Amid the voting laws passed in Georgia in March that potentially can restrict voting access for people of color, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the league was moving the game out of Atlanta.
Government officials in Colorado and Denver immediately began lobbying MLB for the All-Star Game. It was officially announced the game will be played at Coors Field in Denver, home of the Colorado Rockies, which will be played on Tuesday, July 13, 2021.
“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,” Manfred said in a statement. “We appreciate their flexibility and enthusiasm to deliver a first-class event for our game and the region. We look forward to celebrating our sport’s best players and entertaining fans around the world.”
MLB said it chose Denver because the city had already submitted a plan to host a future All-Star Game and could quickly set things in motion for this year’s game.
Details on the cost of tickets, how fans can purchase them and what other events will coincide with the game are still being worked out, the Rockies said. The annual MLB annual draft will be held during the All-Star festivities for the first time.
Denver last hosted the All-Star Game on July 7, 1998, in Coors Field’s fourth year of existence. It was a memorable event. A sold-out crowd of 51,231 saw the American League beat the National League 13-8 in the highest-scoring All-Star Game in history.