#360view: MLB All-Star clash struggling to put on a show

Jay Asser 07:54 16/07/2015
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  • Damp squib: All-Star game.

    This time it counts. Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game has actually ‘counted’ for 13 years now, but it continues to never truly feel like it.

    Another All-Star Game was played on Tuesday with the American League defeating the National League 6-3, but as usual, the stakes were lacking sizzle.

    ‘This Time It Counts’ was the slogan used by the MLB in 2003 to promote the change to the Mid-summer Classic, which meant the result would determine home-field advantage for the World Series.

    After the disastrous 2002 edition ended in a tie due to both teams running out of pitchers by the end of the 11th inning, commissioner Bud Selig attempted to make the contest carry some weight by awarding home-field advantage in the World Series to the winner.

    As well as wanting to avoid another embarrassment, Selig wanted to breathe new life into the event by making it more competitive, and in turn, more entertaining.

    With 13 All-Star Games having now taken place since the alteration, can we really say that’s been the case? It’s impossible to quantify, but probably not.

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    If you’re going by competitiveness, then you can make a case that’s translated with five of the past 13 All-Star Games decided by one run or less, compared to just two in 13 editions before 2002. Even though the 13 most recent games have been closer, they’ve also been lower scoring by a 104-to-117 run ratio.

    It’s unlikely most fans are attending or tuning in to see pitching duels. Drama is good for entertainment, but so are home runs and the ball flying around the park.

    Is home-field advantage in the World Series all that important though?

    Having an extra game on your diamond can make a difference, but since the change, it has come into play only twice with the World Series extending to Game 7. And in those two instances, the home and road team split, so how much of an advantage is it really?

    You won’t convince Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost it doesn’t matter, however. As the manager for the American League in this year’s edition, he structured what he believed was a winning roster with relief pitchers and even a utility player in favour of maybe more deserving candidates.

    Yet it’s impossible to say you’re seriously trying to win when your starters and best hitters are replaced after a couple at-bats for second-tier stars, who are involved in the decisive plays at the end.

    More than adding significance to the All-Star Game, the stakes just makes for an awkward mix of competition and putting on a show for the fans.

    Thirteen years in and MLB’s revamped All-Star Game still doesn’t know what it is. 

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