LOS ANGELES — It was star-studded MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night – on and off the field.
With the likes of Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani putting their talents display at Dodger Stadium during the 92nd All-Star Game, the sellout crowd of 52,518included Denzel Washington, Magic Johnson, Billie Jean King and a host of other celebrities.
OK, so no Kardashians, Kanye West or Brad Pitt.
But actor Jon Hamm, comedian Tiffany Haddish, actors Jason Bateman and Miles Teller, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, former NFL star Terrell Owens and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smithwere on hand. So were Warriors co-owner Peter Guber, race car team owner Chip Ganassi, actor Michael Chiklis, former soccer star Alexi Lalas, and U.S. men’s national soccer team coach Gregg Berhalter and midfielder Kellyn Acosta.
Washington — wearing a No. 42 Dodgers jersey — participated in a pregame ceremony honoring Jackie Robinson, a Pasadena native who attended UCLA and played for the Dodgers when the team was based in Brooklyn. There is a statue honoring Robinson outside Dodger Stadium.
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By now, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is familiar with the sight of glitterati.
“With LA, what sets it apart from every large market is the seasonal weather,’’ he said last week. “I think there’s a good mix of obviously great talent, but also other industry talent – celebrities that come to ballgames. It’s just a different vibe. It’s not a negative.
“In the East, it gets to be a little vicious and very cynical. Baseball’s hard. Here on the West Coast, it’s a little bit more lax but make no mistake, the guys compete just as hard.”
Major League Baseball clearly sought to develop relationships with Hollywood stars by launching The All-Star House, a new addition to All-Star week. The house, outfitted with batting cages, an MLB gaming room and array of other amenities, was open from Friday through Sunday.
“… select influencers and celebrities will have the opportunity to experience the creative space during special events planned throughout the weekend,’’ MLB said in a news release, and more than a few influencers and celebrities made it to the actual game Tuesday night.
As the All-Star Game got underway, capping five days of pregame activities, Magic saluted Los Angeles.
“The city did a great job,” he said.
