AP source: Miami Marlins will host 2017 All-Star Game
MIAMI (AP) The Marlins' wait to host an All-Star Game will end in the franchise's 25th season.
Miami has been awarded the 2017 game, and an announcement by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is planned for this week at Marlins Park, a person familiar with the decision said Wednesday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision, first reported by The Miami Herald, had not been announced.
The Marlins started play in 1993 and two years later were awarded the 2000 All-Star Game at Pro Player Stadium. After ownership dismantled the roster of the team's 1997 World Series champions, Major League Baseball took away the game in 1998 and awarded it to Atlanta's Turner Field.
Marlins Park opened in 2012, and the team is up the upswing following a busy offseason. The Marlins signed slugger Giancarlo Stanton to a record $325 million, 13-year contract and are widely expected to contend for their first playoff berth since 2003.
The All-Star Game will be played in Cincinnati this year and in San Diego in 2016, meaning a National League team will host the game in three consecutive seasons. That gives the NL a competitive edge, because the league that wins the game earns home-field advantage in the World Series.
''Awarding the 2017 All Star Game to Miami is of interest to us, because under the current guidelines, it gives the home-field advantage to the National League for three successive years,'' players' association head Tony Clark said in an email to The Associated Press. ''We plan to discuss the matter with the commissioner's office to learn more about the considerations that went into making this decision, as well as to learn more about the selection process to determine future host cities.''
Four current ballparks have yet to be assigned an All-Star Game - the homes of the Yankees, Phillies, Nationals and Rays. The Braves plan to move into a new ballpark in 2017.
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AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
