Home Run Derby could decide All-Star Game winner

There were a lot of changes across baseball this week once the lockout ended. One of the more underrated and fascinating tidbits we learned was in regards to the All-Star Game. If the game is tied after nine innings, they will determine the winner with a Home Run Derby.

Yes, seriously.

Here’s the official press release from the AP:

“If the All-Star Game remains tied after nine innings, the game will be decided by a Home Run Derby between the teams, subject to the parties’ agreement on details and format,” reads exhibit 13, titled “Tentative Agreement — All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.”

If a home run derby in extra innings sounds familiar, well that’s because Justin Turner had this idea back in 2020.

With the major league season in limbo during the peak of COVID, Justin Turner took to Twitter to share his fun and new idea for extra innings. Although he won’t get official credit for the idea, maybe Turner’s tweet helped spark conversation for the rule change?

Links

• Max Muncy spoke with reporters in Arizona, providing an update on how he spent the offseason recovering from his injury

• Evan Drellich from The Athletic wrote about how MLB players won with the lockout coming to an end and why it also feels like they could have won more
• Bill Plaschke of The LA Times welcomes Clayton Kershaw back to the Dodgers with a heartfelt piece
• MLB.com released their first power rankings of the year. Any guess as to where the Dodgers finished on the list?