My Favorite All-Star Game Memories

The 2024 All-Star Game will be played July 16 in Texas.Photo byMajor League Baseball

By Dan Schlossberg

Contrary to critics who contend the All-Star Game is a meaningless exhibition, I retain many marvelous memories of games I have covered.

That streak began in 1972, when I covered my first Midsummer Classic, and extended all the way through 2023, the most recent. This year’s game will contain a touch of pixie dust too, since it will be played in Globe Life Field, the only active ballpark I have never seen in person.

That being said, here are my 10 top All-Star memories:

1. Aaron Thrills Hometown Fans (1972) — Though chosen as an All-Star a record 25 times, Hank Aaron never did particularly well on that stage. He hit his first All-Star home run as late as 1971 but hit his most dramatic a year later, when he socked a serve from Gaylord Perry into the Atlanta Stadium crowd. Writers prematurely voted him the All-Star MVP award but then changed their mind after the American League tied the game, sending it into extra innings. Joe Morgan got the trophy for hitting the RBI single that gave the Nationals a 4-3 win.
2. Lynn Slams Senior Circuit (1983) — Fred Lynn’s grand-slam against Atlee Hammaker in a seven-run third inning paved the way for the AL to score 13 runs, an All-Star record later tied during the Denver game of 1998, in a 13-3 romp at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.
3. The Night It Rained Home Runs (2018) — Maybe it was the humidity that helped balls fly into the Washington night at Nationals Park. The leagues combined for 10 home runs, an All-Star Game record, by 10 different players, also a record. The National League tied it with two runs in the ninth but the AL’s three-run tenth turned the tide in an 8-6 win.
4. Ichiro Goes Inside the Park (2007) — In a stunning display of power plus speed, the soon-to-be-immortal Ichiro smacked the only All-Star Game inside-the-park home run in the San Francisco game, played in a scenic bayside ballpark then called AT&T Park. The fleet Seattle outfielder went 3-for-3 with two RBI in a game the NL nearly tied with a two-run outburst in the bottom of the ninth. The AL held on, 5-4.
5. Clemens Clocked Early (2004) — Too much pre-game partying took an obvious toll on NL starter Roger Clemens, who yielded homers to Manny Ramirez and Adolfo Soriano in a six-run first. The AL cruised, 9-4, as Clemens was humiliated in front of his hometown Houston fans at Minute Maid Park.
6. Tie Goes To The Loser (2002) — In addition to the leaky roof at domed Miller Park, the game ended in a 7-7 tie when called after 11 innings because both managers foolishly used all their pitchers (and all 30 players). It therefore rained on Bud Selig’s parade twice, as the owner-turned-commissioner touted the Milwaukee ballpark for years before the Brewers actually hosted the game.
7. Parity Prevails (2017) — While the Miami game itself was a boring, 2-1, 10-inning win for the American League, the all-time series deadlocked at 43-43-2 with each league scoring exactly 361 runs. The 12th extra-inning game in All-Star history, it was also the fifth time in a row the Junior Circuit won.
8. The Coors Field Factor (1998) — Thanks to hitter-friendly Coors Field, the leagues combined for an All-Star record 21 runs. It was the first time since 1954 that a league scored eight runs and lost. Future Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine of the Braves held the AL scoreless over the first three innings before the roof fell in against Kevin Brown in the fourth. Robby Alomar, who hit one of three homers, joined Sandy Alomar, Jr. (1997) in becoming the first brother tandem to win All-Star Game MVP honors.
9. Legends and Strikeouts (1999) — In addition to the buzz created by the pre-game appearance of Ted Williams on a golf cart, the Fenway Park festivities featured the introduction of 41 baseball legends and a record 22 strikeouts, thanks in part to AL starter Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox fanning the first four men he faced and five out of six. The AL won, 4-1, in a game expected to produce more offense.
10. Piazza Party (1976) — Game MVP Mike Piazza of nearby Norristown, PA became the first man to homer in consecutive All-Star Games since Fred Lynn in 1979-80 as the Nationals rolled to a 6-0 win at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. The first game in All-Star history with no walks allowed zipped along at a crisp two-and-a-half hours.Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is the author of Home Run King: the Remarkable Record of Hank Aaron and 40 other baseball books. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.