Miami was absolutely sweltering in July 2017. If you weren't there at Marlins Park, you probably remember the neon-drenched broadcast, the home run sculpture that everyone loved to hate, and a sense that baseball was changing. Fast. The 2017 MLB All Star game wasn't just another exhibition match; it was a pivot point for the sport.
It was the first time in fifteen years that the game actually meant nothing.
Seriously. From 2003 to 2016, the "This Time It Counts" era dictated that the winning league got home-field advantage in the World Series. It was a polarizing rule. In 2017, MLB finally scrapped it. The game went back to being a pure celebration, a "Midsummer Classic" in the truest sense. But looking back, that game in Miami feels like a time capsule. It featured a roster of legends in their twilight and a surge of young talent that basically owns the league today.
The Night Robinson Cano Reminded Us He Was a Machine
The game itself was a bit of a pitcher's duel, which is funny considering how much we talk about the "juiced ball" era of the late 2010s. It stayed tied at 1-1 for what felt like an eternity. Then came the 10th inning.
Robinson Cano stepped up.
At that point, Cano was still the gold standard for a "smooth" second baseman. He took a 1-1 pitch from Wade Davis and just launched it. A solo shot to right field. It gave the American League a 2-1 lead, which held up for the win. Cano took home the MVP honors, becoming the first second baseman to do that since Julio Franco back in 1990.
But it’s wild to think about the context of that MVP now. Within a year, Cano would face a PED suspension that forever clouded his Hall of Fame trajectory. In Miami, though? He was the king of the world. He was the veteran showing the kids how it was done.
The Judge and the Statcast Revolution
You can't talk about the 2017 MLB All Star break without talking about Aaron Judge. Honestly, that week was his official coronation. While the game itself was low-scoring, the Home Run Derby the night before was a religious experience for baseball fans.
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Judge was a rookie. A massive, 6'7" rookie who looked like he’d been grown in a lab to hit baseballs into orbit. He didn't just win the Derby; he broke the tracking hardware. He was hitting balls 500+ feet with a swing that looked effortless.
During the actual All-Star game, the hype was deafening. He went 0-for-3 with a couple of strikeouts, but it didn't matter. The energy in the building every time he stepped into the box was different. We were watching the birth of the face of the league. It's easy to forget that back then, we weren't sure if Judge was a one-hit-wonder or the real deal. Miami proved he could handle the brightest lights imaginable.
A Pitching Staff from a Different Universe
Look at the names that took the mound that night. It’s actually absurd.
Max Scherzer started for the National League. Chris Sale started for the American League. These were two guys at the absolute peak of their powers. Sale was striking out everyone in sight for the Red Sox, and Scherzer was the terrifying heart of the Nationals' rotation.
Behind them, you had guys like Clayton Kershaw (who didn't play but was an All-Star), Zack Greinke, and a young Luis Severino. The pitching depth in 2017 was arguably some of the best we’ve seen in the modern era. The AL staff combined for 14 strikeouts. 14! In a game that went 10 innings, that’s a lot of "sit down and think about what you did" moments for the best hitters in the world.
The Weirdness of Marlins Park
Marlins Park (now loanDepot park) was the perfect, kitschy backdrop for this. 10 years later, we might look back at that stadium's original look with a sort of kitsch-nostalgia.
The "Home Run Sculpture" designed by Red Grooms—that mechanical monstrosity in center field with the jumping marlins and the neon lights—was the star of the show. It felt like Miami. It felt loud. It felt like baseball was trying to be "cool" again.
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Interestingly, after Derek Jeter’s ownership group took over the Marlins shortly after this game, one of their first orders of business was to get rid of that sculpture. The 2017 MLB All Star game was its last big moment on the world stage. It represents a specific, colorful, slightly chaotic moment in MLB history before things became a bit more corporate and streamlined.
Why the 2017 Game Still Matters Today
If you want to understand why baseball looks the way it does now, look at the rosters from that night.
You had Bryce Harper, Mike Trout (though he was injured and didn't play), and Mookie Betts. You also had the last gasps of the previous generation. Yadier Molina was there, still catching like a wizard. Nelson Cruz was there, literally taking a photo with umpire Joe West while he was at the plate.
That Nelson Cruz moment? That was peak 2017.
Cruz got to the plate, pulled out a phone, and had Molina take a picture of him and the legendary (and often controversial) umpire Joe West. It was a reminder that the All-Star game is supposed to be fun. In the years since, we've seen more mic'd up players and mid-game interviews, but Cruz’s photo op was the moment the "unwritten rules" started to crumble in favor of actual entertainment.
Statistical Deep Dive: The AL Dominance Continues
The AL won 2-1. This continued a trend of American League dominance that has basically defined the 21st century.
- Final Score: AL 2, NL 1 (10 innings)
- Winning Pitcher: Craig Kimbrel
- Losing Pitcher: Wade Davis
- Save: Andrew Miller
- MVP: Robinson Cano
The game lasted 3 hours and 16 minutes. By today’s standards, with the pitch clock, that feels like an eternity for a 2-1 game. Back then, it was just a standard Tuesday night.
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What We Got Wrong About the Future
In 2017, we thought the Houston Astros were just a "feel-good" story of a rebuild done right. They had several All-Stars in Miami: Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, and Lance McCullers Jr.
We didn't know about the trash cans yet.
Looking back at the footage of those guys in their All-Star jerseys, there’s a layer of irony that wasn't there at the time. They were the darlings of the league. They represented the "smart" way to build a team. The 2017 MLB All Star game was the peak of their innocence before the sign-stealing scandal broke two years later and changed how we viewed that entire season.
Practical Lessons for Modern Fans
If you're looking back at this game to settle a debate or just to reminisce, there are a few things to keep in mind about how the game has evolved since that night in Miami.
First, notice the shift in how pitchers are used. In 2017, the idea of an "opener" hadn't really taken over. You still expected your starters to go out there and dominate. Now, the All-Star game feels more like a parade of high-velocity relievers.
Second, the "Home Run or Bust" mentality was just starting to peak. The 2017 season eventually set a record for the most home runs in a single season (until 2019 broke it again). The All-Star game was a brief reprieve from that, showing that high-level pitching could still neutralize the "launch angle" revolution.
How to Revisit the 2017 Experience
If you want to dive deeper into this specific moment in baseball history, don't just watch the highlights of the game.
- Watch the 2017 Home Run Derby: It is widely considered one of the top three Derbies of all time. Judge vs. Bour is a classic.
- Look at the "Final Vote" Winners: Mike Moustakas and Justin Turner were the last players voted in by the fans. This was a huge deal at the time and showed the power of the "small market" fanbases vs. the giants.
- Check the Box Score for Bench Players: You'll see names like Michael Conforto and Corey Seager—guys who were the "next big thing" and have had wildly different career paths since.
The 2017 MLB All Star game wasn't just a game; it was the end of the "meaningful" exhibition and the beginning of the "superstar brand" era. It was flashy, it was a little bit weird, and it gave us a glimpse of the power-heavy, strikeout-rich game we see today.
Next time you're watching a mid-July game, remember that 10th-inning blast by Cano. It was the last time a veteran "pure hitter" really stole the show before the age of the 115-mph exit velocity monsters took over the sport for good.