Blue Jays could host Toronto's first MLB All-Star Game in over 30 years: report
The Toronto Blue Jays could soon be welcoming the MLB’s finest players north of the border.
The Jays might have had five players selected for this year’s All-Star Game, but none of them have had a chance to represent the American League at the Rogers Centre at any point in their career.
But that could be changing in a few years.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Toronto is expected to be one of the cities on the shortlist for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, along with Atlanta and Baltimore.
Atlanta is in the mix for the 2025 All-Star Game, with Baltimore and Toronto expected to also be on the short list.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 11, 2023
It’s likely that the news has something to do with the recent stretch of $300 million renovations at the Rogers Centre, with the stadium getting a new feel and series of dimensions over the course of this past offseason. We’re already imagining someone launching a home run into the Corona Rooftop Patio in right field during the Home Run Derby.
The Blue Jays haven’t hosted an All-Star Game since 1991, just two years after the opening of the SkyDome in 1989. Joe Carter, Jimmy Key, and Roberto Alomar graced the field for the hometown Jays in that contest, with Toronto winning its first-ever World Series the following season in 1992.
This year, Toronto’s Jordan Romano, Kevin Gausman, Whit Merrifield, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were selected for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.
Gausman ultimately opted out of this year’s edition to spend some additional time with his family, but the other four players are expected to be in attendance when the American League takes on the National League tonight at 8 pm ET.
And it’s already been a winning few days for Toronto, with Guerrero winning last night’s Home Run Derby with 72 long bombs.
Toronto also hosted the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, while the NHL will be in Toronto for the All-Star Game in 2024, its first appearance of that event in the city since 2000.