1933 · The first gameChicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward promoted the game for Chicago's Century of Progress exposition. The AL won 4-2 at Comiskey Park, with Babe Ruth hitting the first All-Star home run.
1945 · No gameThe All-Star Game was not played during the final summer of World War II. It returned in 1946 at Fenway Park.
1947 · Fans choose the startersFan balloting selected starting position players for the first time — the same year Wrigley Field first hosted the game.
1959–1962 · Two games per yearMLB staged two All-Star Games each summer for four seasons, with proceeds from the second game supporting the players' pension fund. The experiment ended after Wrigley's 1962 game.
1962 · MVP award beginsMaury Wills and Leon Wagner became the first All-Star Game MVPs, winning the award in the two 1962 games.
1970 · Fan voting returnsAfter a period when players, coaches and managers handled selections, fans again began choosing the starting position players.
1991 · All-Star week expandsThe first FanFest was held in Toronto, helping turn the game into a larger week of baseball events and fan experiences.
2002 · The 7-7 tieBoth teams ran out of pitchers after 11 innings in Milwaukee. The controversial tie led MLB to change roster and game-management rules.
2003–2016 · “This Time It Counts”The league winning the All-Star Game received home-field advantage in the World Series. Beginning in 2017, the better regular-season record determined home field instead.
2020 · No gameThe scheduled Dodger Stadium game was canceled during the pandemic-shortened season. Los Angeles hosted when the event returned there in 2022.
2025 · Home run swing-offAfter a 6-6 tie through nine innings, the NL won the first All-Star swing-off; MLB records the final as a 7-6 National League victory.
2027 · Back at WrigleyThe fourth Wrigley All-Star Game places the Friendly Confines alongside old Yankee Stadium and Cleveland Municipal Stadium as four-time hosts.