The Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be hosted by the Colorado Rockies on July 13 at Coors Field, baseball officially announced Tuesday.
The game was originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, but was moved from the state after Georgia passed new laws critics say restricts voting access.
“Major League Baseball is grateful to the Rockies, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado for their support of this summer’s All-Star Game," Commissioner Robert Manfred said in a statement. "We appreciate their flexibility and enthusiasm to deliver a first-class event for our game and the region."
It will be the second time the All-Star Game will be held at Coors Field, with the other time coming in 1998. The event consists of the All-Star Game, the home run derby and the draft, which will be held at a different location in Denver.
“We are excited to host this year’s All-Star festivities at Coors Field,” Rockies chief operating officer Greg Feasel said in a statement. “We are confident that our organization along with the city, state, VISIT DENVER and the Denver Sports Commission are capable of putting on this premier event in a relatively quick time frame because of the preparations that had already been done."
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The city and the team had already put in a bid to MLB to host the All-Star Game, but they were aiming for 2024. MLB already made site visits to Denver, and the city already had detailed plans in the works for security, hotels and event spaces. When MLB reached out last week asking if Denver could host, the city and team were able to say yes since most of this work was done.
"What usually took months or years to happen, happened in a matter of days," Denver mayor Michael Hancock said in a press conference. "We are thrilled and honored that Major League Baseball selected Denver and the Colorado Rockies as the new host of this All-Star Game."
Attendance at Coors Field is capped at 42.6%, but Gov. Jared Polis said he expects the stadium to be fully packed for the game in July. This could bring in more than $100 million to the local economy, Hancock said.
There are few who can recall the 1998 All-Star Game better than Vinny Castilla, who was the Rockies third baseman for 10 years and is now a special assistant to the general manager. He still remembers the chills he felt when his name was announced before the home run derby and the home crowd gave him a standing ovation.
"I was really happy for the organization, for the city," he said. "It brings back a lot of memories from when I was in the game in 1998. It was one of my best experiences as a baseball player."
The Dodgers will remain the host of the 2022 All-Star game. The game was canceled last season because COVID-19 delayed the start of the season until July.
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