State lawmakers tout PNC Park as ideal spot for relocated MLB All-Star Game

In the wake of Major League Baseball’s decision to pull the All-Star Game from Georgia as a reaction to that state’s sweeping new voter regulations, a pair of Pennsylvania state senators have touted PNC Park as a replacement venue.

State Democratic leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and Chariman of the Sports & Exhibition Authority Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, sent a letter to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Friday.

“Pennsylvania stands with Major League Baseball in prioritizing democracy, and we would be honored to host the annual All-Star Game this year,” the letter concluded. “Please consider coming to the state of the nation’s first capital as we work together to protect its principals.”

The letter touted PNC Park as an ideal spot for the July 13 game because of the stadium’s beauty, the area’s amenities for visitors, the history of baseball in Pittsburgh, including the career of Roberto Clemente and the city’s Negro League legacy, and Pennsylvania’s “unfettered access for our citizens to the ballot box.”

Manfred said MLB is in the process of finalizing a new host city for the game and a decision “will be announced shortly.”

The @MLB decision to stand against voter suppression & moving the All Star Game from Georgia is the right one.

Here, PA offers unbridled access to the ballot box for our citizens, so Senator @WayneDFontana & I would like to invite baseball fans to Pittsburgh for the 2021 game. pic.twitter.com/F0Hkl2m3AY

— Senator Jay Costa (@Senatorcosta) April 2, 2021

Pittsburgh has played host to the MLB All-Star Game five times – in 1944 and 1958 at Forbes Field, 1974 and 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium and 2006 at PNC Park.

MLB announced Friday that the league’s annual entry draft, which will be held in conjunction with the All-Star Game this year, has also been pulled out of Georgia. The Pirates will have the first pick in the draft.