A number of notable changes to MLB rules and regulations are still being discovered as experts go through the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. One of the biggest will impact the annual All-Star Game, at least under certain circumstances.
Exhibit 13 of the new CBA says that under a tentative agreement, a home run derby will decide the winner of the All-Star Game if the contest goes to extra innings, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. The agreement also states that the parties are still discussing the logistics behind a potential concert in the middle of the Midsummer Classic.
MLB has long sought to find a way to address the issue of the All-Star Game going to extra innings. By that point, teams are typically running out of pitchers, making the game very difficult to play if it goes too long. This has also led to some pitchers not getting into the game because managers save them for potential extra innings. A tiebreaking home run derby would certainly solve that issue, even if the format is not yet clear.
The actual Home Run Derby has struggled to attract star power in recent years. A tiebreaking one might let us see the game’s best try the format without having to take part in the main event, too.
