When I think of the greatest All Star Games ever played, I am reminded of the 1934 game where Carl Hubbell struck out 5 consecutive Hall of Famers and Ted Williams winning the 1941 game with a walk off HR. Some can point to Pete Rose's home plate collision with Ray Fosse or Tony Gwynn scoring on Moises Alou's double. Others think the moment that Cal Ripken had in his final game in 2001 may go down as the greatest.
Though most All Star Games could be looked back on in awe of what great players were all together for the festivities, I looked back at the game of 1955, held at Milwaukee's County Stadium, home of the Milwaukee Braves. Of course, it would become home to the Milwaukee Brewers of the AL in 1970. The game matched up Chicago White Soxs pitcher Billy Pierce with Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts. The top six in the AL were all serious threats, with Detroit's Harvey Kuenn (SS), Chicago's Nellie Fox (2B), Boston's Ted Williams (LF), New York's Mickey Mantle (CF), NY's Yogi Berra (C) and Det's Al Kaline (RF). Washington's Mickey Vernon played 1B, followed by Kansas City's Jim Finigan at 3B and Pierce pitching.
What was amazing about the NL was the fact that they had a very good, not great, lineup and they had some of the best players on the bench. Red Schoendienst of SL led off at 2B, followed by Philadelphia's LF Del Ennis. Brooklyn's Duke Snider (CF) batted 3rd, followed by Cincinnati's Ted Kluszewski (1B), Milwaukee's 3B Eddie Matthews, New York's RF Don Mueller, Chicago's SS Ernie Banks, Milwaukee's C Del Crandall and Philadelphia's Roberts doing the pitching.
Guys like Stan Musial and Gil Hodges were nearing the end of their careers and came off the bench. So did Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Roy Campanella was elected to start behind the plate but did not play due to injury.
Sadly, the game was played on the same day that funeral services were held for Chicago Tribune writer Arch Ward, who was credited with idea for the All Star Game, which was first played in 1933. The AL got off to a solid start against Roberts, scoring 4 times in the first inning, which included a Mantle 3 run HR. They added a run in the 6th off Harvey Haddix, who relieved Roberts in the 4th.
The NL looked quiet until the 7th when they scored twice off of Whitey Ford to make it a 5-2 game. But, it wasn't until the 9th that they put their best rally out there. This was a time where the game was taken seriously, unlike today where a three run deficit would be considered too much. The NL tied the game off of Frank Sullivan, scoring on a single by Randy Jackson and a two run single by Hank Aaron. Sullivan stayed on to give up the walk off HR to Stan Musial in the bottom of the 12th to give the NL a come from behind 6-5 victory. Gene Conley, who entered the 12th for the NL, got the win.
Looking back at the history of the All Star Game, the 1955 game will go down as one of the best in history. The season will turn on to be a memorable one, as the Brooklyn Dodgers finally win the World Series in 7 games over the New York Yankees.
What was amazing about the NL was the fact that they had a very good, not great, lineup and they had some of the best players on the bench. Red Schoendienst of SL led off at 2B, followed by Philadelphia's LF Del Ennis. Brooklyn's Duke Snider (CF) batted 3rd, followed by Cincinnati's Ted Kluszewski (1B), Milwaukee's 3B Eddie Matthews, New York's RF Don Mueller, Chicago's SS Ernie Banks, Milwaukee's C Del Crandall and Philadelphia's Roberts doing the pitching.
Guys like Stan Musial and Gil Hodges were nearing the end of their careers and came off the bench. So did Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Roy Campanella was elected to start behind the plate but did not play due to injury.
Sadly, the game was played on the same day that funeral services were held for Chicago Tribune writer Arch Ward, who was credited with idea for the All Star Game, which was first played in 1933. The AL got off to a solid start against Roberts, scoring 4 times in the first inning, which included a Mantle 3 run HR. They added a run in the 6th off Harvey Haddix, who relieved Roberts in the 4th.
The NL looked quiet until the 7th when they scored twice off of Whitey Ford to make it a 5-2 game. But, it wasn't until the 9th that they put their best rally out there. This was a time where the game was taken seriously, unlike today where a three run deficit would be considered too much. The NL tied the game off of Frank Sullivan, scoring on a single by Randy Jackson and a two run single by Hank Aaron. Sullivan stayed on to give up the walk off HR to Stan Musial in the bottom of the 12th to give the NL a come from behind 6-5 victory. Gene Conley, who entered the 12th for the NL, got the win.
Looking back at the history of the All Star Game, the 1955 game will go down as one of the best in history. The season will turn on to be a memorable one, as the Brooklyn Dodgers finally win the World Series in 7 games over the New York Yankees.
Picture courtesy of en.wikipedia.org
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