Tag: midsummer classic

Red Sox’ Rafael Devers named starting third baseman for American League in All-Star Game for second straight year

For the second straight year, Rafael Devers has been named the starting third baseman for the American League All-Star team, Major League Baseball announced on Friday. Devers will represent the Red Sox in the 92nd MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium on July 19.

After being named a finalist to start at third base alongside Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez last Thursday, Devers ultimately beat out the Guardians star by receiving 60 percent of the Phase 2 vote.

Coming into play on Friday, Devers was batting a stout .330/.387/.598 with 27 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 51 RBIs, 59 runs scored, two stolen bases, 25 walks, and 61 strikeouts over 79 games (351 plate appearances) so far this season.

Among qualified American Leaguers, the left-handed hitting 25-year-old ranks first in hits (106), first in doubles, seventh in homers, second in runs scored, 10th in RBIs, second in batting average, seventh in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.986), eighth in isolated power (.268), third in wRC+ (173), and first in fWAR (4.4), per FanGraphs.

While Devers is Boston’s lone representative in the Midsummer Classic at the moment, some of his teammates — such as Xander Bogaerts or Nick Pivetta — could still be joining him in Los Angeles. Pitchers and reserves for both the American and National League teams will not be unveiled until Sunday.

Opposite of Devers, Padres third baseman will be starting at the hot corner for the National League. Former Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts also made his second All-Star team as a member of the Dodgers.

(Picture of Rafael Devers: Elsa/Getty Images)

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Red Sox ‘lobbying hard’ for MLB All-Star Game to return to Fenway Park, Sam Kennedy says

The Red Sox would like to host the MLB All-Star Game sometime in the not-so-distant future, team CEO and president Sam Kennedy said when speaking with reporters at JetBlue Park on Tuesday.

“We are lobbying hard at the Major League Baseball level,” said Kennedy. “I think we’re finally coming up in the rotation at some point here. 1999 was amazing. That was just an incredible night so we’d love to have the All-Star Game back.”

As Kennedy pointed out, the Red Sox last hosted the All-Star Game at Fenway Park in 1999, when MLB honored its All-Century team. According to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the club would like to bring the Midsummer Classic back to Boston within the next five years.

“The Sox are aggressively pushing for the Midsummer Classic to come back to Boston in the coming years, multiple sources said, and have had discussions with Major League Baseball about doing so,” Cotillo wrote on Tuesday. “Word is that two specific years — 2025 and 2027 — are on the club’s radar.”

Why 2025 and 2027? Well, MLB has already determined where three of the next five All-Star Games will be. Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium will host the game this summer while Seattle’s T-Mobile Park will do so next year.

The 2024 slot remains available, though Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park will host the keystone event in 2026 to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

With that, the Red Sox do have some options when it comes to hosting the game, though Kennedy reiterated Tuesday that the team would prefer it returns to Boston sooner rather than later.

“ASAP,” Kennedy said when asked about a potential year. “When it’s available, when it works for Major League Baseball, we’d love to be considered.”

Since it first opened in 1912, Fenway Park has hosted the All-Star Game on three separate occasions: 1946, 1961, and 1999. The city of Boston, on the other hand, has hosted four Midsummer Classics since the 1936 installment was held at Braves Field — which was then called National League Park.

(Picture of Fenway Park: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)