Joey Votto’s rare All-Star moment may go down as baseball's last of its kind

Former Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto retired in 2024 after a short-stint with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Throughout his Major League career, Votto was named to the All-Star Game six times with his last trip to the Midsummer Classic coming in 2018. Votto hit a home run during the game that year, but the timing of it was unique and will likely never happen again.

The 2018 MLB All-Star Game took place at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and Votto was one of three Reds in attendance. Joining him were infielders Eugenio Suárez and Scooter Gennett. None of the Reds' trio started the game, but all three were in the lineup for the final out of what was ultimately an 8-6 win for the American League.

The game actually went to extra innings after Gennett tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. With J.T. Realmuto aboard, the Reds second baseman sent a drive over the right field wall and knotted the game at 5-5. At the time, it was seventh big fly of the game. But there were more to come.

Joey Votto’s rare All-Star moment may go down as baseball's last of its kind

The National League couldn't scratch across another run in the ninth, so the game went into extra innings. The American League had a field day in the 10th inning with Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Ross Stripling on the bump. Both George Springer and Alex Bregman took Stripling deep and Michael Brantley's sacrifice fly put the AL up 8-5.

Trailing by three runs, Votto gave the NL a glimmer of hope in the bottom of the 10th inning. The future Hall of Famer sent a towering blasted 409 feet into the seats in right field which shrunk the AL's lead to just two runs. Unfortunately for the NL, they couldn't put any more runs on the board and lost the game.

Interestingly enough, Votto's round-tripper may be the last time a player ever logs a home run in extra innings of an All-Star Game. This year's year was tied after nine innings, but rather than going to extras, the two teams had a modified version of a home run derby in order to declare the winner.

Most baseball fans seemed to enjoy the new format, and it would seem unlikely that we'll ever see an All-Star Game go to extra innings ever again. That would give Votto the distinction of being the last player in MLB history to ever homer in extra innings of an All-Star Game. If you ever find yourself on the game show Jeopardy! and the answer is revealed, you know the question.

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