The MLB All-Star Game has long been one of the most-awaited events in the baseball season. It’s that time when all the best players in the majors share one diamond. Hence, the awesome “Midsummer Classic” nickname. But exactly how are the All-Stars picked and how does the game itself differ from any other game? What are those dudes even playing for?
To answer all those questions and more, here’s a detailed look at the inner workings of the MLB All-Star Game, from rosters to rules to actual stakes. Meanwhile, check out our preview of the game itself here.
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Much like how the East faces the West in the NBA All-Star Game and the AFC faces the NFC in the NFL Pro Bowl, the best players from the National League go head-to-head with those from the American League in the MLB All-Star Game.
The number of players per league has continued to increase through the years. The current total is now at 34 per team after an additional position player was added in 2010. There are several processes for coming up with those 34 All-Stars:
Fan voting: The fans determine the eight starting position players per team: catcher, first to third base, shortstop, and the three outfield positions. The highest vote-getter per position will get to start. In addition, the fans also have to vote for the AL’s starting designated hitter.
Player voting: Eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) and one back-up player for each fielding position are picked via votes from the players, coaches, and managers. If the top vote-getter at a position has already been voted in by the fans, the second-place finisher will get in.
Manager selection: The manager of each league’s All-Star team – these are the managers from last year’s league champions – will fill his team’s roster up to 33 players. All 30 MLB teams must have at least one All-Star representative by this stage of the process.
Final vote: Since 2002, the fans have also decided the final roster spot per team through the All-Star Final Vote. The manager of each league’s team and the Commissioner’s Office will create a list of five players who still aren’t included in the 33-man team. The player who receives the most fan votes will be the team’s 34th and final All-Star.
Replacements: The All-Star manager and the Commissioner’s Office will replace the members of their 34-player team who are either injured or will not participate, as well as pitchers who started on the Sunday before the game.
The Game
The All-Star Game is not significantly different compared to any other regular season baseball game in terms of rules, save for a few notable exceptions.
The most glaring one is the designated hitter rule. Prior to 2010, the NL was only allowed to get a DH if the All-Star Game was played in the stadium of an AL team. But a new rule was implemented in 2010 which assigned the NL a DH regardless of the stadium.
With the amount of players available to both managers, expect a lot of substitutions and pitching changes. One pitcher will seldom go longer than two innings at most in these games, and the position players don’t last much longer.
However, managers are now instructed to keep a few players and pitchers in reserve in order to avoid a repeat of the infamous 2002 All-Star Game. Both teams ran out of players to pitch in relief after the game went 11 innings, and then-commissioner Bud Selig decided to declare a tie.
Speaking of contingencies, each manager has one designated position player who can re-enter the game even after getting subbed in case the team’s last position player is injured or ejected. Another player is also allowed to re-enter to replace an injured or ejected catcher.
The Stakes
Because of that aforementioned tie in 2002, MLB has since given the All-Star Game an added stake: Any team from the winning league will automatically get home-field advantage in the World Series, regardless of regular season record. This provision was added in 2003 to incentivize both teams to win and avoid another tie.
Not everyone has been a fan of this provision, which is unique in the four major North American sports. But despite some criticism from media and other places to simply award home-field in the Series to the team with the best regular season record, this setup has been in place for almost a decade and a half now.
The extra stakes haven’t had too drastic an effect on the actual game, though. The AL had been dominating the matchup prior to the added stipulation, and it’s continued that dominance ever since. The AL has won 15 of the last 19 All-Star Games, including the last three in a row.
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