Baseball\u2019s midsummer classic, which returns to Philly for the first time since 1996, will be more than just a game, as the city will be the center of the baseball world for nearly a week.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at what to expect:<\/p>\n
When: 7 p.m., Friday<\/p>\n
TV: MLB Network<\/p>\n
Location: Citizens Bank Park<\/p>\n
What you need to know: The fourth annual game is a showcase of the best players from historically Black colleges and universities. The classic was founded by Ken Griffey Jr. as a way to give a platform to players who often are overlooked.<\/p>\n
The local connection: Jimmy Rollins will manage one of the teams, and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a> will throw out the first pitch. The teams will visit City Hall before the game to honor Octavius Catto, a civil rights activist who cofounded one of America\u2019s first organized Black baseball teams in 1865. There is a statue of Catto outside City Hall. Mayfair<\/a>\u2019s Santino Harwood<\/a> will play in the game. The Roman Catholic grad is a shortstop at Delaware State.<\/p>\n When: 1:30 p.m., Saturday; TBD Sunday.<\/p>\n Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center Grand Hall<\/p>\n What to know: The event is free to attend, but ticket registration has closed. The draft used to be held at MLB Network\u2019s studio in Secaucus, N.J., before the league moved it to All-Star Week starting in 2021. The White Sox have the first pick, and the Phillies have to wait until No. 36 for their first selection.<\/p>\n When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday<\/p>\n Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center<\/p>\n What to know: The event is similar to Fan Fest that came with the 1996 game, but it\u2019s much bigger now. The village will feature big league mascots and appearances by a cast of Phillies legends including Steve Carlton, Cole Hamels, John Kruk, Larry Bowa, Dave Cash, and Carlos Ruiz. Fans can make their own strikeout call, test food from around the majors, throw a pitch, take batting practice, see the World\u2019s Largest Baseball, and even strap on a Velcro suit, jump, and stick on a wall for a home run-robbing photo op.<\/p>\n When: Noon Sunday <\/p>\n Location: Citizens Bank Park<\/p>\n TV: NBC10<\/p>\n What to know: The game is a collection of baseball\u2019s best prospects as each team sends two players from its farm system. The players are split into American League and National League squads. The game will feature nine of MLB Pipeline\u2019s Top 10 prospects including top-ranked Jes\u00fas Made, a shortstop in the Milwaukee Brewers\u2019 system.<\/p>\n Local connection: The teams will be managed by Larry Bowa and Shane Victorino. Gage Wood, who may have a shot to reach the majors this year, will represent the Phillies a year after they drafted the hard-throwing right-hander 26th overall. Wen-Hui Pan, a right-handed reliever, also was selected for the Futures Game. Both pitchers are with double-A Reading.<\/p>\n When: Following the Futures Game on Sunday<\/p>\n Location: Citizens Bank Park<\/p>\n What to know: New this year, MLBx replaces the Celebrity Softball Game. The fast-paced event is a modified home-run hitting challenge in which players are awarded points for their hitting and the catches they make in the field.<\/p>\n Local connection: Ryan Howard, Rollins, and Victorino will captain teams, with Atlanta Braves legend Andruw Jones leading the fourth squad. Howard has Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith<\/a> on his team while Rollins is teamed up with Terrell Owens. Each team includes an MLB legend, a professional softball player, and a nonbaseball celebrity.<\/p>\n When: 8 p.m. Monday, July 13<\/p>\n TV: Netflix<\/p>\n Location: Citizens Bank Park<\/p>\n What to know: It\u2019s been 20 years since Howard won the Home Run Derby. The Phillies are due. Bryce Harper<\/a> is the last player to win the derby in his home ballpark, which he did with the Nationals in 2018 by beating … Kyle Schwarber<\/a> in the final round.<\/p>\n The competitors: There will be eight participants, but could two of them be Phillies? Perhaps we\u2019ll see a rematch of the 2018 final.<\/p>\n The format: The league is ditching the clock that governed the derby since 2015, as players now will be given a finite number of swings per round. A batter gets 20 swings in Round 1, 15 in Round 2, and 15 in the final. If a batter homers on their final swing, they keep swinging until they come up empty. The top four players from the first round move to Round 2, and the top two then move to the final round. The tiebreaker in Round 1 is home run distance, and Rounds 2 and 3 use a three-swing swing-off.<\/p>\n When: 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 14<\/p>\n TV: MLB Network<\/p>\n Location: Independence Hall<\/p>\n What to know: The players will showcase their fashion just steps from the Liberty Bell before walking all the way to South Philly. Just kidding. They\u2019ll board a bus and head to the game after walking the red carpet. This event is free for fans to attend, but ticket registration has closed.<\/p>\n When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 14<\/p>\n TV: Fox29<\/p>\n Location: Citizens Bank Park<\/p>\n What to know: Only one player has won back-to-back All-Star Game MVP awards, Mike Trout in 2014-15. Could Schwarber be the next? It\u2019ll be hard to match last year\u2019s heroics, when Schwarber won the game for the NL in a dramatic swing-off at the Atlanta Braves\u2019 stadium. Expect the game to have a star-studded lineup for pregame ceremonies and something special during the game. Last year\u2019s tribute to Hank Aaron set the bar.<\/p>\n Phillies in the game: Brandon Marsh<\/a> will start after receiving the most votes on the fan ballots. He will be joined by Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Jhoan Duran<\/a>, and Cristopher S\u00e1nchez<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min The wait is finally over. It was more than seven years ago that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":782455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,370053,85],"class_list":["post-782454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-all-star-classic-citizens-bank-park-baseball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Pitcher](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/3DOC5K5QHJGPJNW7EVZVTLGABM.jpg\")
Pitcher Gage Wood was the Phillies’ top pick in last year’s MLB draft.Read more<\/a>Yong Kim \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MTV5MJCQTRCGHCGVU33KASHN7Y.jpg\")
Former Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels is scheduled to make an appearance at MLB’s All-Star Village. Read more<\/a>Yong Kim \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n![\"Bryce](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/N7NZPVPFVRGP5B4H3DCUTSXTSU.jpg\")
Bryce Harper was the last slugger to win the home run derby in his home ballpark. However, that was in 2018 while he was with the Nationals.Read more<\/a>Jose F. Moreno \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/d1dazej9q2gz23.cloudfront.net\/06-24-2026\/t_4f7115a7d19f4129aa692c544262d75f_name_Copy_of_GDC.jpeg\")
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