MLB awards 2016 All-Star Game to San Diego

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. - The San Diego Padres, who named their ballpark plaza after Commissioner Bud Selig in a controversial decision in August, were rewarded Thursday when they were granted the 2016 All-Star Game.

It will be just the second time since 1963 when baseball began playing only one All-Star Game that a league has hosted back-to-back games.

The decision was announced by Selig at the quarterly owners' meetings, his last before he steps down Jan. 24.

The decision could have playoff implications considering that baseball began awarding home-field advantage to the winner of the All-Star Game in 2003. The National League will likely host three consecutive All-Stars since the Miami Marlins are confident they will host the 2017 All-Star Game. This year's All-Star Game will be hosted by the Reds in Cincinnati.

The Padres, who have not hosted an All-Star Game since 1992, and never since the opening of Petco Park in 2004, created a backlash from fans in August when they announced that they were dedicating an area outside Petco Park to Selig.

"We wanted to do something to recognize his contributions here in San Diego because they are unique," Padres CEO Mike Dee said at the time. "Make no mistake, his contributions to the creation of Petco Park are profound. For those of us who were around and know the trips he made and conversations he had with local officials."

There was an outpouring of criticism in the San Diego community for naming their Hall of Fame plaza after Selig, and an online petition to strip Selig's name form the plaza was started. They wanted the plaza to be named after the late Tony Gwynn, or likely future Hall of Fame pitcher Trevor Hoffman.

The Baltimore Orioles were expected to get the 2016 All-Star Game, but their legal battle with the Washington Nationals over their Mid-Atlantic Sports Network may have prompted Selig to change his mind. They are in court trying to determine whether the Orioles should pay the Nationals more in rights fees.

The only other time one league hosted consecutive All-Star Games was 2006-07, when Pittsburgh's PNC Park and San Francisco's AT&T Park were the sites.