MLB Cancels All-Star Game For First Time Since WWII

If this comes as a surprise to you, it shouldn't. Major League Baseball has canceled the 2020 All-Star Game, the league announced Friday.

The MLB cited government restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic as why it won't hold the week of fesitivities (All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, Celebrity Softball, etc.). The All-Star Game had originally been scheduled for July 14, hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, the season has not even started, with Coronavirus concerns delaying the season start, with no help from restart negotiations between the league and players taking far longer than expected.

The 2020 MLB season is scheduled to begin on July 23-24.

This obviously means that former Binghamton Rumble Pony and New York Met star Pete Alonso will not be able to defend his 2019 Home Run Derby victory.

The league also announced that the Dodgers will host the 2022 All-Star Game, with Atlanta remaining as the host city for 2021.

The only other time the game was canceled was in 1945, during World War II.

[via Major League Baseball]