Kyle Schwarber, known for his power at the plate, had never won a Home Run Derby. However, on the All-Star stage, Schwarber made history by hitting three home runs in three swings, securing a 4-3 victory for the National League over the American League in a game that was decided with an exciting swing-off. This performance earned Schwarber the Most Valuable Player award, in a match that was full of historic moments. The game this year marked the first time the automated ball-strike system was used in a Major League Baseball game outside of the preseason, a step towards its implementation in all games starting next season. The rules for reviews were the same as those introduced during the preseason. Each team had two challenge opportunities, which could only be requested by the pitcher, catcher, or batter, and had to be immediate.
In total, four pitches were challenged. The first historical challenge was a 0-2 changeup that the American League starter, Tarik Skubal, threw to Manny Machado, and that home plate umpire, Dan Iassogna, called a strike in the first inning. The decision was overturned after the challenge, ending Machado’s at-bat with a strikeout.
Skubal became the first Detroit Tigers pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Max Scherzer in 2013. On the other side of the mound was the other favorite for the Cy Young. A year after starting the All-Star Game for the National League with 11 career starts, Paul Skenes, sensation of the Pittsburgh Pirates, received the nomination again, becoming the tenth pitcher to start consecutive All-Star games and the first to achieve it in his first two seasons.“I wasn’t even going to use them,” Skubal said. “But I felt that was a strike and you want it on an 0-2 count.”
Tarik Skubal
The result: Two strikeouts with 100 mph fastballs to his Tigers teammates, Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene, to start the game. Skenes admitted he was looking to strike everyone out, but Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hit out on another 100 mph fastball to conclude Skenes’ night. “That’s what the All-Star Game is for,” Skenes said. “Every hitter is trying to hit a home run. We’re trying to strike everyone out.” In a proper transition, Clayton Kershaw, 11-time All-Star, relieved Skenes, 14 years his junior, in the second inning. Raleigh, champion of Tuesday’s Home Run Derby, was welcomed with a 101.9 mph line drive that Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Tucker caught with a sliding catch. Then, Kershaw struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with an 87 mph slider on his sixth pitch, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to come out of the National League dugout to take the ball from Kershaw and end what might have been Kershaw’s last appearance in the All-Star Game. Kershaw, chosen as a “legend” for the game by commissioner Rob Manfred, and who on July 2nd became the twentieth pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts in his career, gave a speech before the game in the National League clubhouse.“I was throwing every pitch as hard as I could, hoping it would fall in the strike zone,” Skenes said.
Paul Skenes
“I just said I felt very honored to be a part of this. Thank you for letting me be here, really.”“We have the best All-Star Game of any sport,” Kershaw said. “We have the best product. Being here, realizing our responsibility in the sport is important. And we have Shohei here. We have Aaron Judge here. We have all these guys who represent the game very well, so we can showcase it and being a part of that is important.
Clayton Kershaw
