MLB confirms 2021 All-Star Game relocated to Coors Field in Denver

DENVER — Coors Field in Denver, the home of the Colorado Rockies, will host the 2021 All-Star Game and surrounding Midsummer Classic festivities, Major League Baseball confirmed Tuesday.

The move comes four days after the league announced its intentions to relocate the events from Atlanta in the wake of restrictive voting laws passed in March by the Georgia Legislature.

“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,” MLB Commissioner Rob 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.”

In statements obtained Monday night by The Denver Post, both Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis championed the pending relocation announcement.

>> Read more trending news

ESPN first reported the new home for this year’s Midsummer Classic, originally slated for July 13 at Truist Park. The move marks only the second time the Colorado Rockies home field has hosted the game with the American League beating the National League 13-8 at Coors in 1998, the sports news network reported.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law last month a sweeping, Republican-sponsored bill that includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. The bill, which also prohibits campaign activists from distributing food and water to voters waiting in line, was finalized on March 25 roughly 15 miles from Truist Park, home to the Atlanta Braves, ESPN reported.

Manfred said in a statement at the time that he discussed the potential move with individual major leaguers and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed after the May 2020 death of George Floyd, before ultimately deciding to make the call “as the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport,” the network reported.

According to KDVR, the Midsummer Classic hosts a week of baseball-themed activities for fans and players, but COVID-19 restrictions are expected to limit the number of fans and events allowed this year.

The 2022 All-Star Game is slated to be played at Dodger Stadium.

Cox Media Group