The All-Star Game usually precedes the Home Run Derby the day before. But now, if the All-Star Game is even after nine rounds, there’s going to be another competition on its turf.
Beginning with tomorrow’s All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, the 92nd edition of the event, and continuing at least for the duration of the current CBA, any Midseason Classic that is tied after nine rounds will not be determined by the additional rounds, but with a tiebreak determined by the home runs.
This is how it all works:
Major League and National League managers will select three players (and one reserve in case of injury) from their rosters who have agreed to participate, as well as three coaches for hitting the pitch. Each player will swing three times, and the team with the most home runs after those three rounds will be declared the winner of the game.
The action will pause for a while to allow display personnel to reconfigure the terrain. Each participating player will have three flips to hit as many runs into the house as possible. Each player can bid an unlimited number of pitches without counting them against their swing sum.
Players on each team can strike in any order, alternating on both teams. The away team (AL in this case) will strike first and the home team (NL) second. Once the six participants complete their flips, the team with the most runs on their home ground will be declared the winner of the All-Star Game. In the event of a tie, each manager will choose one of those chosen to do three swings to break the tie. The manager may choose a different hitter in a later round if they remain equal, as long as he is one of the original three (or the alternate in the event of an injury).
The new format was negotiated as part of the CBA that went into effect this season.
The All-Star has gone to additional rounds 13 times, most recently at the 2018 edition at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., which took LA 8-6 in 10 runs.