MLB officially moves All-Star Game to Denver's Coors Field

The All-Star Game will be played at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Major League Baseball officially announced the new venue Tuesday after pulling the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta over objections to extensive changes to Georgia’s voting laws.

Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998. The game will be July 13.

“Major League Baseball is grateful to the Rockies, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado for their support of this summer’s All-Star Game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We appreciate their flexibility and enthusiasm to deliver a first-class event for our game and the region. We look forward to celebrating our sport’s best players and entertaining fans around the world.”

MLB decided to move the game from Truist Park in Atlanta in response to Georgia voting rules signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on March 25. Critics, including the CEOs of Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola, have condemned the changes as being too restrictive.

The Georgia law includes new limits on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run, amid a push in Republican-led states to reduce voting options after former president Donald Trump made baseless claims of widespread fraud in last year’s election.

Colorado has a Democratic governor in Jared Polis and a Democratic-controlled legislature.

The Rockies presented a detailed blueprint for hosting the game, from providing hotels to security. Polis and Mayor Michael Hancock also pledged to supply facilities and services as needed to support this year’s festivities.

Manfred made the decision to move the All-Star events and the amateur draft from Atlanta after discussions with individual players and the Players Alliance, an organization of Black players formed after the death of George Floyd last year, the commissioner said in a statement.