MLB All-Stars left game early before historic swing off took place
MLB fans were denied the chance to see Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge compete in a historic swing-off at the All-Star game after they left early
The 2025 MLB All-Star Game ended with a rare mini-Home Run Derby, but several top stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge left Truist Park early.
The game in Atlanta was deadlocked after nine innings, setting the stage for an exciting first-ever All-Star swing-off between the American League and the National League. This development was exciting for fans inside Truist Park.
However, several top stars were not named to compete in the three-vs.-three matchups. Players such as Ohtani and Judge, two of the MLB's biggest draws, were left out of the lineups and left the game early, while Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber took center stage, registering three consecutive home runs in the swing-off. It denied fans the chance to see a potential swing-off head-to-head between Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani and Yankees main man Judge.
Schwarber's antics propelled the NL to victory, and his swing-off performance earned him MVP honors. AL manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the swing-off players for his team were determined before the exhibition game. "We had to pick our guys yesterday," Boone said after the game. "Wanted to make sure I picked guys I knew would be in the game there and still hot. That was my choice."
Boone's selection was also due to wanting players that played the later innings to step up as they were hot heading into a possible swing-off, whereas stars who featured early wouldn't be as loose.
"We weren't going to switch. We picked our players yesterday, then it was just the matter of picking the order," Boone.
"You have a plan going in. You know the starters are playing half the game, you got a couple of guys nursing through some things so you're protecting a couple of guys too and keeping it shorter for them. You plan for that going in."
Nonetheless, NL's Schwarber got the job done. "I'm not shocked, especially after he clipped the first one," Boone said on the NL player and MLB All-Star MVP Schwarber.
"You get that first one under your belt. He put three great swings on it...I saw him nodding his head and he did Schwarber-type things."
Schwarber remained gracious after picking up the MVP award. "There's a lot of guys who are way more deserving of this award," Schwarber said. "I'm just happy that we get a win with the National League and it's going to come home with us to Philly."
NL manager Dave Roberts also revealed that the big hitter doesn't practice much outside of when it's time to shine. “He doesn't take much batting practice outside anymore,” Roberts said.
“For him to get out there ... use a big part of the field and hit it out, clutch up and hit three homers. … That speaks to the hitter he is. You've got a guy who can really hit with bat to ball and has huge power. It's fun to watch.”