Kyle Schwarber Shines, NL Wins All-Star Swing-Off/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Kyle Schwarber slammed three home runs in MLB’s first All-Star swing-off, lifting the National League past the American League in a thrilling 7-6 win. Despite blowing a six-run lead, the NL triumphed after Schwarber’s dramatic performance. The All-Star Game showcased blazing fastballs, the debut of robot umpires, and fresh talk of swing-offs in future seasons.
Kyle Schwarber Shines Quick Looks
- Kyle Schwarber hit 3 home runs in historic swing-off.
- National League defeated the American League 7-6.
- Schwarber earned MVP despite going hitless during regulation.
- MLB debuted robot umpires for challenge reviews.
- NL snapped a long All-Star losing streak.
- Pitchers hit triple digits, wowing fans with velocity.
- Players wore regular team jerseys instead of special All-Star uniforms.
Kyle Schwarber Shines, NL Wins All-Star Swing-Off
Deep Look
ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber faced the plate with a pounding heart, despite his résumé boasting a Game 7 World Series appearance and a World Baseball Classic homer for Team USA. Yet never before had he stepped into a swing-off at the All-Star Game — because no one else ever had either.
“That’s the baseball version of a shootout,” Schwarber reflected after smashing home runs on all three of his swings. His final shot sent him down to a knee as he twisted through the ball, erasing the American League’s two-homer lead. That incredible burst secured a thrilling 4-3 swing-off victory for the National League after a 6-6 tie in regulation play Tuesday night, in a contest that saw the NL nearly squander a massive six-run cushion.
Schwarber, named MVP, went 0-for-2 with a walk across the regular innings. In a quirky twist, he became the first position player to win All-Star MVP honors without recording a hit during regulation play.
“I’d be curious where this goes,” mused AL skipper Aaron Boone of the Yankees. “You might see this swing-off concept pop up in the regular season someday. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
The swing-off was conceived in 2022, driven by worries about depleting pitching staffs in a format where no All-Star pitcher usually throws more than an inning. MLB and the players’ association agreed to resolve ties with a spectacle reminiscent of soccer’s penalty shootout. Each league sends three batters to take three swings apiece against their respective coaches.
Boone selected Brent Rooker, Randy Arozarena, and Jonathan Aranda for the AL squad, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tapped Eugenio Suárez, Schwarber, and Pete Alonso for the NL. However, Suárez took a fastball off his left hand during the eighth inning, forcing the NL to bring in alternate Kyle Stowers.
Players crowded the dugouts and even slipped into street clothes as they hollered with every soaring blast from their teammates. The AL batters faced Yankees coach Travis Chapman, while Dodgers coach Dino Ebel lobbed pitches for the NL.
Rooker initially tilted the swing-off toward the AL, bashing homers on his last two swings. Stowers countered with a single blast, and Arozarena added another for the AL, stretching their advantage to 3-1.
Ebel, who previously pitched batting practice to Schwarber during the World Baseball Classic, knew precisely how to serve him.
“He asked me where I wanted it,” Schwarber recounted. “I told him middle, and he said, ‘I gotcha.’”
Schwarber watched two offerings before launching the third just over the center-field wall. He then waited out another pitch and unloaded a colossal 461-foot shot over the right-center bullpen. On his third and final attempt, Schwarber dropped to one knee, twisted through his swing, and lifted his bat high, eyes tracking the ball as it settled into the Chop House seats in right field.
“I didn’t hit that last one clean,” Schwarber admitted. “But I was just thinking: go, go, go. And it went. It was awesome.”
Aranda followed for the AL but couldn’t replicate Schwarber’s magic. His swings produced a routine fly to center, a drive that fell a foot shy of clearing the right-field wall, and an opposite-field pop-up to shallow left.
Pete Alonso, the two-time Home Run Derby champion, didn’t even need to swing. As fireworks exploded over Truist Field, Alonso ruffled Schwarber’s hair and quipped, “I felt like a closer warming up — and then the inning ends on a double play, and you’re not going in.”
Official Ruling
While MLB initially declared that swing-off games would officially be scored as ties with a note about the swing-off winner, Tuesday’s outcome was ultimately recorded as a 7-6 NL victory.
Earlier Highlights
Before the dramatic finish, Ketel Marte’s two-run double in the first inning opened the scoring for the NL. The offense kept rolling in the sixth as Alonso launched a three-run homer off Kris Bubic and Corbin Carroll blasted a solo shot off Casey Mize to build a 6-0 NL advantage.
The AL’s response began in the seventh when Rooker slugged a pinch-hit three-run homer off Randy Rodríguez. Bobby Witt Jr. added an RBI groundout, pulling the AL closer. In the ninth, Robert Suarez surrendered back-to-back doubles to Byron Buxton and Witt. Edwin Díaz then allowed Steven Kwan’s infield single, which dribbled off three bounces to third base, tying the score at 6-6.
Blazing Fastballs and Tech Debuts
Paul Skenes became the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star Games in his initial two seasons and fired four fastballs at 100 mph in a perfect opening frame. Jacob Misiorowski, a controversial addition given only five major league appearances, dazzled with nine triple-digit heaters, topping out at 102.3 mph in the eighth. Altogether, pitchers unleashed 21 pitches clocked at 100 mph or higher, slightly below last year’s record of 23.
Another technological milestone arrived with the debut of robot umpires in All-Star play. Four of five video challenges were overturned, showcasing the system’s potential impact.
Back to Traditional Uniforms
After four seasons of special All-Star uniforms, the teams returned to wearing their usual club jerseys — whites for the NL, mostly grays for the AL. The AL still holds the historic series edge, 48-45, with two ties.
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