MIAMI — For the last 14 seasons, a summer exhibition game determined home-field advantage in the fall, when everything matters in baseball. Yet linking the outcome of the All-Star Game to the location of World Series games did little to change the spirit of camaraderie in July. The difference now — with nothing really on the line — is that baseball sanctions the fun.
So on Tuesday night at Marlins Park, Nelson Cruz took a swing with a cellphone in his back pocket, after posing for a photo with the umpire Joe West. The catcher/photographer, Yadier Molina, hit a home run and got a high-five from the opposing shortstop, Francisco Lindor.