Home Run Derby tiebreaker? Could happen in future All-Star Games
The annual Home Run Derby the night before the All-Star Game has been a Midsummer jewel that has delivered tremendous excitement since its inception in 1985. And, based on a section of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association, we might be getting even more of the popular home run contest in the future.
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According to an item in the CBA's memorandum of understanding, titled “Tentative Agreement -- All-Star Game and Home Run Derby:” “If the All-Star Game remains tied after nine innings, the game will be decided by a Home Run Derby between the teams, subject to the parties’ agreement on details and format."
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To be clear, this doesn’t mean that future All-Star Games that go into extra innings will be decided by a Home Run Derby. It does mean that it’s a concept, proposed by MLB, that the two sides agreed to consider. As of yet, there are no further details, and the format would need to be fleshed out and agreed to in order for it to become reality.
Someday, though, we might get to watch the drama of the Home Run Derby, with all its awe-inspiring moonshots from the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Pete Alonso and others, integrated right into the All-Star Game itself.
If the concept becomes reality, it’ll give new meaning to the Midsummer Classic walk-off homer.