MLB Cancels 2020 All-Star Game
BOSTON (CBS) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed 102 MLB games this season. Another game was added to the list on Friday.
Major League Baseball has officially canceled the 2020 All-Star Game, which was set to be held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Atlanta Braves have already been named as hosts of the 2021 All-Star Game, so the Dodgers will host the next available Midsummer Classic in 2022.
"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," Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred said Friday. "I want to thank the Dodgers organization and the City of Los Angeles for being collaborative partners in the early stages of All-Star preparation and for being patient and understanding in navigating the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The 2022 All-Star celebration promises to be a memorable one with events throughout the city and at picturesque Dodger Stadium."
"As excited as we were to host this year's All-Star Game, we know that it will be worth the wait and that Dodger Stadium and Los Angeles will host a world-class event in 2022," said Dodger President & CEO Stan Kasten.
This will mark the first time since 1945 that there is no MLB All-Star game, when the exhibition was canceled due to World War II.
MLB teams opened "summer camp" on Friday as the league inches closer to its return with a 60-game season beginning around July 24.