Rejoice, baseball fans: The All-Star Game no longer affects the World Series
Finally, one of baseball's most ridiculous gimmicks is gone.
The MLB All-Star Game will no longer determine which team gets home-field advantage in the World Series, as it has since 2003. As part of baseball's new collective bargaining agreement, announced Thursday, the team with the better regular season record will have the advantage of playing more home games in the World Series.
This change is a long time coming.
You May Also Like
For the past 14 seasons, the winner of All-Star Game — which pits players from the National and American League against each other — would secure home-field advantage for its league in the World Series.
The American League won 11 of those 14 All-Star Games, and went on to win eight of those 11 World Series. So, yeah. Home-field advantage matters. But no one liked how it was determined.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Who gets home-field advantage shouldn't be decided at the All-Star Game, a glorified mid-summer exhibition featuring players who mostly won't end up in the World Series later that year. In 2016, more than 70 players attended the All-Star Game in San Diego, but only 10 of them ended up in the World Series.
Leaving the fate of the World Series in the hands of players that won't even be there doesn't make sense. It never has. Now, the World Series team that won the most games during the regular season will be rewarded with home-field advantage.
Teams are finally in control of their own destiny.
