MLB rolls out the red carpet ahead of All-Star Game at Nationals Park

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — It’s all about the best of the best in baseball for Tuesday’s All-Star Game and that meant rolling out the red carpet for the top players in the American and National leagues.

Nationals Park is hosting the 89th annual Midsummer Classic. Washington hasn’t hosted the major league game since 1969.

The All-Star players from across the country put on a show for the fans as they walked the red carpet with their families and signed autographs hours before the first pitch. Fans donning many teams’ jerseys waited in line for hours in the heat just to catch a glimpse of their favorite player.

“These guys are good, really good. Some of the best we’ve ever seen," Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer said. "The fact that I get the ball, toe the rubber and get to face them, really cool experience."

Attending the All-Star Game was a no-brainer for Logan Smith and his father Robert, who’ve bonded over baseball since he was a toddler.

“I’ve been taking him to games since he was 3 or 4,” Robert Smith said.

Every year they travel to a different stadium, but the Nationals ticket holders decided to stay local to watch the All-Star game at their home field. It’s been nearly 50 years since the District last hosted the Midsummer Classic and the father-son duo wasn’t about to miss it.

“We’ve been ready for this moment for pretty much as long as I’ve been alive. So, I’m really excited,” 24-year-old Logan Smith said. “I just recently got married and moved out, so I’m not with him as much anymore but we still make sure we go to our Nats games together.”

Even the youngest fans know how rare a game it is.

“This is like a lifetime experience and they won’t be back here for another, like, 30 years,” 9-year-old Cameron Bates said.

There was a sea of Nationals red as fans lined up to see their favorite players and as they entered the stadium, but some say this is a time to put down the rivalries and enjoy the sport.

“You see a New Yorker, you see a Philly guy, you see a Nats guy, you see an Orioles guy. You see them all together because it’s about baseball. It’s America’s favorite pastime,” District resident Karan Hofmann said.

The Monday night’s Home Run Derby champ was a fan favorite on the red carpet.

“Bryce Harper! Number one!” a fan yelled.

“It’s our home park and it’s a lot of fun to be here with all them. It’s great,” Harper said.

Even though they’ve been named the best of the best, some players are still in awe of the fanfare.

“There’s so much Nationals stuff here, a couple people with my jersey, which is crazy to me. It’s been awesome,” Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle said. “I don’t know I just got here. There are so many big names on this team, so many big names in this game, that for somebody to spend their hard-earned money on my jersey, I think it’s pretty cool.”