2:36
Kemp and Georgia House Speaker David Ralston criticized Abrams for MLB moving the game even though she doesn't support the boycott.
\"Republicans who passed and defended Senate Bill 202 did so knowing the economic risks to our state. They prioritized making it harder for people of color to vote over the economic well-being of all Georgians,\" Abrams said in a statement following the announcement of the All-Star Game leaving Atlanta. \"Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that the MLB is relocating the All-Star game; however, I commend the players, owners and League commissioner for speaking out.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/atlanta-stadium-gty-rc-210402_1617390632859_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
MLB reiterated its support for voting access in its statement and called attention to the voter initiatives it undertook last season.
\"Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,\" Manfred's statement continued. \"In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States.\"
\"We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process,\" Manfred continued. \"Fair access to voting continues to have our game's unwavering support.\"
Freddie Freeman, the Braves' top player and the National League MVP in 2020, said Thursday before the team's season opener that he'd prefer the league kept the game in Atlanta and used it as a way to call attention to the law and the importance of access to voting.
\"I think it'd be better to keep it and use a platform,\" Freeman told reporters. \"What's happened in the last couple of months has already gone through, so why not use what we already have here as a platform in the city and state that it has been passed through?\"
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat who called the elections bill both \"ridiculous\" and \"unnecessary,\" predicted more fallout.
\"Just as elections have consequences, so do the actions of those who are elected. Unfortunately, the removal of the @MLB All Star game from GA is likely the 1st of many dominoes to fall, until the unnecessary barriers put in place to restrict access to the ballot box are removed,\" she tweeted.
On the same day MLB pulled this year's All-Star Game out of Atlanta, Milwaukee made a pitch to host the game, with Mayor Tom Barrett writing a letter to Manfred that read, in part: \"As you review alternative sites for the game, I ask you to consider Milwaukee. It is a particularly appropriate location to honor Hank Aaron who is a revered and beloved former Milwaukeean. He started and concluded his Major League career with teams here.\"
The All-Star Game was last held in Milwaukee in 2002 at what was then known as Miller Park.
\"We are finalizing a new host city,\" Manfred said in his statement, \"and details about these events will be announced shortly.\"
ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Rick Klein, Justin Gomez and Marlene Lenthang contributed to this report.
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