MLB commissioner: Red Sox have ‘expressed interest’ in All-Star Game returning to Fenway Park

The last MLB All-Star Game at Fenway Park was in 1999. Could it return before 2030?

Pedro Martinez pitching during the 1999 MLB All-Star Game held at Fenway Park. Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis

July 16, 2025

3 minutes to read

The MLB All-Star Game’s potential Fenway Park return: Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game remains a spectacle, with the most recent version playing out in front of a packed crowd at Atlanta’s Truist Park on Tuesday night.

A question Red Sox fans have had for over a quarter-century is simple: When will the Midsummer Classic return to Fenway Park? The All-Star Game hasn’t been in Boston since 1999, though that could change in the coming years.

As Boston Globe reporter Peter Abraham recently explored, it’s less a question of if but when.

Abraham asked MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about the potential of an All-Star return to Fenway Park. Manfred reportedly said that the ballpark “would be a great venue” for All-Star festivities.

With Manfred seemingly in support, when would the timing make sense? The game’s location is already set for 2026 (Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies), and 2027’s location is rumored to be Wrigley Field in Chicago.

“Time is one issue,” Manfred told Abraham. “Level of interest of the club is another issue.”

Still, Manfred quickly answered one of his own “issues.”

“The Red Sox have certainly expressed interest,” he explained.

The 1999 All-Star Game was a memorable one, both for neutral fans — who inevitably enjoyed Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr.’s Home Run Derby show — and Red Sox fans, who soaked up an emotional baseball moment when Ted Williams made a dramatic cameo during a presentation of the All-Century Team.

And it was Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez who stole the show, dazzling both the Fenway Faithful and a national television audience by striking out five of the game’s best in two innings in a 4-1 American League win.

Trivia: The Red Sox have had five All-Star Game MVPs in history. Can you name them? One, in the context of this article, is probably fairly obvious.

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: 1970, 1986, 1999, 2008, and 2024.

Scores and schedules:

The Indiana Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun 85-77 at TD Garden on Tuesday night. Caitlin Clark totaled 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists before leaving due to an injury. Former Worcester Academy standout Aliyah Boston notched 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists for Indiana.

The National League emerged victorious at the MLB All-Star Game, surviving the squandering of a 6-0 lead to win it in a home run derby-style tiebreaker. Former Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber provided the difference and was named MVP.

Tonight, the Revolution face the Red Bulls on the road at 7:30 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

TD Garden’s WNBA moment: A sellout crowd cheered the Fever’s win over the Sun.

All-Star Game highlights: A look back at a back-and-forth Midsummer Classic.

On this day: In 1998, the Red Sox routed Cleveland 15-5 thanks to a Troy O’Leary grand slam, and a three-run home run from Nomar Garciaparra (who went 4-for-4 with five RBIs).