Remembering Very Bad Decision by Bud Selig to End the 2002 All-Star Game in a Tie

With no Major League Baseball games taking place for at least the next couple of months, we reminisce at some of the game's best and worst moments in the league's history. But today, we look at one of the more confusing endings in the history of MLB's summer showcase.

Back in 2002, Miller Park hosted the MLB All-Star Game, which was headlined by players such as Ichiro Suzuki, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. The star-studded game was tightly-contested, as both the American League and National League remained tied 7-7 in the 11th inning.

And that proved to be the final score, ordered by then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig. Wait, what?!?

Entering the bottom of the frame, both squads just had a pitcher remaining each: Vicente Padilla of the NL and Freddy Garcia of the AL. Managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly met with the umpires by first base to discuss their conundrum. So that's when Selig, who sat in the stands, decided that if the NL didn't score a run in the bottom frame, then the game would end in a tie.

The paying customers in attendance were furious at the announcement, and once the NL went down with a whimper, they proceeded to boo and throw beer bottles onto the field.

No MVP award was handed out due to the circumstances, and in order to save face, Selig revealed that the Midsummer Classic would determine home-field advantage in the World Series, starting in 2003.

It's blasphemous to think that a highly-touted and heavily-marketed All-Star Game would end in a tie, but that was the case in 2002. This is what many of Selig's detractors point to when discussing his polarizing tenure as the boss of Major League Baseball.