SEATTLE – When the Seattle Mariners started down the path of petitioning to host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the goal was to host it for the third time in 2024 or later.
When MLB contacted the club earlier this year to ask if 2023 was a possibility, the Mariners were quick to get going.
“I think with some of the changes that occurred, [2023] it became the most viable alternative, “Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday.” And I have to say the Mariners did a fantastic job in terms of acceleration, preparation. It takes a lot to get to an All-Star Game, a lot of preparation and planning, and [el presidente de los Marineros] John [Stanton] and his people did a fantastic job preparing earlier. “
Seattle formally introduced itself as the host of the 2023 Summer Classic on Thursday, making the announcement inside the Space Needle with the attendance of Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez.
Seattle’s first All-Star Game was in 1979 at the Kingdome, and it re-hosted 22 years later in 2001 at Safeco Field.
Twenty-two years later, the game will return to what is now T-Mobile Park.
“I think the 2023 All-Star Game will give us an opportunity to celebrate the entire region,” Stanton said. “I think you have to agree with me, looking out the window today, there is no better place in America than Seattle in the middle of summer.”
Seattle’s turn as host will be part of a group of three consecutive years in which the game is played in the western half of the country. This year’s All-Star Game moved to Denver from Atlanta in April after Manfred made the decision to relocate the game due to a Georgia voting law that critics say will negatively affect communities of color. His decision was generally denounced by conservatives and praised by liberals.
The 2022 game will be held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was originally scheduled to be there in 2020 before being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manfred said he was “not in a position” to comment on talks about a future game in Atlanta and praised Seattle for being ready to receive faster than expected.
“John and his people did a fantastic job preparing earlier. You know our deepest hope is that baseball returns to its traditional kind of apolitical stance,” Manfred said. “Our goal is to entertain our fans, to have an inclusive environment where everyone can come and enjoy our games.”
Seattle’s bid was led by Senior Vice President Randy Adamack, who has been with the franchise for 44 of its 45 seasons.
Adamack said that 2023 was part of the initial conversations, but that originally some of the “pieces of the puzzle didn’t fit together.” There was talk of the possibility of contemplating 2027 for the game and the possibility of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the franchise.
Adamack said that when MLB asked if 2023 was a possibility earlier this year, the biggest complication was securing the hotels. Adamack estimated that Seattle’s initial bargain book was about 120 pages long, much of it on hotel space.
“It all came together in the last few months and here we are,” Adamack said.
A key element of Seattle’s offering was a partnership with First and Goal, which operates Lumen Field across the street from the Mariners’ ballpark. The home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders and the area surrounding the two venues will be used extensively for fan activities.
“The other thing that’s important to MLB is having the support of the city, the support of the county and the state, and we were able to communicate that in real and tangible ways,” Adamack said. “Having the corporate support in the city for this to happen for the business community, the sports community, there are many entities and many people joining.”
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