Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. The All-Star Game usually occurs in early to mid-July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Major League Baseball (MLB) season.

Choosing the Venue

The venue is chosen by Major League Baseball and traditionally alternates between the two leagues every year. (This tradition will be broken in 2007, when the San Francisco Giants will be the host for the 2007 All-Star Game. Pittsburgh Pirates will host the 2006 event. Both the Giants and the Pirates are NL teams.) The "home team" is the league in which the host franchise plays its games. The criteria for choosing the venue are subjective. For the most part, cities with new parks and cities who have not hosted the game in a long time tend to get the nod. In 2005, Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, hosted the "Midsummer Classic", as the All-Star Game is popularly nicknamed.

Related Topics:
2007 - San Francisco Giants - Pittsburgh Pirates - 2006 - 2005 - Comerica Park - Detroit Tigers

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The designated hitter rule is applied based on the league in which the host team plays. In an American League ballpark, both teams use a Designated Hitter to hit for the pitcher. In a National League ballpark, both team's pitchers must hit.

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