San Diego’s Petco Park to host ’16 All-Star Game

Petco Park will host the 2016 All-Star Game. (USATSI)

The 2016 All-Star Game — and, of course, all the events that go along with it — will be held in San Diego, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.

“I am very pleased to award the 2016 All-Star Game to the San Diego Padres, who made a detailed and comprehensive bid in conjunction with city officials,” outgoing commissioner Bud Selig said. “San Diego is one of America’s most beautiful cities, and showcasing Petco Park in its thriving downtown will be a remarkable opportunity for the Padres franchise and all of Major League Baseball.”

Traditionally, the All-Star Game has alternated leagues, but that chain has been broken a few times and it has happened again, with the NL’s Cincinnati Reds hosting this coming season and then the San Diego Padres hosting the game in Petco Park in 2016.

San Diego last had an All-Star Game in 1992, when Jack Murphy Stadium (later Qualcomm Stadium) hosted.

The favorite for a while to host the 2016 All-Star Game was the Orioles — who hosted the festivities in Camden Yards in 1993 — but many speculate the dispute with MLB and the Nationals over territorial rights with cable station MASN soured MLB on the choice.

Sticking in the same area, the Nationals have been considered a favorite to land the 2017 All-Star Game. Nationals Park is one of the few current venues to have not played host to the Midsummer Classic.

Still, for now the focus remains on San Diego. It has to be an exciting time for the locals. New GM A.J. Preller has amped up the excitement level surrounding the local team this offseason with a bevy of high-profile moves and now the city has landed the league’s prestigious mid-summer event.

“The San Diego Padres are honored to host Major League Baseball’s 2016 All-Star Game at Petco Park,” said Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler. “Padres fans have been awaiting the return of the Midsummer Classic for more than two decades, and we are thrilled with today’s news. We thank Commissioner Selig, Commissioner-Elect Rob Manfred and all of Major League Baseball for selecting ‘America’s Finest City.'”

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