This is the second of a
three-part series dedicated to the MLB All-Star Game. The final segment will be
posted on Tuesday, July 15th.
7. 2001 – A-Rod Delivers Rare Classy Gesture
Safeco Field in Seattle
was the site of the final All-Star Game in the career of Baltimore Oriole great
Cal Ripken. It was his 19th Game as an American League All-Star and
he exited with drama as he captured his second All-Star Game MVP Award, after
hitting a home run that helped the AL win the game 4-1.
But it was what happened before the first pitch was thrown that
stands out in my mind. Ripken was an All-Star at shortstop for most of his
career before switching to third basemen towards the end. He was voted by the
fans as the starting thirdbaseman for the 2001 game.
After the AL starting nine took the field, and starting pitcher
Roger Clemens of the Yankees had tossed his eight warm-up pitches, Ripken got a
surprise from starting shortstop Alex Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners.
A-Rod came up to Ripken and pointed for him to start the game
at shortstop, the position Cal had played for the vast majority of his 2632
consecutive games streak that had ended in 1998. Ripken was reluctant, shaking
his head and telling A-Rod no. But Rodriguez wouldn’t drop it and grabbed
Ripken and pointed towards the American League dugout where manager Joe Torre
was nodding his head in approval.
Eventually, Ripken relented and played the first inning of the
game at shortstop before switching back to third for the second.
It was a classy gesture from A-Rod and Torre and the move
received a standing ovation from the Seattle fans.
6. 2013 – Enter Sandman: Exit Mo
There is no doubt that Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer in
the history of baseball. His Major League record of 652 saves may stand for
many years to come. And he added 42 saves in post-season play while helping the
Yankees to seven American League pennants and five World Series Championships.
After injuring his knee early in the 2012 season, Rivera
announced before the start of 2013 that he would retire at year’s end. He
didn’t go out with a whimper, either, as he recorded 44 saves at the age of 43
in his final season.
It was fitting that his final All-Star appearance would be in
the city of New York, even though it would have been better if the game had
been held at the new Yankee Stadium. Instead it was held at the new home of the
Mets, Citi Field, but just the same, it was New York.
Moments after Baltimore’s Manny Machado struck out to end the
top of the eighth inning, the notes of Metallica’s Enter Sandman started
playing over the speakers, indicating Rivera was coming into the game.
The New York fans stood and cheered as Mo entered an All-Star
game for the final time. He retired the side in order and left the mound to
another standing ovation.
5.
1993 (Again) – John Kruk vs Randy
Johnson
Ok, so we have to talk about the 1993 All-Star Game for a
second time. But this memory is on the lighter side….unless you’re John Kruk.
There is no doubt that Randy Johnson is one of the most
intimidating pitchers of this generation. Standing nearly seven feet tall and
having a fastball consistently in the mid-90s is enough to make even the
toughest hitters squeamish. But add to that, the occaissional wildness that
plagued Johnson early in this career and we have this moment set up perfectly.
Kruk, playing first base for the Phillies, was in the middle of
one of his best seasons of his career. The Phillies would end the season with
the National League Pennant, and take the defending World Champion Toronto Blue
Jays to six games before losing on a walk-off homerun.
As Kruk, a left-handed batter, waved his bat, awaiting the
first pitch from the left-handed throwing Johnson, he had no idea what lay
ahead. Johnson went into his wind up and as the ball left his hand, he must
have lost his grip on it. The pitch sailed high over Kruk’s head, and although
the ball was so high it never would have hit him, the big firstbaseman ducked
as if he was dodging a javelin.
The players on both benches laughed, thinking it all a joke,
and even Kruk managed a laugh as he grabbed his jersey and starting pulling it to simulate his rapidly beating heart.
On the second pitch, Kruk, obviously apprehensive, flailed at
the pitch and looked like he was about to corkscrew himself into the ground.
The third swing was another bail-out as Kruk tossed his bat and
his helmet and accepted the fate that he had looked like an amateur against the
towering Johnson.
After the game he said before the first pitch, he was looking
to make contact. After the pitch he said he was all he wanted to do was live.
And he was alive, so he had a good at bat.
Everything considered, it was a light-hearted moment in what can
sometimes be an ugly part of baseball—the brushback.
4. 1987 – 12 Innings of Scoreless Baseball
The Oakland-Alameda
County Coliseum was the scene of some All-Star history. Never before had an
All-Star Game gone five innings without a run. This one went twelve. It wasn’t
until the thirteenth inning that a team scored and it was the National League
that broke through in the top half, with a couple of Montreal Expos leading the
charge.
The seventh pitcher for the AL was Oakland A’s closer Jay
Howell, who replaced the Blue Jays’ Tom Henke who had pitched the previous two and two/third
innings.
Howell gave up a lead-off single to Atlanta Braves catcher
Ozzie Virgil, who, one out later, advanced to second on another single, this
time by Expos shortstop Hubie Brookes.
After another out, Expos leftfielder Tim Raines came through in
the clutch with a triple that scored Virgil and Brooks. New York Mets pitcher
Sid Fernandez walked the first AL batter in the bottom of the thirteenth, but
promptly retired the next three batters for the save as the NL won the game
2-0.
Raines was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player for his
extra inning heroics.
Due to the scoreless nature of the game, the thirteen innings
were played in just over three and a half hours.
The game was a demonstration of great pitching as fourteen of
the fifteen pitchers used in the game did not allow a run.
The third and final part of the All-Star series will be posted on Tuesday, July 12th.
Video courtesy of MLB.com and youtube.
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