In one of the most unorthodox finishes in All-Star Game history, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber emerged as the National League’s unlikely hero and was named MVP on Tuesday night, despite going 0-for-2 in the regulation game.
With the 2025 MLB All-Star Game tied at 6 after nine innings, the contest was decided by the first-ever All-Star “swing-off” — a three-man mini Home Run Derby introduced by a 2022 rule change. Schwarber, who had earlier broken his bat on a 100 mph sinker from Aroldis Chapman, blasted all three of his swings over the fence in the final round of the shootout, securing a dramatic 7–6 victory for the National League.
“It was interesting,” Schwarber said. “Exciting, fun. There’s a lot of guys who deserve this (MVP trophy), but I’m glad it’s going home with us to Philly.” He becomes the Phillies’ first All-Star Game MVP since Johnny Callison in 1964.
The swing-off featured three players from each league, with each granted three swings. AL manager Aaron Boone selected Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda and Randy Arozarena, along with Oakland’s Brent Rooker. NL skipper Dave Roberts countered with New York’s Pete Alonso, Schwarber, and Miami’s Kyle Stowers.
Rooker started the spectacle with two homers, while Stowers managed one. Arozarena added one for the AL, but Schwarber’s perfect 3-for-3 gave the NL a 4–3 edge. When Aranda failed to connect in his final round, the win was sealed for the National League — their second All-Star Game victory in three years, following a prior streak of nine consecutive AL wins.
Fifteen minutes before his MVP moment, Schwarber had lined out to Chapman to start the bottom of the ninth. “Luckily, I had just got done breaking my bat on a 100 mile-per-hour sinker from Aroldis, then praying that we’d hit a walk-off home run,” he said with a laugh. “Then it was just go up there, get a new bat and get ready to take some BP.”
The game, held in front of 41,702 fans at Truist Park, had all the makings of a classic — even before the fireworks of the swing-off. The NL took control early with a two-run double by Arizona’s Ketel Marte in the first, following singles from Shohei Ohtani and local favourite Ronald Acuña Jr.
In the sixth, Pete Alonso — who was well on his way to MVP honours before the late-game twist — extended the NL lead with a three-run homer off Kansas City’s Kris Bubic.
But the AL mounted a furious comeback in the final three innings. After Adrian Morejon allowed a pair of baserunners in the seventh, Randy Rodriguez gave up a three-run shot to Rooker. Bobby Witt Jr. later added an RBI groundout to make it 5–4.
Minnesota’s Byron Buxton and Witt each doubled in the ninth to cut the deficit further, and after Mets closer Edwin Díaz retired Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cleveland’s Steven Kwan tied the game with an infield single. Chapman held the NL scoreless in the bottom of the ninth, paving the way for the swing-off.
In another wrinkle, the game featured Major League Baseball’s experimental Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, with Detroit’s Tarik Skubal recording a strikeout against Manny Machado via the robotic umpire.
While Alonso may have been the frontrunner before the dramatic ending, Schwarber’s perfect power display under pressure made him the standout on an already unpredictable night — and a fitting MVP in an All-Star Game that no one saw ending this way.
