I didn’t watch it
I didn’t actually watch the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. I followed a few batters on Gameday, I guess. I would’ve watched some of it, but the process of, “Hey, you can watch this on MLB.t———just kidding, no you can’t, you have to log in with a TV provider because MLB would rather fewer people watch their marketing event than more people because the brainrot is strong” interrupted me. Such is life.
Anyway, apparently the NL blew a sizable lead and then there was some kind of wacky swing-off to determine a winner? And Kyle Schwarber was named MVP for being good at the swing-off? I can’t tell whether this worked out brilliantly as a marketing thing for MLB, or really poorly, but I’d guess the latter if I had to choose one or the other.
My other main takeaway was that one point David Peterson, who isn’t even in the top 15 NL starters by fWAR, was pitching an inning, which… yeah. MLB’s got some work to do to figure things out if it wants the All-Star Game to actually be “exciting” and “relevant,” and they’ve basically never done said work. It can be a showcase for the stars, or it can be an actual contest where winning matters, but trying to do both just means they get neither — unless for some reason MLB thinks David Peterson pitching to Ryan O’Hearn is really helping to grow the game or whatever. Randy Arozarena, who replaced Aaron Judge, got more PAs than Judge. It’s all just kind of a mess. But, I’m rambling. What do you think?
I saw someone suggest yesterday that the combined AL and NL squads should play a game against the Savannah Bananas. I think that’d be a lot better as entertainment and a showcase for the stars than the actual game.