From game-changing advancements to first-time stipulations, the MLB’s 2025 Midsummer Classic in Atlanta was nothing short of historic. With that in mind, here are five moments that defined All-Star Weekend.
5. First ABS challenge call in the Midsummer Classic
“Let’s see, Cal,” said Tarik Skubal as he shifted his attention to the video board beyond center field.
The American League’s starting battery wasted no time utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) in its All-Star Game debut, challenging a 1-2 ball call against Manny Machado in the bottom of the first inning.
The ABS system — tested during spring training and introduced for the first time in this year’s Midsummer Classic — affords players the ability to instantly challenge an umpire’s ball or strike ruling.
Skubal and catcher Cal Raleigh tapped their heads to trigger the review — and it paid off. The call was swiftly overturned, giving Skubal his first strikeout of the night.
4. Raleigh makes history in the Home Run Derby
On Monday night, Raleigh added another stamp to what might be the greatest offensive season ever by a catcher.
The Seattle backstop, currently leading the majors with a whopping 38 home runs, became the first catcher in MLB history to win the Home Run Derby. With his dad pitching to him, Raleigh launched moonshots from both sides of the plate, becoming the first switch-hitter to win the event outright and the first Mariner to do so since Ken Griffey Jr.
It wasn’t easy. Before he edged out Oneil Cruz in the semifinal and beat Junior Caminero in the final, Raleigh found himself in a 17-homer deadlock with Brent Rooker in the first round. Per derby rules, first-round ties are determined by the longest home run, but both of their farthest dingers went 471 feet.
With the help of Statcast, exact measurements revealed Raleigh’s shot (470.61 feet) went just a hair farther than Rooker’s (470.53 feet). The .08-foot difference kept Raleigh alive and paved the way for history.
3. Polar Bear breaks it open
Pete Alonso might not have competed in this year’s Derby, but he wasn’t leaving Atlanta without a homer.
The Mets’ first baseman dug in for his second at-bat of the night with runners on first and second and no outs in the bottom of the sixth. He pounced on the first strike he saw, driving a fastball the other way for a three-run bomb.
The blast extended the National League lead to 5-0 and marked Alonso’s first career All-Star home run, the first from a Met in the Midsummer Classic since David Wright in 2006.
2. American League rallies all the way back
The American League had just three hits through the first five innings and found themselves in a 6-0 hole. But they weren’t going down without a fight.
Rooker, fresh off a Home Run Derby appearance, crushed a three-run blast to half the deficit in the top of the sixth. A few at-bats later, Bobby Witt Jr. plated Maikel Garcia on an RBI ground-out that trimmed the lead to two.
The AL pitchers held the line, and the bats went back to work in the top of the ninth. Back-to-back one-out doubles from Byron Buxton and Witt put the team within one, prompting the NL to summon Edwin Diaz from the bullpen.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a sharp grounder to a sliding Matt Olson at first, advancing Witt to third. Then Steven Kwan came through with an infield single, beating the throw from third to score the tying run.
1. Kyle Schwarber delivers in the first All-Star Game swing-off
American League closer Aroldis Chapman sent the National League down in order to preserve the 6-6 tie through nine. But the All-Star Game doesn’t go to extras.
For the first time ever, the winner would be decided by a home-run swing-off.
Three players from each squad would take three swings apiece, with the team hitting the most home runs declared the winner. Rooker, Randy Arozarena, and Jonathan Aranda represented the AL, while Eugenio Suarez, Kyle Schwarber, and Alonso stepped in for the NL.
Rooker led off with a pair of homers, and Suarez countered with one. Arozarena added another, giving the AL a 3-1 advantage.
Then up came Schwarber.
The Phillies slugger delivered, drilling three homers in three swings to put the NL ahead, 4-3. Aranda failed to respond in the AL’s final attempt, sealing the National League’s victory.
Schwarber’s heroics gave the NL its second Midsummer Classic win in the last three years, earning him All-Star Game MVP honors.
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