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BASEBALL HISTORY
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When these games reached England, they became
classified as "stoolball." The "pitcher" attempted to hit an
upturned stool with a ball before a "batter" could bat it away
with a "stick." Legend has it that when this game moved out
of the churchyard and into the countryside, more "stools" or
"bases" were added. These bases had to be circled after the
ball was struck. This led to the creation of English game "rounders,"
and a rule was added. A base runner could be put "out" by being
struck with a thrown ball. Imagine that ruled had stayed. You'd
have Roger Clemens firing fastballs at rookie infielders, who
would run for their lives.
Posts called "goals" or "bases" were driven
into the ground. The game was called "goal ball" or "base ball"
as early as 1700. The first known published mention of the term
"base ball" came in a 1744 book, "A Pretty Little Pocket Book,"
published in London in 1744. The book included a rhyming description
of the game and a picture captioned "Base-Ball." This book was
re-published in the U.S. several times between 1762 and 1787.
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1933: Midsummer Classic begins at Comiskey |
American League and National League owners agreed to bring
together the game's greatest during Chicago's Century of
Progress Exhibition in 1933, just in time for Babe Ruth
to put on one of his final spectacles. The 38-year-old Bambino
smacked a two-run home run to put the Junior Circuit on
its way to the inaugural victory.
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1934: Hubbell fans five
legends in order |
Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell ended up throwing 313 innings
that year, but his three innings in the second Midsummer
Classic earned him immortality. The NL starter (pictured
here, left, with AL starter Lefty Gomez) fanned Babe Ruth,
Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in order.
Pitching in his home park didn't help the Senior Circuit
as the AL won their second successive decision.
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1946: Teddy Ballgame crushes
a pair |
The All-Star Game resumed after taking 1945 off for World
War II, and the boys were glad to be back. None made up
for lost time more than Boston's Ted Williams, back in front
of his home crowd at Fenway Park after three years of military
service. Teddy Ballgame crushed a pair of home runs, including
the first ever hit off Rip Sewell's "eephus" pitch, as the
American League rolled to a 12-0 rout. It marked the final
year that managers selected their entire All-Star squads;
the fans began selecting the starting lineup in 1947.
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1950: Kiner's HR sets up
first extra-innings affair |
The All-Star Game returned to Comiskey Park, where the National
League forced the first extra-inning Midsummer Classic.
Pittsburgh's Ralph Kiner tied it with his home run in the
top of the ninth and Red Schoendienst provided the game-winning
blast in the 14th. Kiner earlier hit a shot that Ted Williams
snagged to take away a home run, but Williams broke his
elbow crashing into the wall and missed the remainder of
the season.
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1959: Let's play two |
Fans lost their voting power in 1958 after Cincinnati stormed
the ballot boxes for an all-Reds starting lineup the previous
year. Baseball tried another short-lived change in 1959
by scheduling two All-Star Games each season. The move was
inspired to raise money for the players' pension fund. The
two games were separated by a few weeks except for 1960,
when the All-Stars played in New York and Kansas City over
a three-day span.
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1971: Reggie leads slugfest
at Tiger Stadium |
Fan balloting returned to the game in 1970, and paid dividends
the next season with a fearsome collection of sluggers in
a hitter's paradise -- Tiger Stadium. Reggie Jackson's massive
shot (pictured) off Pittsburgh's Dock Ellis highlighted
the home-run reel of Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson,
Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente. Those legends accounted
for all of the game's scoring, and they all ended up in
the Hall of Fame.
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1986: The Rocket pitches
before home-state fans |
Though Dwight Gooden became the youngest starting pitcher
in All-Star history in 1984, Roger Clemens used the Midsummer
Classic as a platform on his road to stardom in '86. Rocket
started for the American League in Houston and threw three
perfect innings, throwing only three balls in 24 pitches
before his home-state fans. NL hurler Fernando Valenzuela
tied Carl Hubbell's record with five consecutive strikeouts
but the AL triumphed 3-2, starting a string of pitching
duels that lasted into the early '90s.
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1989: Ryan Express returns
to Anaheim |
Not to be outdone by 40-year-old National League starter
Rick Reuschel, 42-year-old Nolan Ryan fired his patented
fastballs through the July heat at Anaheim Stadium, where
he pitched for eight seasons with the Angels. Not only was
Ryan the oldest player on either side, but the two shutout
innings that he threw helped him become the oldest pitcher
to ever win a Midsummer Classic.
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1993: Kruk faces Big Unit |
It was one of the most memorable at-bats in the history
of the Midsummer Classic. John Kruk, the member of the Phillies
least likely to finish the game in a clean uniform, stepped
into the batter's box against Randy Johnson, whose first
pitch went 95 mph over Kruk's head and hit the backstop
on the fly. Kruk comically bailed out while trying to make
contact with the next two pitches. The AL won 9-3 and extended
its winnings streak to six.
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1999: Pedro strikes out the side
at Fenway |
Moments after Ted Williams 1threw out the first ball in
an emotional pregame ceremony, Pedro Martinez pitched himself
into the All-Star Game record book by striking out the game's
first three batters: Barry Larkin, Larry Walker and Sammy
Sosa. The Boston ace, who had 15 victories at the All-Star
break, kept up the streak by striking out Mark McGwire to
begin the second inning. The AL won 4-1 and Martinez took
him the MVP trophy.
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