Multiple reports this morning confirm that the MLB's summer showcase will stop by Progressive Field in two seasons. An official press conference on the topic is expected Friday morning.
This will mark the sixth time Cleveland has hosted the festivities and the first since 1997 when one Santos Alomar Jr. hit a two-run dinger that we should all probably watch right now.
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(Original story 8/31/15): Those were the rumblings back in July... that it was happening and all but an open secret in the organization, according to someone who dropped the tip on our doorstep.
It wasn't much but it was enough to bring to the team and the league, both of which gave Scene non-answer answers.
"We have not been officially awarded any All-Star Game no matter what the year is," Tribe senior director of communications Curtis Danburg told Scene via email when asked if Cleveland had been/will be awarded the all-star game. "MLB has announced thru 2018 and doesn’t plan to announce any additional years until 2016."
MLB had a similar answer when asked if Cleveland is getting the 2019 showcase.
"We have announced three ASG sites in the last six months that take us through 2018," MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney told Scene via email. "I do not anticipate we will be announcing anything for future years anytime soon, certainly not in 2015."
Anyway, those certainly aren't denials, and the rumblings haven't stopped.
Cleveland last hosted the ASG in 1997 (during which one Sandy Alomar hit one of The Jake's most famous dingers).
Progressive Field will turn 25 in 2019, and completed a major series of renovations during this past offseason.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters back in February that he hoped to move toward a Super Bowl-esque bidding process for the game.
Manfred did not specify how that bidding would work. However, sources say that rather than choosing cities based on which league they're in, All-Star Game hosts will be chosen in the future based on the merits of the city and ballpark, and which team and city can produce the best "All-Star experience."
We might not find out for awhile, judging by MLB's timeline, whether the league will be following the RNC to town. Other likely candidates to host the ASG in 2019 and beyond include Toronto (where current Tribe president Mark Shapiro will be heading at year's end), Wrigley and Dodger Stadium, all of which have undergone renovations in recent years. In the meantime: Know more? Get in touch: [email protected].
