Baseball has always been more than just a game. As John S. Bowman and Joel Zoss stated in The Pictorial History of Baseball “As part of the fabric of American culture, baseball is the common social ground between strangers, a world of possibilities and of chance, where ‘it’s never over till it’s over.'”
It is an American tradition rich in legends, folklore and history, a never-ending story where every game is a new nine-inning chapter and every player has the chance to be the hero. Through the years, every franchise has had its share of superstar players that stand out above the rest. They are the ones that bring the fans out to the ballpark and only one game brings them all together at once, The All-Star Game.
The first Major League All-Star Game was played on July 6, 1933 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. It was initiated at the insistence of Arch Ward, a sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, to coincide with the celebration of Chicago’s Century of Progress Exposition. For over seventy-three years, the “Midsummer Classic” has remained a fan favorite showcasing the top talent in baseball.
All-Star teams were originally selected by the managers and the fans for the 1933 and 1934 games. From 1935 through 1946, managers selected the entire team for each league. From 1947 to 1957, fans chose the team’s starters and the manager chose the pitchers and the remaining players. From 1958 through 1969, managers, players, and coaches made the All-Star Team selections. In 1970, the vote again returned to the fans for the selection of the starters for each team and remains there today.
Major league All-Star namings began in July 1933. Fans have generally participated in the selection of the players who fill the AL and NL All-Star rosters; managers, players, and coaches have also made choices in the selection process during various seasons. Between 1935 and 1946, each All-Star team’s manager selected their entire teams; in 1945,…
The rosters for the 2010 All-Star Game, to be played at Angels Stadium, are announced today. The top vote getters are Joe Mauer in the American League and Albert Pujols in the National League. Among the first-time All-Stars is 40-year-old reliever Arthur Rhodes of the Reds; he sports a sparkling 1.09 ERA in his 19th big league season.
On July 15, 2008, the American League wins the longest All-Star Game in history, 4-3 in 15 innings at Yankee Stadium. The game lasts nearly five hours and each manager uses every one of their players in the marathon game – the final All-Star Game in the Bronx stadium. Prior to the game, 49 Hall…
Josh Hamilton hits 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby, a record for a single round. Hamilton fades after that and Justin Morneau goes on to win the event.
At New York’s Gracey Mansion, Major League Baseball announces the 2008 All-Star Game will be played at Yankee Stadium for the fourth time (1939, 1960, 1977) in the ballpark’s history. The annual Midsummer Classic will showcase the historic ‘House that Ruth Built’ in its final season as the home of the Bronx Bombers.
Having earned the All-Star MVP award as a 23-year-old for pitching three perfect innings at the Astrodome in 1986, the 41-year-old Roger Clemens gives up six runs in the 1st inning in the 75th Midsummer Classic played at Houston’s Minute Maid Park. The eventual 9 – 4 American League victory is halted in the top of the 5th inning as the much chagrined “Rocket” receives the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award from Bud Selig in recognition of his outstanding 21-year career.
Trying to restore a competitive edge to the All-Star Game, the owners unanimously approve that the winning league of the Mid-Summer classic will have home field advantage during the World Series. Approval is needed by the players to change the current rotation between the two leagues, which was put in place since the inception of the World Series in 1903.
At Fenway Park, hometown favorite Pedro Martinez strikes out five of the six batters he faces to win MVP honors. The two All-Star pitching squads combine for a record 22 strikeoutsas the American League tops the National League in the 70th Mid-Summer Classic, 4 – 1. The game begins 15 minutes late as Hall of Fame OF Ted Williams rides out in a cart for the first-pitch ceremony. Players from both teams surround the former Red Sox star in a spontaneous display of homage.
July 9, 1996 – The N.L. blanks the AL 6-0 in the All-Star Game at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium in a game that nearly saw the end to Cal Ripken’s consecutive game streak. Fellow All Star teammate Roberto Hernandez accidentally breaks Ripken’s nose the night before during a group photo mishap. Much to Hernandez’ relief, and…
At the Pirates’ Three Rivers Stadium, the National League ends its record six-game Mid Summer Classic slump when Tony Gwynn scores on Moises Alou’s double in the tenth inning, giving the Senior Circuit an 8-7 victory. Fred McGriff is named MVP, earning the honor with his dramatic two-run home run off Lee Smith that tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.