More Memorable Moments from the MLB All-Star Game

By Joe Pascullo, Young Adult Librarian
July 9, 2019
Grand Central Library
Ichiro Suzuki in a Seattle Mariners uniform, running the bases

Ichiro Suzuki via Wikicommons

I hope everyone is having a great summer, in addition to enjoying the 2019 Major League Baseball campaign. It's that time of year again: MLB All-Star Week, with lots of festivities that will take place in the host city of Cleveland, Ohio. Who knows what shenanigans will go down during this 90th edition of the game to make it memorable for years to come.

While we wait to find out, let's go back in our baseball time machine and relive other great moments from All-Star Games past! And be sure to check out last year's post, Top 10 Memorable Moments from the MLB All-Star Game.

Tony Perez's 15th Inning Home Run (1967)

Last year's post mentioned the 2008 All-Star Game at old Yankee Stadium, a 15-inning matchup that tied the record for the longest All-Star Game. Well, this time, we should talk about the '67 game. With a 1-1 score going into the top of the 15th inning, Reds third baseman Tony Perez took Catfish Hunter (of the Kansas City Athletics) deep to put the National League up by one run. In the bottom half of the frame, the eventual '67 National League Rookie of the Year, Tom Seaver, picked up the save, bumping the NL's win All-Star Game winning streak to five. 

A Wild Play Forces Extra Innings (1987)

Fast forward 20 years, to another All-Star Game that went into extra innings—though if not for a crazy play, it almost surely would not have. You've got to see it to believe it, but I'll sum it up the best I can: With one out and the American League at bat with runners at first and second, hoping for a walkoff win, National League reliever Steve Bedrosian induced a chopper from Harold Reynolds, hit to first baseman Keith Hernandez. Hernandez threw to shortstop Hubie Brooks for the second out, but Brooks's throw back to first—now covered by Bedrosian went wide. Bedrosian dove for the ball and prevented it from being thrown away (all while, luckily, not getting killed by a leaping Reynolds). Bedrosian then threw home to nail the lead runner, Dave Winfield, who barreled over catcher Ozzie Virgil to no avail. It was a wild sequence, to be sure, keeping the game scoreless and headed to extra innings, where the NL would eventually prevail.

Pedro Martinez's Home Cooking (1999)

The 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park will always be memorable for the unveiling of nominees for Major League Baseball's All-Century Team, and for being one of the final public appearances for Ted Williams, who was driven by golf cart to the Fenway pitching mound to a thunderous ovation. The '99 game is also remembered for Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez's absolute dominance. In the middle of a season in which he would end up winning the AL Cy Young Award and AL Pitching Triple Crown, Martinez saved some of magic for his hometown fans at Fenway. Over two innings of work, he faced the minimum six batters, striking out (ho hum) five of them. Just a magical 1999 overall for Pedro who, in addition to all his other accolades, won the 1999 All-Star Game MVP Award.

Gagne's Blown Save (2003)

In 2003, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne was as dominant as they come. From late 2002 to the summer of 2004, Gagne would convert 84 consecutive saves, a Major League record. That means for all 55 save opportunities he was presented with in 2003, Gagne was perfect, nailing down every single game—unless you count the All-Star Game. That was the one night in 2003 in which Gagne couldn't get the job done. With the National League attempting to win their first All-Star Game since 1996, Gagne entered the game in the bottom of the 8th, not for the save, but for the hold. Didn't matter. The American League jumped all over Gagne, turning a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 lead. He was charged with the blown save, in yet another win for the junior circuit. 

Ichiro's Inside-the-Park Home Run (2007)

The 2007 edition of the Midsummer Classic took place at San Francisco's AT&T Park, a stadium normally known for its cavernous "Triples Alley." But the recently-retired Ichiro Suzuki took things one step (or base) further. Ichiro hit a long drive into right field, a shot that hit off the wall and then took an extremely unusual bounce away from rightfielder Ken Griffey Jr. The speedy Ichiro was off to the races. His two-run inside-the-park homer was crucial, as the AL would win by just one run, 5-4 being the final, after the NL nearly rallied to win in the bottom of the 9th. Ichiro went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, winning the game's MVP honors.

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