Due to the rise of COVID-19, Major League Baseball will cancel the 2020 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, which was scheduled to be hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles in July.
According to Jason Slotkin of NPR and WBEZ Radio, this year’s Mid Summer Classic, planned for July 14, is the first All-Star Game cancelled since World War II. A week of fan activities around the American and National League exhibition match-up, including the Home Run Derby, will also be put on hold this year.
“Once it became clear we were unable to hold this year’s All-Star festivities, we wanted to award the Dodgers with the next available All-Star Game, which is 2022,” said baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr., in a statement.
Manfred said cancelling the All-Star game is the latest hit the league has taken since the pandemic began. In March, the league put a stop to spring training, just two weeks shy of opening day.
“Disagreements between the player’s union and MLB over money and safety concerns further delayed the league’s shortened 60-game season,” Slotkin said. “Late last month, both sides agreed to have opening day on July 23 or 24, with players resuming training at the beginning of the month.”
Next year the Atlanta Braves will host the 2021 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park.
The announcement came after Major League Baseball recently introduced new rules to stem the spread of the virus among players, including a ban on spitting by players during the game.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
