The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers.[1] The All-Star Game usually occurs in early to mid-July and marks the symbolic halfway point in the Major League Baseball (MLB) season (though not the mathematical halfway point; in most seasons, that actually takes place one week earlier). The game is usually played on a Tuesday, with no regular season games scheduled on the day before or the day after. These are the only two calendar days in the year in which no regular or preseason games in any of the major professional sports leagues of the United States are scheduled. The other three major American sports—basketball, football, and hockey—are in their off seasons in the summer, but otherwise overlap each other frequently in the other three seasons.

From 1959 to 1962 there were 2 all-star games held each season but this format was abandoned.

Since 2003, the pennant winner of the league winning the All-Star Game has been awarded home field advantage for the upcoming World Series.[1] The most recent All-Star Game (2008) was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, home of the New York Yankees. The American League won, extending their unbeaten streak (including the tie game in 2002) to 12 games, securing home field advantage in the World Series for the sixth straight season under the format (and seventh straight counting the pre-scheduled 2002 World Series). The American League has taken advantage of the format every year since its inception; the National League (last win in 1996) has yet to do so. The upcoming All-Star Game (2009) will be at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2010 All-Star Game will be played at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the 2011 All-Star Game will played at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.