Report: Nationals Park will play host to 2018 MLB All Star Game

By Ethan Finkelstein | Apr 5, 2015

Sep 28, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; General view of the scoreboard after the game between the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 1-0 and Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27) threw a no-hitter. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2018 MLB All Star Game will take place in Washington D.C., according to reports.

The Major League Baseball All Star Game is perhaps the best of its kind in professional team sports. The pageantry and fanfare associated with the weekend’s festivities creates memories for fans that can last an entire lifetime. From the red carpet pre-show, to the home run derby, to the actual exhibition (one which determines which league receives home field advantage in the World Series), there are countless activities to take in.

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The entirety of that amusement is set to land in Washington D.C. come 2018, this according to the Washington Post. The newspaper reports that an announcement is expected on Monday to name Nationals Park, the home site for the aptly named franchise, the host stadium in three years time.

This season, the Great American Ballpark, home to professional baseball’s oldest franchise, the Cincinatti Reds, will be the game’s official location. On deck in 2016 is Petco Park, with Marlins Park set to take over the reins in 2017.

It will potentially be the first all star game held in the nation’s capital since the Senators were still a major league franchise. That was in 1969, the inaugural year of divisional play in MLB history, as well as the first with a lowered pitcher’s mound. The game took place at the now dormant RFK Stadium.

This 2015 season will mark the franchises’ tenth anniversary under the Nationals banner.

The funny thing is that this appears to be one of the worst kept secrets in recent memory. For a city known to conspiracy theorists for its cover ups, rumors of this impending announcement have been swirling for quite some time.

Just last week, the mayor of DC made a reference to the bid placement in a speech. Apparently, a new banner has been placed in left field, but until now has remained covered up. In March, the team even publically announced its candidacy for the 2018 location selection.

Regardless, the setting, should it indeed become official on Monday, would be quite pristine, as Nationals Park has remained one of the MLB’s most beautiful stadiums since it first opened its doors back in 2005.

H/T Washington Post

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