Red Sox make formal proposal to host All-Star Game

Back in 1999, Fenway Park was the host of what was probably the most memorable All-Star week of my lifetime, and one that has to be up there with the greatest in the history of the sport. It featured a thrilling Home Run Derby at the peak of the steroid era, but before we really knew and/or cared about it. Ted Williams came out on the field before the actual game with all of the then-current players crowding around to get a chance to even briefly interact with the legend. Pedro Martinez had one of the greatest All-Star performances of all-time. It was a great environment, and the performances and events somehow rose even above that.

That was now over 20 years ago, and given that there are 30 baseball teams that would mean the Red Sox are coming up on a time when they should once again be hosting an All-Star Game. That’s not lost on the ownership group, and according to a report from Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, they made a proposal to the league recently to host once again in the near future. We had heard already in the spring that this was something the team was looking at, but this is the first word that a formal proposal was made.

Abraham points out that the All-Star Games for 2022, 2023, and 2026 are filled up — 2026 is in Philadelphia, I believe to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States — and indicates that 2025 seems to be the best fit. That would put a 26-year gap between All-Star Games in Boston. If they do get approved to host that year or another in the near future, they’ll have a hard time repeating what was created at Fenway in 1999, but I’d sure be down for them to try.