Latest news with #swingoff
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants Talk: Recapping National League winning 2025 MLB All-Star Game swing-off
On "Giants Talk," co-hosts Cole Kuiper and Alex Pavlovic discuss the National League winning the first-ever swing-off at the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. Giants Talk: Recapping National League winning 2025 MLB All-Star Game swing-off originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
The Best Swing-Off Players For All 30 MLB Teams
The 2025 MLB All-Star Game ended with a first – the swing-off. It was a mini home run derby to determine a winner rather than go to extra innings to break a tie, and it was perfect television. Whether the swing-off becomes the norm in the regular season someday, in some way, is unknown, but that doesn't stop us from dreaming a little. To participate in a swing-off, a team has to select three players who will get three swings each. So that's what we've done for all 30 teams, listed below one division at a time. Remember: the best players for a swing-off might not be the best hitters overall, but the ones that have the greatest chance of going yard the most times in what are Home Run Derby-esque conditions. Meaning, a controlled batting practice environment designed for dingers. Each team gets to select three coaches to throw to hitters, so, a mix of lefties and righties to exploit platoon splits is key. Lineup: Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O'Hearn, Tyler O'Neill Gunnar Henderson is an obvious pick, as the O's shortstop is a great hitter even in a down year, and hit 37 homers in 2024. Ryan O'Hearn didn't hit for much power until he got to Baltimore in 2023, but has gone yard 40 times in 336 games since. Not a ton, no, but let him face some right-handed batting practice, and his long ball chances go up: 73 of his 78 career homers have been hit off of righties. Tyler O'Neill has been a disaster free agent signing for the Orioles, but he's a .526 career slugger against southpaws, so, feed him a lefty. Lineup: Wilyer Abreu, Alex Bregman, Roman Anthony There would have been a spot locked down for Rafael Devers here before Boston traded him to the Giants, but there are still options even without him. Wilyer Abreu has seen his power grow in 2025, as his 18 homers in the first half surpass his 15 rookie dingers. Alex Bregman is more of a doubles guy these days, but against batting practice pitching, he'd surely find that home run stroke once more. And while Roman Anthony is a rookie, the swing-off isn't against MLB pitchers. He can hit a baseball really far, as he showed in last summer's Futures Skills Showcase. Lineup: Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Giancarlo Stanton Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge. The best hitter in the game, but also its most powerful one – easy pick. Jazz Chisholm Jr. might have gone yard just three times in the 2025 Home Run Derby, but he got to participate in the first place for a reason. He deserves a second chance to show just how much pop is in his swing. And Giancarlo Stanton's best days might very well be behind him, but you know that he'd hit a few balls an eye-popping distance against coaches trying to give him pitches to demolish. Lineup: Junior Caminero, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz Junior Caminero just finished second in the 2025 Home Run Derby, and while he still has work to do on his swing given he's 21 and still figuring things out, he also already has 23 homers. Brandon Lowe mashed 39 homers back in 2021, then 21 each of the last two partial seasons and is at 19 in 2025. Let Yandy Diaz face a lefty in the swing-off instead of a rightly – Diaz's career line against lefties is .302/.386/.489 with 34 of his 99 homers in nearly 1,500 fewer plate appearances – and he's bound to hit a couple of homers. Toronto Blue Jays Lineup: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Addison Barger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the 2023 Home Run Derby champion, and set a new record for the most home runs in the first and second rounds of the Derby four years prior. George Springer is hitting for power again, so he's an easy add; plus, you have to save a space for the eventual home run king of Connecticut. As for Addison Barger, he's not the automatic choice that either Guerrero Jr. or Springer were, but in 134 career games against right-handers, he's hit 19 of his 20 home runs. Keep him away from a southpaw, and he'll go deep at least once. Lineup: Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna Jr., Marcell Ozuna Matt Olson led the majors in home runs with 54 in 2023, and while he's never displayed quite that level of power again, he's also hit over 30 homers on four total occasions, and 29 twice. (Olson went deep 14 times in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, a 38-homer pace.) Ronald Acuna Jr. is capable of serious power when he's healthy, like in 2023 when he mashed 41 dingers, and he has 12 in just 45 games in 2025. Marcell Ozuna led the majors in homers in 2020 with 18, hit another 30 combined between his shortened 2021 and 2022 seasons, then 40 and 39 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. It's his spot to lose even in a tougher 2025. Lineup: Kyle Stowers, Agustin Ramirez, Jesus Sanchez Kyle Stowers never hit for power before 2025 — across three seasons and 117 games, he hit all of six homers. He had more pop in the minors, though, and seems to have settled in enough in the majors to find it once more: Stowers has 19 homers in 91 games this summer. Agustin Ramirez might be a rookie without much of a track record, but he also has 14 bombs in less than half-a-season of work. Jesus Sanchez is not an inspiring third choice, no, but look at the rest of the Marlins' lineup, then settle for having him face a righty he might go deep against. Lineup: Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor The Mets make it easy. Juan Soto? Well, he's literally Juan Soto. That's a head start over most players who are not Juan Soto. Even when other parts of Pete Alonso's game don't work like they should, be they his batting average cratering or his sometimes playing first base like he's a DH, he's got his power. He hit an MLB-leading 53 homers in his rookie 2019. He's hit between 34 and 46 every season since (besides 2020, when he crushed 16 in 60 games, a 43-homer pace), and has 21 through the All-Star break in 2025. Francisco Lindor has seen his power fluctuate on occasion, but he's routinely good for around 30 homers, and would hit like it in competitive BP. Lineup: Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper Kyle Schwarber won the swing-off for the NL in this year's All-Star Game, but even without that he'd be an easy pick. Schwarber has 314 career homers in what amounts to nine seasons' worth of games in the majors, led the NL in 2022 with 46, hit one more than that in 2023, and already has 30 at the break this year. Letting Nick Castellanos try to hit a bunch of home runs in a row might be a terrible omen for the world, sure, but he still has the power to have earned this spot. Bryce Harper recovered from a bit of a power drought to hit 30 in 2024, and has been limited to 10 in 2025 due to missing time more than his actual performance. Lineup: James Wood, CJ Abrams, Nathaniel Lowe The Nationals traded Juan Soto years ago, and they lost Bryce Harper well before that, but they've got yet another young, powerful phenom to step in here as their ace in James Wood. In his first full year in the majors, Wood has already participated in a Home Run Derby and gone deep 23 times. CJ Abrams doesn't have Wood's elite power, no, but his is plenty above-average enough to do damage in a swing-off. The last pick is nowhere near as obvious of one to make: Nathaniel Lowe bashed 27 homers back in 2022 with the Texas Rangers, but that looks more and more like a one-off as time goes by. Then again, he is at 14 homers this year already, so maybe he's finally making that long-awaited sequel. Lineup: Andrew Benintendi, Miguel Vargas, Luis Robert Jr. As you would expect from a team set to lose well over 100 games yet again, there isn't a lot to choose from here. Andrew Benintendi wasn't an exceptionally powerful hitter even at his peak, but he'll have to hold down the fort. Miguel Vargas isn't a power hitter, either, but he's the only other White Sox player to reach double-digits in 2025, and one of the only ones who could maybe hit 20 over a full season. Luis Robert Jr. should be an obvious pick, given he hit 38 homers back in 2023, but he's slugged a collective .357 since. Maybe the swing-off would be a place for him to contribute, though. Cleveland Guardians Lineup: Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Bo Naylor Jose Ramirez is probably going to retire as the greatest player in Cleveland's history, and you can say something like that in 2025 because of how incredible he still is — he missed becoming the seventh 40 homer, 40 steals player ever by one home run in 2024. Carlos Santana's best homer days are in his past, but the 39-year-old can still let it rip on occasion, especially in this format. Bo Naylor's problem is making contact. He's a career .200 hitter… with a career .177 Isolated Power. Over 21% of his career hits are home runs: sign him up, and against a righty for some extra pop. Lineup: Riley Green, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter Riley Greene hit 24 homers a year ago, and already has 24 in 2025. He might sell out for power in a way that makes him strike out in regulation, but here? It's going to be dingers for days. Spencer Torkelson's issue is contact, but the .224 career batter would face pitchers who are trying to get him to hit home runs, so his excellent power will show through here even more than against MLB pitching. And Kerry Carpenter has 60 homers in just about two seasons' worth of MLB games, while slugging .540 against right-handers in 975 plate appearances. Lineup: Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez, Jac Caglianone Bobby Witt Jr. has hit over 30 homers in consecutive seasons, and might reach that mark again in 2025 after his power started to climb with the temperature. Salvador Perez is the single-season record holder for homers by a catcher with 48, which also led the entire majors in 2021. He doesn't have that power most of the time, no, but facing off against some coaches tossing meatballs down the middle is a sure way for Perez to tap into what he used to be able to do. Jac Caglianone might be a rookie with just four homers to his name in the bigs, but we know the power is there: he hit 33 amateur homers with Florida in 2023, another 35 in 2024, then 17 in just 79 minor-league games before his promotion. Lineup: Byron Buxton, Kody Clemens, Matt Wallner Byron Buxton is the obvious pick, a star when he's healthy who has the power to prove it. Kody Clemens struggled to settle in with the Tigers or Phillies, but since the Twins acquired him, he's at least shown some pop with 12 homers in 55 games. Making contact is an issue for Clemens, but against a batting practice fastball, that shouldn't be an issue for the 29-year-old. Matt Wallner is a career .239 hitter, but one with 33 homers in 636 plate appearances against righties. A perfect pick for this format, even if he has limitations in the first nine innings. Lineup: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker This would have been much more difficult to answer a year ago, but then Pete Crow-Armstrong decided to break out with some mammoth shots, Seiya Suzuki massively upgraded his power output and already has a career-high in homers because of it, while Kyle Tucker was acquired from the Astros and has just been Kyle Tucker. Which is to say, someone with plenty of power both for a standard game, and for something like this where you hit as many as you can in three swings. Cincinnati Reds Lineup: Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, Matt McLain Elly De La Cruz just keeps on improving — his 2025 season might also be his first-ever 30-homer campaign, at the age of 23. His problem has been strikeouts, but that won't come up in a swing-off. Spencer Steer doesn't have De La Cruz's power, but he hit 23 homers in 2023 and another 20 in 2024 before popping 11 in the first half of this season. As for Matt McClain, he missed his 2024 season due to shoulder surgery and hasn't shaken off the rust just yet, but he is still hitting for power even with the contact issues. McClain has 26 homers in 176 career games. Lineup: Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, Rhys Hoskins Christian Yelich picked a fine time to decide to start hitting home runs again. Not just because his performance has helped the Brewers build a four-game lead in the NL wild card race, but also to make him an easy choice for this hypothetical. Jackson Chourio might be just 21 years old, but he's already well on his way to passing his rookie total of 21 homers, as he has 16 in his first 95 games. Pitch selection and patience are not his strong suits in the majors yet, but the swing-off will erase those issues. Rhys Hoskins, too, is a historically low-average hitter — he's batted .238 across eight years now — but he also carries a .238 Isolated Power. The swing-off was made for someone like Hoskins. Lineup: Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen The Pirates have Oneil Cruz, so obviously the guy who has the two hardest-hit balls on record — as well as a 513-foot shot in the 2025 Home Run Derby — would get to take three swings to see how many long balls he could hit. Bryan Reynolds is an obvious choice in a less exuberant way, but he's hit between 24 and 27 homers in each of the last four years, and the Pirates aren't exactly growing offensive mainstays on trees. Andrew McCutchen isn't a big power guy anymore, but he can still get a hold of one, especially if it's going in a straight line in the 70s. Lineup: Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Alec Burleson Willson Contreras has hit over 20 homers on five occasions in his career, and freed up from having to catch all the time in 2025, he's got 12 through 91 games. Nolan Arenado is known much more for his defense than his bat, but that says more about the former than it does the latter: the 34-year-old has 351 career homers, and while his days of leading the NL ended when he exited Colorado, he's still mashed 116 of them in four-plus seasons with the Cardinals. Alec Burleson is another guy who would benefit from a platoon matchup: 36 of his 41 homers are against righties. Lineup: Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Nick Kurtz The Athletics give up a ton of runs, and that hides their own offensive capabilities a bit, but they've got some dangerous hitters. Brent Rooker was just in the Home Run Derby and participated in the swing-off, after hitting 30 and 39 homers the past two years. He's at 20 so far in 2025. Tyler Soderstrom has 18 homers in 97 games, and 30 in his first 203. The 23-year-old's low batting averages won't matter in this format. Nick Kurtz, 2024 first-round pick, debuted in the majors already, and has hit 17 homers in his first 58 games. That's not a surprise, either; his power is why he moved up so quickly. Lineup: Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, Christian Walker Isaac Paredes hit 31 homers for the Rays back in 2023, and while his 2024 followup wasn't quite as good on the power front, his 2025 season is shaping up well with 19 homers already, matching last summer's output. Jose Altuve became more of a power guy as he aged and his contact rates and averages dropped — at 17 homers already, he might hit 30 for the third time in his career. Christian Walker's season isn't going that well overall, but the beauty of this format is letting a guy with 30-plus homer power — which Walker has — swing as hard as he can at some pitches he can crush. And he can swing really hard. Lineup: Mike Trout, Jo Adell, Logan O'Hoppe There were some tougher choices to make here than you might think. Taylor Word is the team's home run leader with 21, for instance, and is sure to set a career-high in 2025, but you can't leave Mike Trout out — despite playing in just 70 games and starting poorly, he has 17 home runs, and is also Mike Trout. Jo Adell's power is explosive, so you don't want to skip out on him, and Logan O'Hoppe might have "just" 17 homers to Ward's 21, but he's a catcher, too, who has played in fewer games. And this is without getting into Zach Neto or Jorge Soler. Lineup: Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez Obviously, Cal Raleigh is here. Even if he weren't leading MLB in homers, even if he were "just" the Cal Raleigh of previous years, he'd be here: Big Dumper went deep 91 times in the last three seasons. Randy Arozarena's home run totals don't paint a realistic picture of his power: he averages about 20 per season, but they're hit hard. And he does have 17 this year, setting him up for a likely career-high. Julio Rodriguez is a more well-rounded player than anything, but his power is legitimate enough for him to have entered, and succeeded in, the Home Run Derby. Texas Rangers Lineup: Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Jake Burger Since coming to Texas, Corey Seager has gone from a guy with doubles power to a regular 30-homer player. He's at 13 in 2025, but that's due to missing time — he might still get there, anyway. Adolis Garcia's last two seasons have been nothing to write home about, but if nothing else works in his game, his power still does, and he has the ISO figures and home run totals to prove it. Jake Burger is a less obvious choice than some more complete players, but set him up against a lefty in the swing-off, and watch him look like a completely different slugger: in 447 career plate appearances against lefties, Burger has 26 homers. Lineup: Eugenio Suarez, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte The Diamondbacks have no shortage of options, but these three are their premier power hitters. Suarez has history on his side, and is on pace for over 50 homers in 2025. Corbin Carroll is maybe more of a triples guy than a homers one — he led the NL in the former in 2023, the majors in 2024 and is leading the league again this summer — but against batting practice pitchers, it's fair to wonder if those would go over the wall instead of off of it. Ketel Marte is a reliable source of homers over the last three seasons, and might even set a career high (again) in 2025, as he has 19 in just 68 games. Lineup: Hunter Goodman, Ryan McMahon, Mickey Moniak Say what you will about the Rockies' offense — it is bad — but these three can hit a bit, at least. Hunter Goodman in any context, as he's a monster for a catcher, and pretty good at this just in general even after adjusting for the Coors Field effect. Ryan McMahon is leading the National League in strikeouts, but as has been said, that does not matter in this format: he's more liable to look superhuman than human in a swing-off. Mickey Moniak isn't exciting, no, but he's a career .453 slugger against right-handed pitching, with 42 homers against just 3 vs. lefties. Lineup: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy Shohei Ohtani is such an obvious pick that we don't need to spend any more words explaining it. Freddie Freeman would be labeled a doubles hitter if you had to choose, especially since he got to Los Angeles, but a double in innings one through nine could very well be a home run coming out of the hand of a batting practice coach in the swing-off. Max Muncy has serious power, the kind that makes you recoil a little when you see it in action, and the swing-off would erase any of the concerns about contact or strikeouts that you'd normally have with him. Lineup: Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill The Padres might have some problems with homers historically, but not this roster, and not for the swing-off. Fernando Tatis Jr. has jaw-dropping power: he led the NL with 42 in 2021, and while his totals have dropped in the years since, when he gets a hold of one, it's a no doubter. Manny Machado might end up with 500 homers in his career, and he still hits like that's possible, too. Jackson Merrill has seen a bit of a power outage in 2025, but he bashed 24 as a rookie and is all of 22. That pop is there, and would be accessible in the swing-off. Lineup: Heliot Ramos, Matt Chapman, Mike Yastrzemski Oracle Park hides the power of the Giants' lineup, but this trio can go yard when needed in a swing-off. Heliot Ramos hit 22 homers in 2024 — again, despite playing in the second-worst park for homers in the majors — and is at 14 in 2025. Matt Chapman hit 27 homers last summer, the third time he's hit that number, and has 194 in his career. Mike Yastrzemski can go yard with regularity so long as you keep him from lefties: he's slugged .474 in his career against righties with 95 of his 114 home runs. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Your takes on the All-Star Game swing-off. Plus: How do the Brewers keep doing this?
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. So the swing-off was a big success. Let's overreact a little bit? Plus: The NL Central should be a fun battle in the second half, the Orioles might make gold out of some strong first-half performers, and … do the Blue Jays have the juice? I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup! The biggest non-ASG news in baseball yesterday: The Pirates traded Adam Frazier (back) to the Royals for Cam Devanney. You don't need 1,500 words from me on that trade! And besides: The swing-off was new and exciting and novel! It was fun!! So fun, in fact, that a few players suggested (joking, we think) that allextra-innings games should be decided that way. Advertisement Ooooookay, tap the brakes. Let's not propose after one good date. But if players are bringing it up, we decided it was worth asking our readers: How do you feel about it? Polling is still open, but as of last night, with more than 3,000 votes in, here's where you stood: Would you be in favor of MLB changing the rules so regular-season games tied after nine innings are decided by a swing-off? No: 67 percent Yes: 33 percent That feels right. It was fun, but so was 'two teams made up of the best players in the sport.' The All-Star Game is an exhibition, a bit less serious than a regular-season game. I think the swing-off added to the fun, but I agree with you: Let's keep it to the exhibition. How would you prefer regular-season games be decided after nine innings? Extra innings, just like the first nine: 37 percent Extra innings starting with a runner on second base: 34 percent Swing-off, like the All-Star Game: 30 percent I'm not surprised that 'go back to the old way' won. In fact, I'm surprised it was this close. I hated the ghost-runner idea when it was first proposed, but (sorry) I've come around — so long as it is neverimplemented in the postseason. Do you think MLB will bring a version of the swing-off to regular-season games at some point in the future? No: 61 percent Yes: 39 percent The fact that 67 percent said you didn't like it, but only 61 percent don't think MLB will do it, tells me that about eight percent of you are about as cynical as I am. Yes, they've implemented the ghost runner, banned the shift and put in a pitch clock, and it appears that the ABS 'robot umps' are next. But surely they wouldn't do this, right? Right?! From my latest notes column: Baltimore Orioles right-hander Charlie Morton and left-hander Trevor Rogers are examples of how quickly a player's trajectory — and trade value — might change. Morton, 41, was the symbol of the Orioles' early season collapse, posting a 10.89 ERA in his first five starts. But over his last 59 innings, dating to April 29, his ERA is 3.05. Advertisement One of many Orioles on an expiring contract, Morton suddenly looks like an attractive chip. During Fox's All-Star preview show Monday, I mentioned him as a possibility for the Boston Red Sox. Yes, the Red Sox would love to do better, and perhaps they will. But the starting-pitching market is thin, and Sox manager Alex Cora is familiar with Morton from the 2017 Houston Astros. With Bryan Bello and Lucas Giolito both on a roll, perhaps the Sox would be OK with someone like Morton rather than a pure — and possibly unattainable — No. 2 starter. Rogers, 27, also has bounced back. His debut with the Orioles last August was so rough, the team sent him to the minors. At that point, his acquisition from the Miami Marlins looked like a bust. And when Rogers began this season on the injured list, it didn't appear much better. Outfielder Kyle Stowers became an All-Star with the Marlins. The other player the Orioles sent to Miami, infielder Connor Norby, also seems capable of haunting Baltimore. But since joining the Orioles on May 24, Rogers' ERA is 1.53, and it isn't just luck. His expected ERA is 2.94. The difference between Morton and Rogers is that Rogers is under club control for one more season. The Orioles plan to contend in 2026. Their current projected rotation would include Grayson Rodríguez and Kyle Bradish, both of whom could be hard-pressed to carry significant workloads coming off major injuries. The Orioles are listening on Rogers, just as they are listening on closer Félix Bautista, who is under club control for two additional seasons. A source briefed on the team's plans, however, said it was unlikely either would be traded. The Orioles have nearly a dozen potential free agents to work through, including All-Star designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn. Trades involving some or most of those players will be the priority. More notes here. In yesterday's Windup, I listed three storylines (and three honorable mentions) that I will be watching closely in the second half. What you don't know is that I originally had the Cubs/Brewers in the NL Central as one of them (but then got sucked into the 'Wow, the Brewers have a lot of pretty good rookies' vortex). Advertisement Fortunately, Patrick Mooney has my back, so I get to talk about it anyway. His story today focuses on Cubs manager Craig Counsell — who formerly managed the Brewers — and how his current team is a legit World Series contender this year … but his old team is still just a game back in the standings. It is truly mind-boggling to me how the Brewers can keep shedding talent each year, and yet somehow, improbably, continue to contend for the postseason. Check out this list of former Brewers, just from 2020-2024: Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes, Adrian Houser, Brent Suter, Devin Williams, Drew Rasmussen, Eric Lauer, Luis Urías, Willy Adames, Hoby Milner, Colin Rea, Janson Junk … Just those 12 (or 11, really — Williams has been worth 0.0 bWAR) have been worth 14.5 bWAR this year. That's the same total compiled by Aaron Judge (7.1) Shohei Ohtani (4.3) and Jacob deGrom (3.1) combined. This feels like watching a car drop a muffler, two tires, an alternator and a steering wheel, and just keep on cruising toward the finish line at top speed. If not for the spectacle of the Magic Milwaukee Speed Racer, the Cubs might be the runaway story of the National League. Kyle Tucker has proven to be a phenomenal addition. Pete Crow-Armstrong is making Mets fans curse the name of Javy Báez. Drew Pomeranz (a Brewer in 2019, by the way) somehow has an ERA of 0.70 in 29 appearances this year. It's going to be a fun second half. If the Brewers are the 'Wow, they're almost doing this' underdogs, you need only look about 500 miles to the East to see what success might look like. It has been a perennial tradition of late: Which big free-agent did the Blue Jays miss out on? Shohei Ohtani? Juan Soto? Roki Sasaki? Yeah, all of them. And yet, every year, there has been a low-lying sense that maybe the Blue Jays could be good. Advertisement But the best it got was three 2-0 wild-card sweeps from 2020-2023. This year feels different. They've surged to the top of the AL East at the break, and Mitch Bannon has an inside look at a locker room that truly believes they've got the juice. Some of it has been production from the Jays' stars — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer are having great years — and some of it has been that old-as-time truth: Winning breeds winning. Success makes for a looser clubhouse, and when players are having fun, they tend to play better. It's the sort of hell-yeah halo that hovers on teams that we call 'special.' Read Mitch's missive, and it starts to feel a lot like those 'teams of destiny' we've seen cruise into the postseason in years past. The next 2.5 months will tell if it's the real deal or a mirage. If — OK, let's be real … when — ABS is implemented in regular-season games, should there be a buffer zone? Union head Tony Clark says maybe, commissioner Rob Manfred says, 'I don't know why I would want to do that.' Keith Law's division-by-division draft class breakdown continues, with the AL West and the NL East. We all love instant feedback, but a bit of hindsight is also helpful. Let's revisit some of last year's trade grades? Arkansas' Gage Wood threw a no-hitter in the College World Series and was a first-round pick by the Phillies. Learn all about him here. Casey Mize was a can't-miss prospect. Then he was a bust. Now he's an All-Star. Cody Stavenhagen tells you about the Tigers pitcher's journey. A string of words I never expected to write: Livvy Dunne will not get to live in Babe Ruth's old apartment. On the pods: On 'Rates & Barrels,' the crew welcomes Keith Law to talk about the 2025 draft. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Clayton Kershaw's dugout hot-mic comments during the All-Star Game. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
'I Thought They Were Kidding': The Thrill and Confusion of MLB's First All-Star Swing-Off
ATLANTA — Late in the ninth inning of a 6-6 game Tuesday night, Robbie Ray noticed National League All-Star manager Dave Roberts coming down the dugout steps. "You won't believe this," Ray recalled Roberts telling the group. Moments later, Ray noticed someone running out from center field at Truist Park with an L-screen. Meanwhile, fellow Giants starter Logan Webb looked out to the NL bullpen and noticed there were no pitchers left. Ray, Webb and many players on both teams were about to learn that the first ever All-Star Game swing-off would determine the result of the 95th Midsummer Classic. "We were like, 'What is going on right now?'" Ray recalled. "I honestly had no clue that this was a thing," Webb added. The last time an All-Star Game was tied after nine innings in 2018, it went into extra innings. As of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, that's no longer how it works. Before Tuesday's All-Star Game, Roberts and American League manager Aaron Boone had to declare three players who would take part in a swing-off should the game be tied after nine. Both skippers decided on hitters who would be playing toward the back end of the contest, which meant selecting reserves. Most of the starters, after all, only play a few innings. Many of them leave once they get pulled. That meant no Cal Raleigh, who won the Home Run Derby the night prior. No Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge for the swing-off, either. Roberts had asked Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber on Monday if he would be up to it. "I said, 'Absolutely,' not thinking we were going to end up in a tie when you say yes," Schwarber recalled. Schwarber had done the Home Run Derby twice before, but this format was something entirely different. The three players selected from each team would get three swings to decide the outcome. The team with the most total home runs would be crowned the victors. "It was kind of like the baseball version of a shootout," Schwarber explained. Initially, it was going to be Eugenio Suárez, Schwarber and Pete Alonso for the NL squad against Brent Rooker, Randy Arozarena and Jonathan Aranda on the AL side. But Suárez had gotten plunked by a 96 mph fastball from Shane Smith earlier in the night. X-rays were negative on Suárez's pinky, but he would need to be replaced in the swing-off. In the bottom of the ninth, one of the NL coaches approached first-time All-Star and lone Marlins representative Kyle Stowers to tell him he would be filling in. Stowers, like the Giants pitchers, had no idea what was happening. "I thought they were kidding," Stowers said. "I literally thought they were messing with me." Once Roberts came and delivered the news, he knew it wasn't a joke. At first, he was hesitant to participate. If he was asked instead of told, he probably would have declined. Ultimately, though, he was grateful that they nudged him to compete. "When I really step back and think about it, I don't know why I was telling them I didn't want to do it or wouldn't have done it," Stowers said. "Those are the moments we all kind of live for as players, to care at that level of intensity in that type of moment." The NL trailed 2-0 in the swing-off after Brent Rooker, who participated in the actual Home Run Derby the night before, homered on two of his three swings. Stowers then cut the deficit to one with a home run on one of his three swings. "I can't stress this enough, as athletes sometimes you get so caught up in the threat of something," Stowers said. "We're human, we have fear of failure — at least for myself, I'll speak for myself — sometimes I can let fear of failure get in the way of opportunity. For me, that was something in that moment I was reminding myself, 'Hey, this is an opportunity to do something cool, something fun.' Those truly are moments I want to be a part of." Randy Arozarena added one home run to the AL's tally, bringing Schwarber to the plate trailing by two homers. "He said he was nervous, but I don't believe him at all," Webb said. "That's the guy you want in that situation." Pitching to Schwarber was Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel. On Sunday, Ebel's son, Brady, was selected by the Brewers with the 32nd overall pick in the MLB Draft. Two days later, Ebel was helping pitch the National League to an All-Star victory. Schwarber had taken batting practice from Ebel before, back when they were both part of Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. On Tuesday, Ebel asked Schwarber where he wanted the pitch. "Just middle," Schwarber responded. "He's like, 'I got you.' The All-Stars who had stuck around hovered on the dirt outside their respective dugouts, hanging on every pitch. All except for Alonso, who was in the cage getting ready, in case he had the opportunity to finish the task. "I'm watching in the cage as I'm taking my swings, and everyone, you see them going, 'Hell, yeah, Schwarbs!'" Alonso recalled. Ultimately, the NL wouldn't need a third hitter. Schwarber went a perfect 3-for-3, launching home runs 428, 461 and 382 feet to put the NL ahead. Aranda needed one home run to keep the competition going but was unable to sneak a baseball over the fence. Pandemonium ensued in front of the NL dugout as the All-Stars mobbed Schwarber, who earned MVP honors in an All-Star contest unlike any other. "We had a blast watching it, all the guys that were still here," Webb said. "I got a group text of a bunch of other baseball players around the league, and they seemed to really like it, too. I think it was an awesome way to end it." 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.
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'Put a 'W' next to Dino's name.' NL wins All-Star Game swing-off, with help from Dino Ebel
Kyle Schwarber celebrates after hitting his third home run in the tiebreaker at the All-Star Game. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press) 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Read more: Clayton Kershaw is the All-Star among All-Stars as NL defeats AL '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. Advertisement 'That was like the baseball version of a shootout or extra time,' said Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber, who went three for three in his turn at the plate to ultimately lift the NL to the win, and earn All-Star Game MVP honors. '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 Jr. and Teoscar Hernández's win in Texas last year. Kyle Schwarber celebrates with teammates after the NL won the All-Star Game tiebreaker. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press) 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. Advertisement '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.' Advertisement 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. Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel was the man of the moment at the All-Star Game. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) '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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement And after getting in early on Monday morning, Ebel had been going nonstop 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.' 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.
