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The All-Star Game will no longer determine home-field advantage in the World Series

87th MLB All-Star Game

SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros looks on during the 87th Annual MLB All-Star Game at PETCO Park on July 12, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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The Associated Press reported early Thursday morning that, as a part of the new collective bargaining agreement, home-field advantage in the World Series will no longer be determined by the All-Star Game. Home-field advantage will now be awarded to the pennant winner with the better regular season record.

After the 2002 All-Star Game ended in a 7-7 tie, Major League Baseball and the players’ union agreed to allow the “midsummer classic” to decide home-field advantage for the 2003 and ’04 seasons. That agreement was extended to ’05 and ’06 and then was made permanent.

Critics have rightfully said that the All-Star Game is a rather capricious way to determine home-field advantage, which can sometimes be a big factor in the outcome of the season’s final series. Compared to regular season and playoff games, players are oddly used as position players tend to stay in for about three innings and pitchers only get an inning or two on the mound. Players don’t tend to take the game as seriously as they would a regular season or playoff game.

Since adopting the home-field advantage rule, the All-Star Game has also unnecessarily subjected players to ignominy. Braves second baseman Dan Uggla, for instance, committed three errors in a 4-3, 15-inning loss to the American League in the 2008 All-Star Game. Thankfully for the Phillies, they were able to win the 2008 World Series despite not having home-field advantage, but there was the possibility that their path to a championship would have in some part been affected by Uggla’s poor performance in what was otherwise an exhibition game.

The American League has benefited much more than the National League from the rule, receiving home-field advantage as a result of winning 11 of the last 14 All-Star Games. The home team has won 56 percent of the 75 World Series games played since 2003. That being said, the AL has won six of the last 14 World Series overall.

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