The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1998 to 2019. Previously, the American Association competed along with the IL and PCL before it disbanded following the 1997 season. The 2020 game was cancelled along with the entire minor league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 game was postponed and not rescheduled after a delayed start to the season. There has been no indication that the Triple-A All-Star Game will resume in the future.
All-Star players were selected through a vote by team managers and general managers, members of the media, and fans. From the inaugural 1988 event through 1997, teams of American League-affiliated Triple-A All-Stars faced off against teams of National League-affiliated Triple-A All-Stars. During this period, six games were won by National League teams, and four were won by American League teams. From 1998 through 2019, the IL and PCL each fielded a team composed of players in their respective leagues. The International League won 12games, while the Pacific Coast League won 10.
Traditionally, the game took place on the day after the mid-summer Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The game was meant to mark a symbolic halfway-point in the season (though not the mathematical halfway-point which, for most seasons, was usually one month prior). The Triple-A leagues shared a common All-Star break, with no regular-season games scheduled for two days before the All-Star Game itself. Some additional events, such as the All-Star Fan Fest and Triple-A Home Run Derby, took place each year during this break in the regular season.
Due to the odd number of leagues, it was decided that one team would be made up of All-Stars from American League (AL) affiliates and the other of players from National League (NL) affiliates, with each Triple-A team having at least one representative.[5] Starting players were elected by voters in each Triple-A city, while reserve players were chosen by a committee of the three league presidents and representatives from Baseball America, which sponsored the game.[6]
At the inaugural Triple-A All-Star game on July 13, 1988, in Buffalo, the AL All-Stars defeated the NL team, 2–1, before a sellout crowd of 19,500people and a national television audience watching on ESPN.[7]Ed Jurak (Tacoma Tigers, PCL) was selected as the first Triple-A All-Star Game Most Valuable Player after leading off the top of the ninth inning with a triple and then scoring the winning run on Bob Geren's (Columbus Clippers, IL) ground out.[7] Another part of the All-Star festivities was the Triple-A Home Run Derby, a contest to see which player could hit the most home runs. The first, held the day before the 1988 game, was won by Columbus' Geren.[8]
The AL-versus-NL format continued to be used through the 1997 Triple-A All-Star Game.[7][9] In the final game to utilize this format, the AL affiliates defeated the NL affiliates, 5–3, at Sec Taylor Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, home to the AA's Iowa Cubs, on July 9, 1997.[9] All told, the National League won six Triple-A All-Star Games, and the American League won four.[7][9]
The American Association ceased operations after the 1997 season.[10] So in 1998, the teams were reorganized so that one consisted of International League All-Stars and the other of Pacific Coast League All-Stars.[11] The first IL versus PCL match-up occurred on July 8, 1998, at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia, home of the IL's Norfolk Tides, with the IL team winning, 8–4.[11]
From 2006 to 2016, the winning league earned the distinction of having its league champion (determined at the end of the season) being given home team status for the Triple-A National Championship Game, a single game to determine a Triple-A champion in the postseason.[12] This changed in 2017, when home team status began being awarded to the team from the league which hosted the championship game.[13]
2015 IL All-Stars before the game
The most recent edition of the Triple-A All-Star Game was played on July 10, 2019, at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas, home to the PCL's El Paso Chihuahuas.[14] The PCL won, 9–3, before 9,706 in attendance and a national television audience on MLB Network.[14]Ty France (El Paso, PCL) and Eric Haase (Columbus, IL) were selected as the Top Stars (MVPs).[14] Over 22meetings, the International League won 12 Triple-A All-Star Games, and the Pacific Coast League won 10.[11][14][15][16]
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the IL and PCL disbanded, and Triple-A teams were reorganized into the Triple-A East and Triple-A West.[20]Opening Day for the 2021 season was postponed for nearly a month to temporarily eliminate commercial air travel and give players the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the season started.[21] While the 2021 schedule originally included a three-day All-Star break,[22] this was removed after the delayed start.[23][24] The 2021 Triple-A All-Star Game, scheduled to be held at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, home to the Triple-A West's Round Rock Express,[25] was postponed and not rescheduled.[26] In 2022, the Triple-A East and West were renamed the International League and Pacific Coast League, respectively, and they carried on the history of those leagues prior to reorganization.[27] The 2022 Triple-A schedule included a four-day All-Star break from July 18–21, but there has been no indication that the All-Star Game will resume.[28]
Structure
2015 PCL All-Stars before the game
In the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Game, the most recently held, each league's roster consisted of 33players, though the actual number of players on gameday may have been less due to call-ups, injuries, or players choosing not to participate.[29] Thirteen players were elected for each team through a vote by team managers and general managers, members of the media, and fans.[29] Twenty additional players were selected by each league office to fill out their rosters.[29] One goal of adding these additional players was to ensure every Triple-A team was represented.
The game itself consisted of a single nine-inning game to determine a champion. The league in which the host city competed was considered the home team, and the other team was designated as the visiting team. Designated hitters batted in place of pitchers. The only All-Star game to ever go beyond the prescribed nine innings was the 2004 event.[15] Rules restricted the game from going beyond 10innings, but the International League scored in the bottom of the 10th inning, avoiding a tie game as the result.[15]
Historically, players wore their respective team's uniforms. Players on the home team wore their club's white home uniforms, while players on the away team wore their club's gray road uniforms. Often, a patch depicting the game's logo was sewn onto their jerseys and/or caps.[30] One exception was in 2017, when players wore league-specific jerseys paired with the appropriate home/road pants and their respective team's cap.[31]
The game was umpired by a four-man crew, with one umpire behind home plate and the others covering each base. Two of the umpires worked in the IL, while two worked in the PCL. Positions rotated each year, such that IL umpires were assigned to home plate and second base in even years, and PCL umpires manned those positions in odd years.[32]
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards at the Triple-A All-Star Game went by various names. One player was selected in the inaugural 1988 contest for the SportsTicker "Star of Stars" Award. From 1989 through 1997, the award was bestowed upon one player from each Triple-A league. For 2004, this award was renamed the TSN "Star of the Game" Award. From 2005 to 2016, it was known as the MiLB.com "Top Star" Award. From 2017 to 2019, it was the Bush's Beans "Top Star" Award.[35]
Additional awards were given out to honor the best overall performance and/or best pitching performance from 2000 to 2008. From 2000 to 2003, two players were honored as the Maurice Lacroix/Lou Gehrig Players of the Game—one as "Player of the Game" and one as "Pitcher of the Game." In 2004, one player was selected as the Dodge Most Valuable Player. From 2005 to 2007, this award has given out as the Bank of America Most Valuable Player Award. The Bank of America Most Valuable Pitcher Award was given in 2008.[35]
Matt Davidson, winner of the 2013 Triple-A Home Run Derby, hitting in the 2015 contest
The Triple-A Home Run Derby was an annual home run hitting contest usually held two days before the Triple-A All-Star Game.[42] Though the rules changed from year to year, the 2019 iteration featured eight players—four of the top home-run-hitters from each league—competing to see who could hit the most home runs within a time limit.[43][44] The single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds. The first two rounds determined which of the four hitters from each league would compete in the final round against the winner from the other league.[44]
Fifteen contests were won by Pacific Coast League players, while 13 were won by International League players, two by American Association players, and one by a retired player. Rob Stratton (2003 and 2007) and Chad Huffman (2009 and 2018) were the only participants to win the derby twice. Juan González is the only player to win the Triple-A Home Run Derby and the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby. He won the Triple-A version in 1990 and the MLB version in 1993.[45]
Each Triple-A All-Star Game was broadcast on radio across various regional and national sports networks.[7][9][11][14][15][16] The 1988 and 1989 events were televised on ESPN.[7] It was carried on Prime Network from 1990 to 1992.[7] The 1993 game was not televised, but it returned to SportSouth/Prime Network in 1994.[9]ESPN2 broadcast the game from 1995 to 2009.[9][16] It aired on MLB Network from 2010 to 2019.[14][16]
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team will begin play at Daybreak Field at America First Square in 2025. The team previously played its home games at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City from its opening in 1994 until the end of the 2024 season. Formerly known as the Salt Lake Buzz from 1994 to 2000 and the Salt Lake Stingers from 2001 to 2005, the team adopted the Bees moniker in 2006. Since their inception in 1994, they have been a part of the PCL, including the 2021 season when the league was called Triple-A West.
The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named for Baseball Hall of Famer and Texas native Nolan Ryan, who was nicknamed "The Ryan Express." Ryan, along with son Reid Ryan and Don Sanders make up the team's ownership group, Ryan Sanders Baseball.
The American Association (AA) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated primarily in the Midwestern and South Central United States from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997. It was classified as a Triple-A league, which is one grade below Major League Baseball, for most of its existence.
The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbirds play their home games at AutoZone Park, which opened in 2000 and is located in Downtown Memphis. The team previously played at Tim McCarver Stadium in 1998 and 1999.
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Werner Park, which opened in 2011. The team previously played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium from 1969 to 2010.
The Triple-A World Series was an interleague postseason championship series between the league champions of the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball to determine an overall champion of the classification held in 1983 and from 1998 to 2000.
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball (MLB).
Triple-A has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). There are 30 teams, one per each Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, with 20 in the IL and 10 in the PCL. Triple-A teams are generally located in smaller cities who do not have major sports league teams such as Syracuse, Toledo, Reno and Omaha as well as larger metropolitan areas without MLB teams that may also have teams in other major sports leagues, such as Austin, Jacksonville, Columbus, Buffalo, and Indianapolis. Four Triple-A teams play in the same metro areas as their parent clubs.
The Triple-A National Championship Game is a single interleague postseason baseball game between the league champions of the two affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball (MiLB)—the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League (PCL)—to determine an overall champion of the classification. With the exceptions of 2020 and 2021, the game has been held at the end of each season since 2006.
Double-A is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League Baseball, organized into three leagues: the Eastern League, the Southern League, and the Texas League.
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, and play their home games at Constellation Field.
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