Paradise Valley, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Diego Padres will host the 2016 All-Star Game.
Major League Baseball made the announcement Thursday at the conclusion of its quarterly meetings in Arizona.
"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," said outgoing commissioner Bud Selig in a statement Thursday. "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."
San Diego will host the All-Star Game for the third time, but it will be the first for Petco Park, which opened in 2004. Jack Murphy Stadium hosted the Mid-Summer Classic in 1978 and 1992.
"The San Diego Padres are honored to host Major League Baseball's 2016 All- Star Game at Petco Park," said Padres chairman Ron Fowler. "Padres fans have been awaiting the return of the Mid-Summer 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.'"
Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park will host this year's All-Star Game.
San Diego's selection for next year will mark the second time in recent years that the contest will be played in National League parks consecutively, as Pittsburgh hosted in 2006 and San Francisco followed in 2007.
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