If you turned off the TV at the end of the ninth inning on July 15, you basically missed history. Honestly, it was the kind of ending that felt like it belonged in a video game or a backyard whiffle ball session, not Truist Park in Atlanta. People had been talking about the possibility of a "swing-off" for years. It was tucked away in the 2022 labor agreement like some weird emergency break glass in case of a tie. Well, the glass finally broke.
The National League walked away as the winner of the 2025 MLB All Star Game, but the score—a technically correct 7-6 victory—doesn't really tell the story. For about three hours, it looked like a blowout. Then it looked like an epic collapse. And finally, it turned into a home run derby on fast-forward.
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How the National League finally won the MLB All Star Game 2025
The Senior Circuit hasn't had much to brag about lately. Before this game, they’d lost 10 of the last 11 Midsummer Classics. It’s been a rough decade for NL fans. But this time, they jumped out like they had a plane to catch.
Paul Skenes, the Pirates' fireballer, started the game by absolutely carving through the AL lineup. He struck out Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene before getting Aaron Judge to ground out. It was a statement. Then, the bats showed up. Ketel Marte ripped a double down the right-field line in the first, scoring Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. Early lead. 2-0.
By the sixth inning, it felt over. Pete Alonso—who usually saves his heroics for the actual Home Run Derby—blasted a three-run shot off Kris Bubic. Corbin Carroll added a solo homer shortly after. 6-0. The Atlanta crowd was already thinking about beat-the-traffic strategies.
The American League’s Historic Comeback
Baseball is weird. You can’t just run out the clock. The American League decided to prove that in the seventh. Brent Rooker, the Athletics' slugger, launched a three-run bomb that completely changed the energy of the dugout. Suddenly, it was 6-4.
In the ninth, it got truly chaotic. With Robert Suarez on the mound for the NL, Byron Buxton and Bobby Witt Jr. hit back-to-back doubles. Then, Steven Kwan—who always seems to be in the middle of these things—beat out a squibbler to third with two outs. Witt Jr. crossed the plate. 6-6. Just like that, the largest comeback in All-Star history was complete.
The Swing-Off: A First for Major League Baseball
Because the game was tied after nine innings, we didn't get "ghost runners" or 14 innings of relief pitchers hitting. We got the Swing-Off. Here is how that actually went down:
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- Round 1: Kyle Stowers (NL) hit 1 homer. Brent Rooker (AL) hit 2. AL leads 2-1.
- Round 2: Kyle Schwarber (NL) went up. He didn't just hit homers; he destroyed them. Three swings, three home runs.
- Round 3: Randy Arozarena (AL) managed 1. Jonathan Aranda (AL) couldn't find the seats.
Because Schwarber was a perfect 3-for-3, the National League hit 4 total homers to the American League’s 3. Pete Alonso didn't even have to take his swings. The NL took the trophy, and Schwarber took the Ted Williams MVP Award.
Why this game mattered for Atlanta
Playing at Truist Park added a layer of nostalgia. The whole night was a tribute to Hank Aaron. They even did a cool pyrotechnic recreation of his 715th home run during the game. Dave Roberts, the NL manager, mentioned after the game that "Hammerin' Hank" would have probably loved seeing a game decided by nothing but home run swings.
It was also a big night for the rookies. Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers' phenom, came in as an injury replacement and threw a ball 102.3 mph. He only had five MLB starts under his belt at the time. Watching a kid like that stare down the best hitters in the world is why people still care about this game.
Key Takeaways from the 2025 Midsummer Classic
If you're looking for the "so what" of the night, it's that the rules are changing. MLB is leaning into entertainment. The swing-off was controversial when it was first announced, but the roar from the Atlanta crowd when Schwarber hit his third homer was deafening. It worked.
The win gives the NL a tiny bit of momentum in the historical tally, though the AL still dominates the recent era. More importantly, it showed that the talent gap between the two leagues is basically non-existent right now.
If you want to keep up with how these stars perform in the second half of the season, you should track the updated Statcast data on the leaders from the game. Schwarber’s exit velocity during the swing-off was actually higher than his season average, which says a lot about how much these guys actually wanted to win this year. Keep an eye on the injury reports for the pitchers who went max effort in the early innings, especially the younger guys like Skenes and Misiorowski.
Check the official MLB standings to see how the "All-Star break hangover" affects the Phillies and Dodgers as they head into the pennant race.