All-Star Game to be decided by home run derby if tied after 9 innings

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An attendant at Truist Park asked Pete Alonso if he would take a call from Brian Snitker.

The opposing manager called me. Alonso thought.

He found out right away. Snitker had an important question, based on a first-time, fan-friendly rule change, as he prepared to manage the All-Star squad.

Snitker asked if Alonso would participate in the Home Run Derby that would decide the winning team if the All-Star Game score was still tied after nine frames.

Alonso told him he would be his man. I think it is enjoyable. If that happens, it will be a great event.

Alonso didn't know about the novel format in which three players from each league would take three swings to decide the result. He was not the only one who found out what could be on deck.

Is that actually going to happen? "I'm a yankees hitter." It's news to me.

The Home Run Derby is always popular the night before the game, so Major League Baseball decided to include it in the All-Star Game.

A lot of fans will be rooting for a tie just to see another long ball launch.

There are players as well.

Is it possible that they're doing that? The Dodgers first baseman said that it would be enjoyable. I like our chances because we have Pete Alonso and RonaldAcua Jr.

The provision paving the way to innovation was buried in exhibit 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the MLB and the players' union.

Going into Monday's Home Run Derby, Alonso had 24 home runs, third in the NL, and had won the Home Run Derby twice in a row.

The manager of each league's All-Star team will pick three players on his team's active roster who have agreed to participate in the All-Star tiebreaker, if applicable, according to the rules obtained by The Associated Press.

The game would be stopped for a short time after the ninth to allow the grounds crew to make a reconfiguration of the field.

Each player can take an unlimited number of pitches in the tiebreaker. The players on each team are allowed to hit in any order during the All-Star game.

The American League would send a hitter to bat first and the players from each league would alternate.

The team with the most home runs will be the winner of the All-Star Game. In the event the teams have the same number of home runs, each manager will pick one of the two tiebreaker selections to play in the next round. Until the tie is broken, the head-to-head format will go on.

Unless injured or to protect player health, the league can't replace the three batters picked for the tiebreaking game.

The All-Star Game has gone to overtime 13 times since it began in 1933. The 2002 game at Milwaukee ended in a 7-7, 11-inning tie when there were no available pitchers left, as teams run short on pitchers.

The automatic runner on second base was going to be tried out by MLB if the All-Star Game went to extra frames.

Alonso was ready to make a change in the way the All-Star Game is decided.

Alonso did not know about the Home Run Derby.