Kyle Schwarber powers National League past American League in first All-Star Game swing-off; Cleveland's Steven Kwan ties it with single in the ninth

ATLANTA — Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-3 in the first All-Star Game home run swing-off to put the National League ahead 4-3 following a 6-6 tie in which the American League rallied from a six-run deficit Tuesday night. The AL rally was capped by the Guardians' Steven Kwan, who tied it with two outs in the ninth on an infield single off Edwin Diaz. Kwan was down to his last strike. In baseball's equivalent of soccer's penalty-kicks shootout, the game was decided by having three batters from each league take three swings each off coaches. The change was agreed to in 2022 to alleviate the concern of teams running out of pitchers. Schwarber was named All-Star MVP after going 0-for-2 with a walk in the game. The AL comeback began when Brent Rooker hit a three-run pinch homer against Randy Rodríguez in a four-run seventh that included Bobby Witt Jr.'s RBI groundout. Robert Suarez allowed consecutive doubles to Byron Buxton and Witt with one out in ninth, and Kwan's infield hit on a three-hopper to third drove in the tying run. Kwan the Guardians' lone representative after Jose Ramirez opted out of his seventh All-Star Game, entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as a defensive replacement in left Joe Torre, the 84-year-old former Yankees manager, went to the mound for a pitching change in the eighth to take the ball from Shane Smith and hand it to Andrés Muñoz. The Hall of Famer was picked as a coach by current New York skipper Aaron Boone, who managed the AL. Players from both teams stood outside their dugouts during the swing-off, jumping and shouting after each homer from their side. When Jonathan Aranda's last swing for the AL fell short, NL players circled around Schwarber to celebrate. "It was awesome," Schwarber said. "The guys were really into it. They were yelling, screaming, cheering me on every swing. And then when that last one goes over, they were all pumped. It was a lot of fun." Rooker put the AL ahead by homering on his last two swings, and Kyle Stowers — subbing for Eugenio Suárez — hit one. Randy Arozarena boosted the AL lead to 3-1, and Schwarber was successful on all three tries, going down to a knee as he sent the one into the Chop House seats in right. Aranda failed on all three tries, hitting the right-field wall with his second, and the NL didn't have to use its last batter, two-time Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso, as it won for just the second time in the last 12 All-Star Games. The AL leads 48-45 with two ties. Ketel Marte's two-run double in the first had put the NL ahead, and Alonso's three-run homer off Kris Bubic and Corbin Carroll's solo shot against Casey Mize opened a 6-0 lead in the sixth. Heat on the mound Paul Skenes, the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game each of his first two seasons, struck out Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in a perfect first that included Aaron Judge's inning-ending groundout. The 23-year-old right-hander reached 100 mph on four of 14 pitches. Jacob Misiorowski, a controversial inclusion after pitching in just five major league games in his rookie season, fired nine pitches of 100 mph or more in a one-hit eighth 34 days after his major league debut. The 23-year-old righty, added to the NL roster by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, reached 102.3 mph. There were 21 pitches of 100 mph or more, down from a record 23 last year but up from 13 in 2023, 10 in 2022 and one in 2021. Robot umpire debuts Four of five challenges were successful in the first use of the robot umpire in the All-Star Game Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh signaled for an appeal to the Automated Ball-Strike System in the first inning, getting a strikeout for Detroit's Tarik Subal on San Diego's Manny Machado. Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson also was successful as the first batter to call for a challenge, reversing a 1-0 fastball from Washington's MacKenzie Gore in the fifth inning that had been called a strike. Mets closer Edwin Díaz and Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk also won challenges, and Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers lost one. Earning a hand Freddie Freeman was removed for Alonso with two outs in the third inning, giving the crowd of 41,702 a chance to cheer a player who spent 12 seasons with the Braves and helped win the 2021 World Series title. Styling Teams were back in their regular-season club jerseys — whites for the NL, mostly grays for the AL — after four years of special All-Star uniforms that were much criticized. Jazz Chisholm Jr. arrived in a Valentino smoking jacket and Christian Louboutin shoes. Instead of having players line up on the foul lines as they were introduced, they walked to a four-level red podium stretching across the infield dirt with flashing lights, smoke a DJ and dancers.