The host city was announced on April 6, 2015, by
Major League BaseballCommissionerRob Manfred;[1] it was the fifth All-Star Game in
Washington, D.C., and the first since
1969, when the second
Washington Senators hosted. It was also the first time that the Nationals had hosted the All-Star Game, and the first time that the Nationals franchise had hosted it since
1982, when the franchise played as the
Montreal Expos. For the second straight year, the
Houston Astros led both the American League and all of baseball in sending six All-Stars to the game.
The two leagues came into the game with identical 43–43–2 records and both had scored exactly 361 runs each in All-Star Game history. The game also broke a home run record, as ten home runs were hit in the game; the previous record being six. All but one run was scored by way of a home run. This is the second consecutive game the AL has won in the 10th inning.
The national rating for the game was 5.2, down from 6.5 in
2017.[2]
Fan balloting
Starters
Balloting began on June 1 and ended on July 5.[3] As in previous games, the top vote-getters at each position will be the selected starters for their respective positions, barring any suspensions, injuries or other issues. The reserve players are picked in a more convoluted way involving fan votes, players, and Commissioner's Office. For the fourth year, voting was conducted online exclusively.[4] The results were announced on July 8.[5]
Final roster spot
After the rosters were finalized, a second ballot of five players per league was created for the
All-Star Final Vote to determine the 32nd and final player of each roster. The online balloting was conducted from July 8 through July 11.[6] The winners of the All-Star Final Vote were
Jean Segura of the American League's
Seattle Mariners and
Jesús Aguilar of the National League's
Milwaukee Brewers.[7]