Wish granted, Reds to host 2015 All-Star Game
Midsummer Classic will be fifth played in Cincinnati, first at Great American Ball Park
By Mark Sheldon
CINCINNATI — The Reds will get to host one of Major League Baseball’s biggest showcase events, as Cincinnati will be the site of the 2015 All-Star Game.
Commissioner Bud Selig and Reds president and CEO Bob Castellini revealed the news during a Wednesday afternoon news conference at Great American Ball Park, which will host the Midsummer Classic for the first time.
It will be the fifth All-Star Game in Cincinnati, having previously been played at Riverfront Stadium in 1988 and 1970 and Crosley Field in 1953 and 1938.
“This is a red-letter day for us and we couldn’t be more proud,” Castellini said. “You’ve picked the sweet spot of locations for 2015, given that Cincinnati is a baseball town sitting in the middle of baseball’s heartland in what we refer to as ‘Reds Country.’”
Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003 and seats more than 42,000 fans, was built next door to its predecessor — Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field — along the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. When Castellini and his group bought the Reds in 2006, one of his top priorities was to land an All-Star Game for the city.
Not only will the game itself be played, in July 2015, but Cincinnati will also be on display for several events that are part of All-Star Week. Those typically include the Home Run Derby, MLB All-Star Futures Game and a fan fest.
“The fans of Cincinnati, you’re not going to recognize the event that you last saw in 1988,” Selig said. “The All-Star Game remains a celebration of all that’s the best in baseball, as it has been since 1933. But the scale of our festivities today is stunning. The growth of the All-Star Game has mirrored the remarkable growth of the national pastime itself.”
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