But, since this is 2020, none of that will happen. The season itself hasn't even started yet! Meanwhile, the All*Star Game (just like everything else) became a victim of this hellish year. The Dodgers were given 2022 as compensation, but we won't be seeing hometown favorite Mike Trout digging in against hometown favorite Clayton Kershaw (who'd finally be making his first All*Star start!) to get things started in the Southern California sunshine.
That image reminds me of a great All*Star moment that happened in Southern California--Bo Jackson's leadoff home run in 1989. Bo's homer is one of the first classic All*Star moments that I can truly remember watching live. There have been plenty of others in the nearly 90-year history of the All*Star Game, too. So many, in fact, that I had trouble narrowing down a list of my favorites to just 15. As a result, I've got five honorable mentions to go along with my top 15.
Honorable Mention: Al Rosen hits two HRs at home ('54); Stan Musial's 12th inning walk-off HR ('55); Baseball returns after the strike ('81); Randy Johnson & John Kruk ('93); Ichiro's inside-the-park HR ('07)
Now on to the top 15. (Please note that these moments are just from the All*Star Game itself. No Josh Hamilton or Aaron Judge or Pete Alonso in the Home Run Derby.)
15. Dave Parker's Throws ('79): Dave Parker is probably the only player ever to win All*Star MVP strictly because of what he did on defense. But that's exactly what happened in 1979. He had two outfield assists...in consecutive innings!...cutting down a runner at third to end the seventh and the potential go-ahead run at the plate (on the fly!) in the eighth.
14. Torii Hunter Robs Barry Bonds ('02): The 2002 All*Star Game didn't have the best ending. And the less we say about the controversial tie, the better. But that doesn't mean the game didn't have any highlights. On the contrary, Hunter's robbing Bonds of a homer (and the playful response by Bonds between innings) is one of the most tremendous defensive plays in All*Star history. And, who knows, if that ball does go out, maybe the finish isn't so controversial.
13. Cal Ripken Moves to Short ('01): Cal Ripken had a pretty memorable All*Star sendoff in 2001, homering in his first at-bat and winning MVP. But my favorite Ripken moment from that game came at the beginning. He was voted in as the AL's starting third baseman, but starting shortstop A-Rod went to third and convinced Cal to switch positions with him, letting Ripken play an inning at the position he helped redefine. (Little did we know that A-Rod would become a third baseman permanently three years later.)
12. Johnny Callison Walk-Off HR ('64): It wasn't the first walk-off home run in All*Star Game history, but it was one of the most dramatic. In the only All*Star Game ever played at Shea Stadium, the AL had a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. After Willie Mays scored on an error to tie the game, Callison ended it with a dramatic two-out, three-run homer to right.
11. Bo Jackson Leadoff HR ('89): As I mentioned, Bo Jackson's leadoff homer in 1989 is one of the first truly memorable All*Star Game moments I can remember. Tony La Russa wanted to cash in on Bo's popularity by having him bat leadoff. I'd say that was a good decision! He took the first pitch and crushed it to center. Wade Boggs followed with a home run of his own, as the AL went back-to-back to start the game, all with Ronald Reagan in the booth!
10. Exit Sandman ('13): How was it possible not to get chills in 2013 when the bullpen door swung open and "Enter Sandman" started blaring over the sound system? Then Mariano Rivera trotted out to the mound, where he was all alone, basking in the respect and adoration that 19 years as the greatest closer in history warranted. The fact that it all happened in New York made it even better. (And of course he threw a perfect inning to win MVP honors.)
9. National League Comeback ('94): Some people consider the 1994 All*Star Game to be one of the best, if not THE best, ever. The AL entered with a six-game winning streak and it looked like that would hit seven when they took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth with Hall of Fame closer Lee Smith on the mound. Fred McGriff tied it with a two-run bomb, though, then the NL won it when Tony Gwynn beat the throw home on Moises Alou's double in the 10th. We all know what happened a month later, but we're not gonna talk about that.
8. Babe Ruth Homers In the 1st All*Star Game ('33): Talk about a way to validate an idea! The greatest players in the game all on the same field for an exhibition game between the two leagues. In 1933, no one had any idea what it would become. Enter Babe Ruth. Of course he hit the first hoem run in All*Star Game history. Would you expect anything less from the most famous player in the sport (now and then)?
7. Carl Hubbell's 5 Consecutive Strikeouts ('34): A year later, Ruth was involved in another memorable All*Star Game moment. National League starter Carl Hubbell struck him out in the first inning. Then Lou Gehrig. Then Jimmie Foxx. Then in the second, he struck out Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. Five consecutive strikeouts. All Hall of Famers. (After a Bill Dickey single, Hubbell also struck out AL pitcher Lefty Gomez, another Hall of Famer.)
6. Yankee Stadium Says Goodbye ('08): Everything about the 2008 All*Star Game was magical. It started with a pregame ceremony honoring 49 Hall of Famers and it ended five hours later on Michael Young's 15th-inning sac fly at 1:30 in the morning. It was quite a farewell to the 85-year-old original Yankee Stadium.
5. Reggie Jackson's HR Off the Light Tower ('71): From 1963-82, the National League went 19-1 in All*Star Games. The one AL win came at Tiger Stadium in 1971. There were six home runs in the game, but only one was historic. In the bottom of the third, Reggie Jackson, making the second of 14 career All*Star appearances, hit one OFF THE LIGHT TOWER! approximately 520 away.
4. Ted Williams Walk-Off HR ('41): Tiger Stadium's first All*Star Game was in 1941, aka the summer of Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. It was in the middle of DiMaggio's hitting streak, and he had a single, but it was Williams who authored the game's memorable moment. His three-run blast in the bottom of the ninth (with the AL trailing 5-4) was the first walk-off home run in All*Star game history.
3. Pedro Martinez & Ted Williams ('99): Ted Williams had one final All*Star moment in 1999, when he was the last member of the MLB All-Century Team introduced at Fenway Park. Every single person on the field, Hall of Famers and All*Stars alike, was simply in awe of his presence. Then it was another Hall of Famer from the home team who took over. Pedro Martinez struck out the side in the first and five total (three Hall of Famers, plus McGwire and Sosa the year after their great home run chase) over two innings of work in a 4-1 AL win.
2. Pete Rose Knocks Over Ray Fosse ('70): Arguably the most famous play in All*Star Game history is the game-winning run from the 1970 contest. It really was the embodiment of Pete Rose and his "Charlie Hustle" mentality, too. With two out in the bottom of the 12th, he rounded third and crashed into AL catcher Ray Fosse just as the ball got there. Fosse separated his shoulder on the play, and his career was never the same.
1. Fred Lynn's Grand Slam ('83): Fred Lynn celebrated the All*Star Game's 50th anniversary in style. In the third inning of the 1983 game, he came up with the bases loaded and deposited Atlee Hammaker's pitch into the right field seats. It was the first (and, so far, only) grand slam in All*Star Game history, and it was also the knockout punch that snapped the AL's 11-year All*Star losing streak. (PS: How is Fred Lynn not in the Hall of Fame?)
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