The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to many professional sports leagues temporarily shutting down to protect the health of athletes, team employees and fans. Major League Baseball canceled all remaining Spring Training games while initially delaying the start of the regular season.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has ruled out April 9 as a potential target for Opening Day in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasizing citizens exercise “social distancing” for eight weeks.
With no timetable on when play will resume, Manfred remains optimistic that the league can fit in all 162 games this season. He is also hopeful that the 2020 MLB All-Star Game will be able to take place at Dodger Stadium, whether it be as scheduled in July or a later date.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were awarded the exhibition contest back in April of 2018, and they welcomed the likes of Manfred, Vin Scully, Dave Roberts and Justin Turner for an event to unveil the logo last July.
The Dodgers previously hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 1959 and 1980. The former took place at the Coliseum while the latter represents the only one played at Dodger Stadium.
While the expectation is still to hold the 2020 All-Star Game at Chavez Ravine, there is always the possibility that plans change in the coming weeks due to the fluidity of the coronavirus situation.
In the event the All-Star Game is unable to be played this year, it would mark only the second such time in MLB history since 1933, when the first Midsummer Classic was held.
The 1945 All-Star Game, set to take place at Fenway Park, was canceled due to World War II travel restrictions. The ballpark ultimately played host to the exhibition contest the following year.
Because of a strike that shortened the regular season by nearly two months, the 1981 All-Star was additionally pushed back to August. It is only the second Midsummer Classic to be played outside of the month of July (1959).
With the 2021 All-Star Game having already been awarded to the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers would likely be forced to wait an extra year to host the contest should this season’s edition be canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
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