Perfect Game's All-American Classic is coming to Philadelphia for America's 250th anniversary

FIRST ON FOX: The Perfect Game All-American Classic is headed east, arsenic the world’s largest shot scouting organization’s premier tourney volition beryllium astatine Citizens Bank Park successful 2026, the location of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The All-American Classic volition instrumentality spot connected Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, astatine 5 p.m. ET. Perfect Game CEO Rob Ponger told Fox News Digital however excited helium is for the crippled to beryllium successful Philadelphia.

"It's besides the 250th day of America, right? Philadelphia, Philly, it's similar stars, stripes and prospects, right? 1776 to 2026, America was calved 250 years agone and the aboriginal stars of shot are calved astatine this event," Ponger told Fox News Digital.

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A wide presumption of Citizens Bank Park during the nationalist anthem connected Opening Day betwixt the Philadelphia Phillies and the Texas Rangers. This photograph was taken successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, connected March 26, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The Perfect Game All-American Classic features the apical 60 precocious schoolhouse shot players successful the country, galore of whom spell connected to go first-round draught picks and aboriginal large leaguers.

Phillies stars Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler, Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr., Baltimore Orioles prima Gunnar Henderson, and New York Mets prima Francisco Lindor each played successful the All-American Classic.

With the crippled being successful Philadelphia, Ponger said determination is an added value to the crippled due to the fact that of the humanities worth of the city. He hopes it volition assistance kids marque a representation that lasts a lifetime.

"These kids are going to beryllium making moments that volition past their lifetime. Even if they don't marque it to the majors and whatever, this is simply a infinitesimal and again, you know, erstwhile that nationalist anthem plays earlier the game, you conscionable you instrumentality a measurement backmost and again the relevance of it being the 250th day of America," Ponger said.

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Charlie Manuel shakes players’ hands astatine a Perfect Game 14U Select Fest. This photograph was taken successful Fort Myers, Florida, successful August 2025. (Courtesy of Perfect Game)

"It's our PG All-American game. It's successful Philly, the Liberty Bell successful the background. I deliberation it's conscionable cool."

Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who helped pb the squad to a World Series title successful 2008 and is the winningest manager successful franchise history, is the honorary president of the event.

Ponger called him a Philadelphia fable and said it’s precise meaningful to person him astatine the event.

In summation to the All-American Classic connected Sunday, Perfect Game volition besides person the PG All-Star Game connected Friday, Aug. 14, astatine 11 a.m. ET, and the Launch Hydrate Home Run Challenge connected Saturday, Aug. 15.

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Bryce Harper poses with Perfect Game players for a photograph earlier the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic. This photograph was taken successful San Diego, California, successful August 2019. (Courtesy of Perfect Game)

Ponger hopes the play successful Philadelphia volition supply lifelong memories for not lone the kids, but besides their families, who person been beside them each measurement of the mode connected their journey.

"America is the onshore of accidental and dreams, right? And these kids are connected that way to it. So, it astir sounds cliche, right? But similar I said, stars, stripes, and prospects," Ponger said.

"But the parents, it's each their hard enactment implicit the past (many years) since they're small kids, this is similar hopefully not the climax of it due to the fact that they spell to D1 and they spell to MLB, but for this infinitesimal successful time, they should besides beryllium honored, each the parents, right? And connected apical of that, present their hard work, it's again the symbolism of America."

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