Seattle Mariners, T-Mobile Park to host 2023 MLB All-Star Game

The Seattle Mariners will host baseball’s Midsummer Classic in 2023.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Thursday that the team’s bid to host the All-Star Game was accepted. The three-day event will take place at T-Mobile Park in July 2023.

“We take very seriously this opportunity and are committed to delivering the best All-Star Game ever,” Mariners Chairman John Stanton said at a Thursday news conference.

This will be the third time Seattle will host the All-Stars. The first was at the Kingdome in 1979, a time when the Mariners were one of the league’s newest clubs. The second was held in 2001 at what was then Safeco Field.

The league changed its process for selecting the host city in 2015. Previously, the process was a bit arbitrary — venues that had new ballparks or hadn’t hosted the All-Star Game were preferred. Now, teams must put together a presentation in which they make a case for their city and submit it to the MLB.

The Mariners began work on their presentation in 2018 and submitted it to league officials in 2019. In addition to the All-Star Game — a contest between the best professional players from the American League and the National League — the event will include the Home Run Derby and the Future’s Game, a seven-inning match played by top Minor League prospects.

“The eyes of this community will be on us in 22 months, and it’s our opportunity to shine,” Stanton said.  

In preparation for the game, Stanton said the Mariners will make more than $50 million in improvements to T-Mobile Park and the surrounding area. However, he did not list specific improvements when asked by a reporter.

This year’s All-Star Game was moved from Atlanta to Denver in protest of a restrictive voting law passed by the Georgia Legislature. Next year’s game will be held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.