PULASKI, Va. -- Major League Baseball, USA Baseball and the Appalachian League today announced that the 2021 Appalachian League All-Star Game presented by Pennzoil will take place at historic Calfee Park, the home of the Pulaski River Turtles. This marquee event will be broadcast on MLB Network and will bring together the Appalachian League’s top players in the first year of the league’s new format, featuring the nation’s top rising college freshmen and sophomores. First built in 1935 and recently renovated, Calfee Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been voted as one of the best ballparks in America by Ballpark Digest. Additional details about the game and related festivities will be revealed at a later date.
Morgan Sword, MLB’s Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations, said: “Pulaski has one of the best ballparks not just in the Appalachian League but across the entire country. This historic stadium is a great venue to demonstrate both the Appalachian League’s legacy and its future, and we can’t wait to see the league’s brightest stars shine in the first All-Star Game of this new format. The 2021 All-Star Game will be an exciting and memorable event for fans in Pulaski and across the region.”
Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball, said: “Calfee Park and the people of Pulaski have proven themselves to be a first-rate facility and fan-base within the Appalachian League. We cannot think of a better introduction for the first All-Star Game ever to be played in the league’s history than to be featured in this historic venue. It will be a memorable event for the players and the Pulaski community.”
Dan Moushon, the President of the Appalachian League, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the Appalachian League’s best to Calfee Park this summer as we celebrate our first season under the new format. I cannot think of a better stage for our players or experience for our fans.”
JW Martin, General Manager of the Pulaski River Turtles, said: “We are honored to host the inaugural Appalachian League All-Star Game. To have Calfee Park and our baseball community in the national spotlight is an incredible opportunity, and we are eager to welcome the Appalachian League's best to Pulaski for what promises to be a great night of baseball.”
This news follows previous announcements on MLB and USA Baseball’s initiatives to support baseball in Appalachian League communities. As part of the MLB and USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline, the Appalachian League is a critical stop on the development pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States, and this summer and fall, MLB and USA Baseball will partner to bring Fun At Bat school programs and USA Baseball Community Coaching Clinics to across the region. Through these programs, MLB is creating new generations of fans and players, as well as demonstrating a model for other leagues and communities across the country. Top MLB executives recently concluded a tour of the Appalachian League to mark Opening Day. They met with Clubs, fans and local officials to celebrate Opening Day during official stops at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, Tennessee; Hunter Wright Stadium in Kingsport, Tennessee; Bowen Field in Bluefield, West Virginia; and Calfee Park in Pulaski, Virginia along with visits to Greeneville, Tennessee; Elizabethton, Tennessee; Bristol, Virginia; and Princeton, West Virginia.
