KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Crowds lined up behind home plate to get into Kauffman Stadium for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
Excitement buzzed in the sultry air before the start of the game.
Many local fans said they were thrilled to see Kansas City and the K get such international exposure.
Sprinkles began to be felt at the stadium just before 5 p.m.
Many families came to the stadium, including the Sale family. Stephanie and Keith Sale brought their sons, Drew, 9, and Garrett, 7. The younger boy proudly wore his Albert Pujols Cardinals jersey.
Both boys said they were excited about seeing Royals great George Brett play in the Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball game.
Stephanie Sale said this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her family.
"I am just excited about watching the boys enjoy the experience," she said.
Some estimates have the All-Star events bringing more than $60 million to Kansas City area coffers.
Fans like Brinn Remmenga will help. Remmenga was sporting Boston Red Sox attire as he waited to enter the stadium. Remmenga drove down from Beatrice, NE, and is staying at an Independence hotel.
Some Red Sox fans had wanted Fenway Park to get this year's All-Star game in honor of Fenway's centennial. But Remmenga wasn't one of them.
He noted that Boston had the All-Star game in 1999.
"It's time for Kansas City," he said. "It's all good."
The All-Star festivities at the Kauffman were made possible because Jackson County voters in 2006 approved a 3/8-cent sales tax to overhaul the K and the adjacent Arrowhead Stadium. During the lead up to the election, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig had promised Kauffman an All-Star game once the renovations were approved and completed.
One of those who played a key role in the renovations was Bob Rice, who is the Royals vice president for ballpark operations. Rice waited outside Kauffman's gates for his children before the start of the Futures Game.
He said everything was going "really great."
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