Don’t expect the All-Star Game this year at Dodger Stadium

Nothing is official just yet, though it’s been obvious for a while that Dodger Stadium will have to wait even longer to host the MLB All-Star Game. The 2020 midsummer classic, originally scheduled for July 14 in Los Angeles, figures to be a casualty of this year’s shortened MLB schedule.

The plan is to play 60 games in 66 days, followed by the usual postseason in October. That doesn’t leave any time for an All-Star Game.

“We’re still awaiting definitive word from Major League Baseball,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Thursday. “Once we get the schedule for this year, I think there will be a lot of clarity on that. I don’t really know at this point.”

If canceled, this would be the first year without an MLB All-Star Game since 1945.

The next open All-Star slot on the MLB docket is 2022. The 2021 game was already awarded to Sun Trust Park in Atlanta, and the 2026 game will be played in Philadelphia.

Dodger Stadium last hosted the All-Star Game in 1980.

2020 has been one big lesson about best-laid plans. The Dodgers renovated Dodger Stadium to the tune of $100 million in preparation for hosting the All-Star Game this season, only to see the coronavirus pandemic wreak havoc. Construction crews were working double shifts in March in order to finish by the originally planned opening day of March 26. Construction continued after baseball was shut down in mid-March, though at a slower pace and with safety restrictions.

New features include new restaurants, fan areas, entertainment and kid centers, in addition to an upgraded sound system and brand new center field plaza behind the pavilions, plus five new elevators and four new escalators to facilitate fans being able to traverse around the stadium from any level.

The Dodgers have hosted three previous All-Star Games: 1949 at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, 1959 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and at Dodger Stadium in 1980.

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The folks at BetOnline released some statistical leader prop bets, with several Dodgers among the favorites. Cody Bellinger has 15/1 odds to lead the majors in home runs, with only Joey Gallo, Pete Alonso, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, and Yordan Alvarez more highly favored.

Bellinger and Mookie Betts each have 10/1 odds to lead the National League in batting average, with Justin Turner at 12/1.

Betts is the favorite to lead the NL in runs scored at 13/4 odds, with Bellinger at 15/2 odds.