I Saw the Future of Baseball at the All-Star Game. Some of it I Liked. Some I Hated.

by Julian Spivey

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I saw the future of Major League Baseball on Tuesday night (July 15) at the All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, and some aspects I liked, while others made me cringe at what I think could become part of the game.

Major League Baseball decided to use the All-Star Game, much like it did during Spring Training this year, to continue testing the Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) System. As one who doesn’t waste his time on meaningless preseason games, it was my first experience as a fan with the ABS System, although I was surprised the players cared enough during an exhibition to use it. I was pleasantly pleased with it. I think it will help ensure the correct calls are made behind the plate, but I also like how MLB seems to want to limit it by only allowing each team two challenges at the beginning of the game. Successful challenges are retained, so theoretically there could be many per game, but it doesn’t seem that things could get out of control. Luckily, the process is also speedy. A pitch, which may only be challenged by a pitcher, catcher, or hitter with no input from the dugout, must be made immediately upon the umpire’s call, and within seconds, the ABS System will have the correct call. According to MLB.com, experimentation in the minor leagues has determined that a challenge call takes an average of 17 seconds of game time.

There were five challenges called in the All-Star game on Tuesday, and four of the player challenges ended up overturning incorrect calls by home plate umpire Dan Iassogna.

From my perspective, the system was very smooth in my first encounter with it, and I’d be surprised if the ABS System isn’t implemented within the game beginning next season. According to the AP, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said before the All-Star Game on Tuesday that the league’s 11-man competition committee will consider the system for the next season when they meet during the offseason.

Getting calls correct, while taking little time to do so, is a big win for baseball. In fact, the ABS System appears to be superior to the replay system, which has been in effect for a while, as video replay calls from baseball’s Replay Command Center in New York can often drag on, annoying viewers in the process.

While the ABS System has my full support as a baseball fan, it was the way the game ended that bothered me as a fan. When the All-Star Game ended nine innings in a 6-6 tie between the American League and National League, it led to the first-ever Swing Off to declare a winner in the game’s history. The rule was instituted in 2022, but because it hadn’t been used yet, I had forgotten about it and was a bit annoyed to see the game end in essentially a short-form home run derby.

Each manager picked three hitters from the team. However, because it was an All-Star game and many of the biggest stars in the game had already changed into street clothes or reportedly left the stadium altogether, it ultimately featured mainly players who were still in the game after nine innings. So, instead of the Swing Off starring Aaron Judge versus Shohei Ohtani for their respective leagues, it featured lesser-known names like Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda and Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers.

In the end, the National League won the Swing Off with the pop of Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who homered on all three of his allotted pitches, and won the game’s M.V.P. honor, despite the official box score showing he went 0-for-2 on the night. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t at least some fun, and since it’s an exhibition game, I don’t really mind too much.

But here’s my fear … I think sometime in the future, MLB is going to institute this Swing Off as a method of ending games sooner. The league has already fussed with extra inning rules, by beginning extra innings with a ghost runner of the “Manfred Man” at second base, to score runs and end games quicker.

While I applaud baseball for not wanting games to go on forever - I think the pitch clock is one of the greatest rule implementations in sports history -  I would like to see baseball remain baseball. The ghost runner isn’t exactly that. The Swing Off definitely isn’t that.

I’ve never been a big fan of either soccer or hockey, so I’ve never quite understood why traditionalists within those fan bases dislike games ending with penalty kicks or shootouts, but now I get it. I would hate for games that count for something to end under a glorified batting practice.

I do think it’s coming, though. I don’t know when, but I think it’s coming.