On July 9, 2002, baseball fans packed Milwaukee’s Miller Park for what was supposed to be a celebration of the game’s best. The 73rd MLB All-Star Game featured a great collection of talent: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, and many more. But what had so much promise had a disappointing end.

The game was entertaining early on. Barry Bonds crushed a deep fly to right field in the first inning, only to be robbed of a home run by Torii Hunter in one of the most iconic All-Star plays ever. The teams traded runs throughout the night, with Bonds eventually getting his revenge with a homer in the third. Freddy Garcia pitched two strong innings for the AL, and Andruw Jones homered for the NL.

But as the game crept into extra innings, things unraveled. Managers Joe Torre and Bob Brenly had already used nearly every player, treating the night like a showcase rather than a competition. By the 11th inning, both teams were out of pitchers. With no safe way to continue, Commissioner Bud Selig, attending in his hometown, made the decision to call the game a 7–7 tie. Fans, expecting a definitive outcome, erupted in boos and littered the field with trash.

The backlash was immediate and fierce. In response, Major League Baseball changed the stakes. Beginning in 2003, the league that won the All-Star Game would be awarded home-field advantage in the World Series, a move designed to give the game meaning and avoid a repeat of the 2002 fiasco. That rule stayed in place until 2017.

The 2002 All-Star Game is still remembered not for who won, but for the night baseball ran out of options, and how that led to one of the most significant changes in All-Star Game and baseball history.

Dick Lowe and Jack Rowe are tied for the most errors in a game by a catcher at 7 in 1884 and 1883.