Kyle Schwarber Wins Inaugural MLB Swing-Off, Automated Ball-Strike System Faces Early Challenges
In a thrilling debut for the first-ever MLB Swing-Off, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies emerged victorious, securing three home runs to give the National League a 4-3 lead in the tiebreaker. The event, held during the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Cumberland, Georgia, also saw the much-anticipated Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) System undergo its first meaningful tests.Schwarber, who went hitless in the all-Star game itself but drew a walk, described the swing-off experience as “interesting, exciting, fun.”
The ABS system, which has been in development and tested in spring training and adopted at the minor league level, faced immediate scrutiny. In the first inning, reigning home run derby champion Cal raleigh successfully appealed a call, resulting in a strikeout for fellow NL All-Star Tarik Skubal. “You take ’em any way you can get ’em, boys,” Skubal commented from the mound. Later in the game, Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson also benefited from the challenge system, reversing a call on a MacKenzie Gore fastball in the fifth inning that had been ruled a strike.
The MLB All-Star break continues on Wednesday and thursday, with regular season play resuming on Friday.
