since 2019 that players wear the regular-season uniforms of their teams. — Dept. of serendipity: The All-Star Game will take place on July 15 (7/15) in Atlanta, the number and location of Hank Aaron's historic home run in 1974 that vaulted him past Babe Ruth to become MLB's all-time leader at the time. Hammerin' Hank blasted No. 715 off the Dodgers' Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The tribute will recreate the moment through the use of projection mapping and custom pyrotechnics at the end of the sixth inning. — MLB All-Star week begins Saturday with the Futures Game. The MLB draft will be held Sunday, the Home Run Derby is scheduled for Monday with the All-Star Game taking place Tuesday.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Aaron Judge and fans react after DJ LeMahieu hit sparks new MLB outrage
Aaron Judge and fans react after DJ LeMahieu hit sparks new MLB outrage (Image via Getty) Saturday night's Yankees vs. Red Sox game brought more than just baseball action. A key moment during the match has once again sparked frustration across the league. What looked like a game-changing hit turned into a heated argument, a tossed manager, and fresh complaints about the way decisions are made. This isn't the first time—and fans are running out of patience. DJ LeMahieu's hit causes confusion and fury in Yankees vs. Red Sox game Referee Jeremie Rehak penalized DJ LeMahieu for a powerful line drive during a tight New York Yankees against Boston Red Sox fight on June 15, 2025 at Fenway Park. Later in the game, the Yankees were 2-1 behind; the ball seemed to be near the first baseline. The call startled both the fans and the players. Yankees manager Aaron Boone immediately challenged it. The call lingered, but replay indicated the ball may have landed on the line after the bounce. Boone screamed, obviously furious, and was pushed off by the umpire. Speaking after the game, LeMahieu told reporters, 'It looked to me like the ball didn't go foul until after it bounced. They reviewed it, but obviously frustrating. We're fighting for baserunners right there.' Boone also shared his thoughts, saying, 'A quarter of the ball was on the line. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo It takes a lot of imagination to say that's foul.' Also Read: Wild 10 Seconds In IPL! Umpire Confused, Ishan Kishan Walks, Snickometer Says NOT OUT Aaron Judge, Max Goodman, and fans all speak up on MLB's umpire troubles This isn't the first time the Yankees have faced this problem. A few months ago, star slugger Aaron Judge had a hit called foul that should've been a home run. Judge had said back then, 'They missed it, and I've just got to move on.' After this latest incident, MLB insider Max Goodman posted on X (formerly Twitter), 'Whether the DJ LeMahieu line drive was fair or foul… MLB can get these calls right consistently if they implemented what we've seen in tennis.' Fans online echoed that frustration. One wrote, 'No more human error. Give us the tech like in soccer and tennis.' Another said, 'It's clearly the umpire union stopping progress. Fix it already.' Many believe MLB's Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system—tested in spring games using Hawk-Eye cameras—could help. The system had a 52.2% success rate in over 288 spring training games, but Commissioner Rob Manfred says it may not arrive until 2026. With growing pressure from fans and players alike, calls for fairer tech-based solutions are louder than ever.
