The top talents at the Triple-A level will all convene at Durham Bulls Athletic Park next year as the Durham Bulls will host the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game. The 27th annual Triple-A All-Star Game will take place on July 16, 2014, pitting the best players in the Pacific Coast League against the talents of the International League. It will be the first time that the Triple-A All-Star game will be played in Durham and will be the headliner during a five-day gala of festivities including the home run derby and the Fan Fest. According to Durham CVB President Shelly Green, the All-Star festivities will bring an estimated $3.3 million in visitor spending to the area. The game has averaged more than 13,500 fans in the past five years.
“Hosting the Triple-A All-Star Game is a tremendous honor and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase not only the Bulls organization, but Durham and the entire Triangle community,” said Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling. “This is really a five-day showcase of minor league baseball.”
Durham, which will again host the ACC tournament this year, served as the backdrop to the best in Triple-A a year ago when the Triple-A National Championship was played at DBAP. Despite a sizeable amount of rain, the game was played and drew over 8,000 fans. That was a major factor in the mid-summer contest coming to Durham. “In large part due to the success of that event, when the decision of where to play the 2014 All-Star Game came about, Durham went to the top of the list,” International League President Randy Mobley said.