NL wins 2025 MLB All-Star Game decided by Derby-like swing-off

ATLANTA – It was a night for Hammerin’ – the kind we’ve replayed often and the kind we’ve never seen before.

Temporarily reimagined as Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium for a stirring, technological tribute to the late, great Henry Aaron, the Braves’ home at Truist Park also served its present-day purpose in housing an epic All-Star Game that required a first-of-its-kind tiebreaking home run swing-off.

The National League prevailed by outhomering the American League, 4-3, at the conclusion of a 95th Midsummer Classic that had resulted in a 6-6 tie. After Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber went deep with each of his three allotted swings, the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda was unable to go deep in the AL’s final shot in the swing-off, and the NL players erupted in celebration.

This game goes in the record books as a tie, with a notation that the NL defeated the AL in a home run swing-off, with no winning or losing pitcher. It’s (technically) only the second NL victory in the last 12 tries. And on the might of his swing-off success, Schwarber was named the Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP presented by Chevrolet.

“It was awesome,” Schwarber said of the experience. “The guys were really into it. They were yelling, screaming, cheering me on every swing. When that last one goes over, they were all pumped. It was a lot of fun.”

The tater-driven tiebreaker was installed as part of the current collective bargaining agreement but never needed until the AL stormed back from a 6-0 deficit to tie the regulation tilt in the top of the ninth. AL manager Aaron Boone and NL skipper Dave Roberts each selected three players to receive three swings apiece, with the most total homers per side victorious.

This is how the swing-off played out:
NL (4 homers): Kyle Stowers (Marlins), 1; Schwarber (Phillies), 3; Pete Alonso (Mets), N/A*
AL (3 homers): Brent Rooker (A’s), 2; Randy Arozarena (Mariners), 1; Aranda (Rays), 0

The in-game recognition – on 7/15 – of Hammerin’ Hank’s famous 715th homer to pass Babe Ruth proved prescient. During an impressive projection of Aaron, pitcher Al Downing and the others on the field and a pyrotechnic blast reproducing the flight of one of the most famous home runs in MLB history, we once again heard the call of the late, great Vin Scully.

“That ball is gonna be… outta here!”

A lot of balls were out of here.

The three-run blast from Alonso that broke the game open for the NL in the sixth.

The solo shot from the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll later that inning that made it 6-0.


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