With both Chris Sale and Brian Snitker in the dugout, the Braves will be well represented as they host the Midsummer Classic.
The 95th MLB All-Star Game is set to take place at Truist Park, as the Atlanta Braves are set to host the Midsummer Classic for the fifth time in franchise history — and in the fifth different ballpark, no less. They hosted it as the Boston Bees at what became known as Braves Field in 1936, they got it again in 1955 when they were the Milwaukee Braves, they hosted it at Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium in 1972, Chipper Jones electrified the crowd at Turner Field in 2000 and now Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson will have the chance to do the same at Truist Park here in 2025.
Acuña and Olson are no strangers to this stage — this’ll be Acuña’s fifth go-around playing in the All-Star Game, while this will be Olson’s third time participating. Chris Sale was selected by his peers as an All-Star but obviously he’s injured so he won’t be playing. Still, Sale definitely deserves to be here and as evidenced by this being the ninth time that he’s made it, he’s basically become a fixture for the event. Even Brian Snitker has become a veteran at All-Star Games at this point in his long career, as this is now the third time that he’s been privileged to be in the dugout for the big game.
With that being said, this is still a first for all four of Atlanta’s All-Star representatives since this’ll be the first time that any of them will have played an All-Star Game in their home ballpark. Acuña himself is predictably amped up and excited to be playing in the event, as he told me yesterday at the Media Day event something to the effect of that he’s “excited to face off against all of the superstars from the AL and the rest of baseball.”
Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images
It might be a bit unfamiliar territory for Acuña since he’ll be in left field and batting second instead of being in right field and batting leadoff but the point is that it’s still a pretty huge deal for Acuña to be starting tonight’s game in front of the hometown Braves fans. The introductions should be special for all four of the local representatives on the team, despite the fact that the season has currently gone completely off of the rails.
Still, this should be an exciting night and if you’ve been able to grab a ticket then you can consider yourself blessed. From the HBCU Swingman Classic on Friday night through the Futures Game, the Draft, last night’s Home Run Derby and tonight’s All-Star Game, it’s been a week to remember at the ballpark. This figures to be a thrilling culmination and hopefully we’ll see Atlanta’s All-Stars give the local fans a bright spot in what’s been a very dark season so far. Best of luck to Acuña, Olson, Snitker and Sale this evening.
Game Info
Event Date/Time: Tuesday, July 15, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: FOX
Streaming: FOX
Radio: SiriusXM