Jul 14, 2026 - Sports

The Philly projects built from MLB's All-Star investment

Mike D'Onofrio

Blue mural covering a brick wall, filled with various sports imagery and figures in light and dark blues. To the left is a tree-lined street; a wall-mounted AC unit sits mid-wall. — Philly's newest mural is an ode to baseball at 20th Street and Oregon Avenue. Screenshot: Courtesy of **The Lab/Primo Brands**

MLB All-Star Week wraps Tuesday, but its legacy will live on in Philadelphia for decades to come.

Why it matters: Big-ticket events don't just bring visitors. They also leave behind permanent upgrades that neighborhoods will use long after the last pitch.

Driving the news: MLB, the league's community platform, and Phillies Charities invested more than $5.5 million in several legacy projects around Philly, like field upgrades.

Others, like a new blue baseball mural at 20th Street and Oregon Avenue (pictured above), were created through a partnership between MLB, Mural Arts and Deer Park.

Here are some of the coolest ones:

🎨 New ink

The large-scale mural spans more than 2,500 square feet along a wall near the ballpark in South Philly.

Philly artist Paul Carpenter designed "Hometown Grit" with images of Ben Franklin wielding a baseball bat, the Liberty Bell, cheesesteaks and William Penn.

Bright green baseball mascot in a Phillies jersey with red lettering stretches arms on a sunny baseball field; blue and red hair, large eyes, green snout, with infield dirt and distant scoreboard. — The Phillie Phanatic recently shows off the newly refurbished Ashburn Field at FDR Park. Photo: Courtesy of MLB Photos

🏗️ Field upgrade

South Philly's Ashburn Field has been transformed, replacing its grass-and-dirt field with synthetic turf and upgrading the drainage system.

The field hosts 100-plus events each year and serves as one of the homes of the Phillies' youth academy.

White textured fabric sculpture in the foreground, with a worn baseball glove and baseball nearby; a blurred figure wearing a red cap and red bunting in the background. — A model of for one of the statues coming to the Negro League Memorial Park. Photo: Erin Blewett/MLB Photos

🌟 Honoring past stars

A quartet of 7-foot-tall statues will be installed at the Philadelphia Stars Negro League Memorial Park in West Philly.

The sculptures, from Philly artist Miguel Horn, will represent Philadelphia Stars and Negro League players. The installation date is TBD.

📚 Reading

Tree House Books will receive funding to expand its literacy programs and renovate its North Philly building, which includes adding a new children's library and teen center.

🫡 Helping vets

Old City's Veterans Multi-Service Center will receive several upgrades, including the addition of a therapeutic indoor garden area and the transformation of the fifth floor into a 5,200-square-foot space to expand access to services and programs.

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