MLB All-Star Game

It’s that time of the year again – fans who enjoy hot dogs and cold drinks on a warm summer day, sunshine spread wide across a freshly manicured field and the crack of a wooden bat striking a ball at the perfect moment, with the intent to launch it into the stands or beyond the park. Yes, it’s baseball season.

MLB All-Star week is a mid summer opportunity for players to showcase their talents and provide fans an entertaining occasion to watch these highlighted skills through events such as the Futures Game, the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game. The Futures Game is the opening event to all-star week and allows up-and-coming players to show their skills. It was designed to highlight “tomorrow’s stars.” 2014 will be the 16th year that the Futures Game is included among all-star activities. The Home Run Derby is held prior to the all-star game (Monday, July 14 this year) and includes the league’s top home run hitters. The goal is to see which player can hit the most home runs.

The All-Star game is played in a National League v. American League format. In 2013, the American League won 3-0. From 2010-2013 the National League claimed victory, but prior to 2010, the American League had won the previous 13 all-star games, excluding 2002 in which the teams tied.

Similar to the NBA all-star game, the MLB game moves to various host cities each year, offering different teams the chance to host and showcase what their city has to offer fans. This season’s all-star game takes place at Target Field, home to the Minnesota Twins. Target Field opened in 2010 and despite the Twins’ recent on-field performance, the stadium is well regarded among baseball fans nationwide. The design was carefully crafted and took over a decade to plan and then construct. In anticipation of the all-star game, Target Field has added two unique self-serve beer machines to the stadium. They debuted earlier in the month during a Twins home game and while they are self-serve, they still remain monitored.

This season’s all-star game is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15 and will air on Fox.