Newark Bears shortstop Ramon Castro served as the ultimate tiebreaker in the Atlantic League All-Star Game on Wednesday night.

He did it in the bottom of the first by hitting a two-run homer to plate the first runs of the game. And he followed up with another two-run shot in the fourth to break a tie and lead the Freedom Division to an 8-6 victory against the Liberty Division in front of 8,290 fans at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J.

The announced crowd set the league's All-Star Game attendance record, breaking the mark of 8,092 set at last year's contest at Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster.

Castro knocked in four runs and scored two runs to earn MVP honors.

The Freedom Division included players from York, Lancaster, Newark and Somerset. The Liberty Division included players from Bridgeport, Camden, Long Island and Southern Maryland.

The Liberty Division appeared to have the momentum after rallying from a four-run deficit to tie the game, 4-4, in the top of the fourth

inning. But Castro came right back in the bottom of the frame to push the Freedom Division back in front.

The Freedom Division added a pair of insurance runs after Castro's second homer. Somerset's Josh Pressley thrilled the hometown crowd with an RBI double, and Jose Herrera added an RBI single.

Lancaster's Eric Ackerman earned the win despite surrendering four runs in the top of the fourth inning. York Revolution reliever Nick McCurdy pitched the ninth to earn

Advertisement
the save.

York's lone starter in the game, designated hitter Jason Aspito, went 1-for-3. York reliever Jason Olson pitched 11/3 innings and allowed a hit. And York catcher Sandy Aracena came off the bench.

Donald Trump, former Red Sox manager Don Zimmer and former Cubs manager Jim Frey made appearances at the game. And Pressley won the pregame home run derby.

Changes approved: The Atlantic League Board of Directors approved several changes for next season, including moving the 2009 All-Star Game to the fourth week in June. The Newark Bears will host the game next season.

Moving the game had been a concern for some time. In the offseason, Revs owner Peter Kirk noted several major league scouts could not attend last year's Atlantic League All-Star Game because it conflicted with the All-Star Game for several leagues in affiliated baseball.

He also noted that pushing the game into June could provide fans with a true representation of the league's All-Stars, before major league organizations sign away the top talent.

The league will also ditch its best-of-three-game playoff format after this season. The league will adopt a best-of-five-game format for the first and championship rounds.

Teams will also be permitted to carry 27 players on their rosters until May 31, when all rosters will be trimmed to 25 players.