According to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, the Chicago Cubs are on track to host an MLB All-Star Game in the near future.
Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago quoted the commissioner, implying that some time shorty after 2018 might be in the cards.
“It makes sense the Cubs get an opportunity ahead after the new renovations are complete. This will provide the Cubs and Ricketts family a chance to showcase the unbelievable renovation they are in the midst of doing for Wrigley field. Timing-wise we have the schedule of cities set through Washington (2018). We will have an open and complete competition for the All Star Game beyond that time.”
This is certainly exciting news for baseball fans.
The All-Star Game always feels a bit more special when it’s at one of the game’s classic venues, and so few of those remain standing. Aside from Boston’s Fenway Park (1912) and Chicago’s Wrigley Field (1914), Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (1962) is baseball’s oldest park.
Petco Park in San Diego will host this coming season, while the event will be at Miami’s Marlins Park in 2017 and Washington’s Nationals Park in 2018.
The Cubs have hosted the Midsummer Classic three times, with the most recent coming in 1990. The city of Chicago last hosted the All-Star Game in 2003, when the Chicago White Sox hosted the game at U.S. Cellular Field.
Teams hosting the All-Star Game are generally given three years of notification, so if Wrigley Field is going to host the All-Star Game in 2019 or 2020, we’ll probably know by 2017 at the latest.