Though Mike Trout won the game’s MVP award and the American League clinched home-field advantage for the World Series by defeating the National League 5-3, the 2014 MLB All-Star game’s biggest story was New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who announced prior to the start of the season that it will be his last.
The 2014 MLB All-Star Game at Target Field generated the highest television ratings since the 2010 All-Star game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, according to Forbes.com.
The game, which marked Jeter’s final All-Star appearance, was also a higher-rated All-Star event than any other professional sport this season, according to the article. As you can see in this graph from Regressing, the MLB is also the only All-Star event that didn’t see it’s television ratings decrease this past year.
Jeter went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored in the game. As you can see, the MLB greatly benefited from his presence.