The MLB All-Star Game brings the best players in the game together for a friendly exhibition. But if the game is close as the end draws near, the pressure and the intensity rise to another level.
And if it goes down to the wire, there won’t be any extra innings. Instead, if the game is tied after the bottom of the ninth, MLB has created a fun way to settle the score that borrows from the Home Run Derby the previous night.
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And last season, a home-run tiebreaker was used for the first time since the new rule was implemented.
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
Fans look on before the All-Star Game as the sun sets over the field at Citizens Bank Park.
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
Chicago White Sox third baseman Munetaka Murakami practices before the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
(Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) greets fans before the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
New York Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger (35), Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27), and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) warm up before the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) warm up before the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
(Brad Penner, Imagn Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs, and Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies speak during warmups before the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
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2026 MLB All Star game delivers big moments in Philadelphia
Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets looks on during warm ups before the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
MLB All-Star Game tiebreaker rules
If the All-Star Game is tied after nine innings, the winner is determined by a home run swing-off. Here’s how it works:
Each team selects three players from its active lineup to compete in a mini home run derby. Each player gets three swings to try to hit as many homers as possible, and the team with the highest total is declared the winner. If it’s still tied, each manager selects one of the three participants to take three more swings. That process continues until one team hits more homers.
National League designated hitter Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies hits in the home run swing-off tiebreaker during the 2025 MLB All Star Game at Truist Park.
Last season, the National League prevailed in the tiebreaker when Kyle Schwarber cleared the fence with all three of his swings for a 4-3 victory. Not surprisingly, Schwarber was named the All-Star MVP.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: All-Star Game tiebreaker rules: What happens if it’s tied after 9 innings?
