While MLB and the Phillies are leaning heavily into the past for the upcoming All-Star Game, the many changes in and around this year’s event also signal a desire to get the present and future right.
The league will amplify its preparations this week for the midseason showcase in Philadelphia, which will begin in earnest this weekend. Traditionally the most prominent of the all-star games among major U.S. pro leagues, this year’s run of events will feature a series of shifts in its scheduling, competition formats, and its presentation.
“We’ve had a number of different iterations over the years, and you never want to stay still,” MLB SVP of global operations and events Jeremiah Yolkut tells Front Office Sports. “What we’re doing is going to allow us to try some new things and still have several days of compelling activity at [Citizens Bank Park].”
A New-Look Derby
Arguably the most visible changes will center around the Home Run Derby. The home run-hitting contest will be streamed exclusively on Netflix after a three-year rights deal struck last year. With that new pact, there is also a major format change: the timer used for derby competitors since 2015 has been scrapped. Instead, each hitter will have 20 swings in the first round, and 15 in the second round and final. If a hitter homers on their final swing, the turn continues until he fails to homer.
