Top 10 MLB All-Star Game Moments
By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent
The MLB All-Star Game’s provided fans with many memorable moments over the years.
Unfortunately for me, many moments happened well before my time.
With all the All-Stars recently being named, it got me thinking about the best moments I’ve ever seen.
Therefore, here are my 10 favorite moments I saw first hand. We’ll get to those other more historical ones at a later time.
TOP 10 ALL-STAR MOMENTS (Last 25 Years)
1987 - Raines Ends Drought
Never before had an All-Star Game gone scoreless for more then five innings. Nevertheless, at Network Associates Coliseum (Oakland), the A.L. and N.L. played through 12 scoreless innings. Finally, in the top of the 13th, the N.L. broke through.
Ozzie Virgil began the inning with a single off Jay Howell. Lee Smith, who had to bat because there were no hitters left on the bench, struck out for the first out. Hubie Brooks singled, but when Willie McGee lined out to left it looked like another donut was going up.
Enter Tim Raines.
Raines, who was 2-for-2 leading up to the at-bat, ended the madness when he tripled off Howell to give the N.L. a 2-0 lead and earn himself MVP honors. Sid Fernandez would close the game in the bottom of the inning, giving the N.L. the win in the third-longest All-Star Game ever.
1989 - Bo Knows Wade
In 1989, Vincent Edward Jackson was reaching superstar level on the baseball diamond. Picked to start in his first All-Star Game, Bo showed he knew how to make an entrance on the grand stage.
Jackson came to the plate to lead off the game for the A.L. In one mighty swing, Bo unleashed a shot that still might be traveling today. Poor Angels Stadium didn’t have a prayer in holding the blast he hit to dead center, which gave the A.L. the quickest 1-0 lead the A.L.’s ever had. Poor Rick Reuschel was still reeling from the blast when Wade Boggs settled in as the second batter.
Boggs, who’s claimed he could hit a home run at any time, felt like showing Bo he too had some pop. He didn’t hit the ball as far as Jackson, but it was just as effective, as the A.L. led off the inning with back-to-back jacks. It was the first time one team had hit consecutive homeruns to open an All-Star Game. Jackson would drive in another run with a single later in the game to grab MVP honors.
1992 - Singled Out
There’s an ancient form of torture involving thousands of paper cuts to cause a slow, painful death. That’s exactly what Tom Glavine must have felt like standing on the Jack Murphy Stadium mound in 1992.
The game started innocently enough, as Glavine got Robbie Alomar on a 4-3 groundout to begin things. Then came the first cut, a Wade Boggs base knock. Then came another, and another, and another. By the time Sandy Alomar had also singled, the A.L. had connected on seven straight one baggers. Four runs had scored, and it would’ve been more had Cal Ripken not been tossed out at third base.
Glavine finally got out of the inning by striking out pitcher Kevin Brown, but there were more cuts to be made. Glavine came back out in the second - and you’ll never guess what happened. He gave up a leadoff single to Roberto Alomar.
Glavine got the next two hitters out, then Joe Carter got his second hit (you guessed it, a single) to drive in Alomar for another run, officially ending Glavine’s night. Each of the 1-thru-8 hitters in the A.L. lineup singled off him in the first two innings. The total was nine hits, all singles, and five runs in a 13-6 A.L. win. It was the most hits ever allowed by one pitcher in an All Star Game.
1993 and 1997 - Big Unit Delivers Some Laughs
In 1993, the third inning battle between Randy Johnson and John Kruk provided one of the lighter moments in ASG history. Kruk came to the plate with two outs in the third to take on the big Seattle lefty. Johnson was well established as the nastiest SOB in the game and Kruk wanted no part of him.
Johnson’s first pitch was a fastball that sailed well over the head of Kruk, causing the Phillies’ heart to skip just as fast as Johnson’s heater. Kruk decided enough was enough and backed off the plate as far as possible. The Unit proceeded to get Kruk on two more fastballs as the current ESPN analyst swung with about as much enthusiasm as a patient going in for a root canal.
Four years later, a similar situation would play out with Larry Walker. Walker had benched himself earlier in the year in order to miss Johnson in an interleague game, but in Cleveland he had no choice. The N.L.’s leading hitter at the time dug in and watched as Johnson’s first pitch sailed over his head as well.
Walker called timeout, turned his helmet backwards and proceeded to bat from the right side of the plate. Johnson was most likely not amused and grew more agitated after walking Walker.
1999 - Who’s Your Daddy
The ‘99 All-Star Game was a baseball fan’s dream come true. Fenway Park would host the last game of the century. The All-Century Team was being unveiled and Teddy Ballgame was throwing out the first pitch.
However, among all the living legends on the field, none matched the performance of Pedro Martinez.
There’s domination, and then there’s what Pedro did that day. Martinez won the game’s MVP award after setting a record by striking out the first four hitters of the game. Leadoff hitter Barry Larkin provided the toughest at-bat, but Pedro got him with a 85 mph changeup after Larkin fouled off a succession of 98 mph fastballs.
Next, Pedro allowed Larry Walker to admire a 97 mph heater on the outside corner. The inning ended when Pedro played Sammy Sosa like a fiddle. Two knee-buckling curves set up a heater Sosa didn’t have a chance of catching up to.
In the second, it was power vs. power as Pedro battled Mark McGwire. Big Mac was no match this time, swinging through a 97 mph smoke signal.
Matt Williams mercifully ended the streak by reaching on an error, but Pedro bounced back in true Pedro fashion. He overmatched Jeff Bagwell for his fifth K, then Williams was caught stealing to send Pedro out with the loudest ovation I’d ever heard. He’d win the MVP in the A.L.’s 4-1 win in the most dominant performances many have ever seen.
2001 - Going out on Top
This was set to be the final year for one of the game’s greats. Despite being at the tail end of his career, and playing third base, Cal Ripken, Jr. was honored by the fans to start his final All-Star Game. At the beginning of the game, Alex Rodriguez, who was picked by the fans to start at short, switched spots with the legend, giving Ripken one final start at his old position. That alone would’ve put this game on the list, but we all know Ripken’s knack for dramatics.
In the third inning, Ripken came to the plate for the first time and got a rousing ovation from Seattle’s finest. He then stepped in and took Chan Ho Park’s initial offering for a home run to give his team a 1-0 lead. It was his second All Star homer and earned him his second MVP, 10 years after he’d won it the first time. The A.L. won the game 4-1, but Ripken had already stolen the show.
2002 - Hunter catches Bonds
In 2002, one player ruled the baseball world. That man was Barry Bonds.
Fresh off a 73-home run season, Bonds had become almost impossible to get out. He’d end the campaign with a .370 average, a .582 on-base percentage and 232 walks, 68 of which were intentional. Pitchers just didn’t want to face him.
Thankfully, A.L. starter Derek Lowe attacked Bonds. Barry didn’t disappoint, getting the Milwaukee fans on their feet when he drove a first inning 3-0 pitch deep to center field. Everyone in the stadium, from Lowe, to Bonds, to the 44,000 in attendance, thought the ball was gone.
The only one who didn’t was Torii Hunter, who made a spectacular catch that brought the excitement level from a 10 to an 11. As the inning ended, Bonds playfully picked up Hunter in short center field, showing the balance between good will and competitiveness the game is known for.
When Bonds came up a second time, he left little doubt about things. He deposited a Roy Halladay pitch into the Miller Park stands for a two-run shot that put the N.L. ahead. Unfortunately the game would end in a 7-7 tie. Not only did Hunter rob Bonds of a home run, but he took away a likely MVP award and an N.L. win.
2003 - Gagne’s lone gag
It’s hard to remember now, but there was a time when the most dominant closer in baseball was Canadian. Eric Gagne set a major league record by converting 84 consecutive save chances from August 26, 2002 to July 5, 2004. When the 2003 All-Star Game rolled around, Gagne was in the midst of this unprecedented run.
With the N.L. leading 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth, manager Tony LaRussa churned to the Canadian Chucker to preserve the lead.
The inning started innocently enough, with Gagne getting Nomar Garciaparra on a groundout to short. Garret Anderson, who would go on to win the MVP this day after also winning the Home Run Derby, doubled. He then moved to third on a groundout, but there were now two outs.
Vernon Wells doubled home pinch runner Melvin Mora to cut the lead to a run, but this was still baseball’s best on the mound. Gagne still felt good as he was facing 22-year-old Hank Blalock, who was taking his first ASG hacks. Gagne had allowed only one home run during the year, but Blalock took him out of Comiskey Park, providing the A.L. with a 7-6 lead and win.
Adding to the drama was the fact the win gave the A.L. home field advantage for the World Series.
2004 - Houston We Have A Problem
The 2004 All-Star Game was set to be a fitting tribute to one of the game’s legends. Roger Clemens (who would win the N.L. Cy Young) had gone 10-3 in the first half of the year and was pegged to start the 75th Mid-Summer Classic, which happened to be held at Houston’s Minute Maid Park that season.
Before the game Clemens was honored with the Commissioners Historic Achievement Award. Bud Selig probably wants to forget that moment as much as Clemens wants to misremember the game.
The Rocket’s engines never fired as he gave up a double and triple to begin the game. Two batters later, old nemesis Manny Ramirez belted a slider over the fence for a 3-0 A.L. lead. Clemens‘ nightmare was just getting started.
An error that allowed Jason Giambi to reach base and a single by Derek Jeter put two men on for Alfonso Soriano, who hit a titanic blast that scored three of Clemens’ former allies. That hung a six on the board in the first inning. The A.L. would go on to win the game 9-4 as Clemens took the loss in one of the ASG’s worst outings.
2007 - Unconventional Longball
There was a sense of history in the air at AT&T Park last year.
Maybe it was the fact that Barry Bonds was rapidly gaining on Hammering Hank, or that Willie Mays threw out the first pitch. Whatever it was, the bug hit Ichiro Suziki.
With one out in the top of the fifth, and with Brian Roberts on first, Ichiro ripped a Chris Young fastball into right field. The ball sailed over the head of Ken Griffey, Jr., then ricocheted violently off the red brick wall, creating a crazy carom.
Ichiro was running hard out of the box and made it all the way around the bases without so mush as a throw. It was the first inside-the-parker in ASG history, and it set the stage for another historic event. Due to his 3-for-3 game, highlighted by the homer, Ichiro became the first Japanese MVP in an All-Star Game.
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(No All-Star Game is complete without a tasty beverage at your side. Our sister site, The Love of Beer, will let you know the right beer for you on All-Star night!)
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