Since the first All-Star Game in 1933, representatives of the Pittsburgh Pirates have produced many memories. Here are some memorable moments from these clashes between the National League and the American League.
Pirates Have Produced Many All-Star Game Memories
1934 – AL 9, NL 7 at Polo Grounds, New York. This game is best known as the game where New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell struck out five future Hall-of-Famers in a row: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin. However, it was also the only All-Star Game where a Pirate stole home. Pie Traynor accomplished the feat in the bottom of the fifth inning on the front end of a double steal while Mel Ott took second base.
1943 – AL 5, NL 3 at Shibe Park, Philadelphia. Vince DiMaggio was to the DiMaggio brothers what Zeppo Marx was to the Marx Brothers. But the NL named Vince to play in the All-Star Game in 1943 and 1944 while a member of the Pirates. Dick Fortune of The Pittsburgh Press wrote, “Vince went into the game saddled with the job of upholding the honor of the DiMaggios. Joe had been in several, and his work was outstanding. Dom also had a try at the All-Star glory and made good. Now, with Joe in the Army and Dominic in the Navy, Vince was determined to carry on.”
“Carry on,” he did. Vince was 3-for-3 with a single, triple, and home run. His triple was “inches away from going over the left field wall,” according to United Press. “That the senior loop didn’t win was no fault of Vincent Paul,” wrote Fortune. “Joe and Dom should be right proud of their ‘old’ brother.”
Kiner’s Time
1949 – AL 11, NL 7 at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn. Pirates slugger Ralph Kiner hit a home run in the All-Star Game in three consecutive years. On this day, Kiner’s two-run shot off Lou Brissie in the bottom of the sixth brought the NL to within one run. Kiner did it with a sore right wrist. He remained in New York to have it X-rayed and missed the next day’s charity exhibition game in Cleveland. “How he sustained the injury was uncertain,” wrote Jack Henry of the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, “although he thought he may have done it while snapping photographs of the midseason classic.” It was one of the strangest reasons for missing a game.
1950 – NL 4, AL 3 at Comiskey Park, Chicago. The AL was ahead, 3-2 when Kiner led off the top of the ninth against Art Houtteman. Wrote Les Biederman of The Pittsburgh Press, “The first pitch was a strike, and Kiner watched it. It was Houtteman who watched the next pitch.” Kiner launched a towering drive that descended into the upper deck to tie the game. The NL won in the 14th inning on a home run by Red Schoendienst. Kiner played all 14 innings. A newspaper photo showed bow-tied Brooklyn Dodgers manager Burt Shotton pointing to his two grinning heroes.
1951 – NL 8, AL 3, Briggs Stadium, Detroit. Kiner made it three straight with an eighth-inning solo blast into the left field upper deck off Mel Parnell. The Pirates slugger’s steak ended with the 1952 All-Star Game. That game was rained out after five innings before Kiner could make an appearance.
“I Never Thought You’d Curve Me”
1956 – NL 7, AL 3 at Griffith Stadium, Washington, DC. Pirates pitcher Bob Friend was tabbed to start the All-Star Game for the NL. He pitched the first three innings and was awarded the win. Friend struck out Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams with a curve ball to end a 1-2-3 first inning. Later, Friend ended the third inning by retiring Williams on a ground out with two men on base. Afterward, Williams was impressed. He told Biederman, “He’s rough. . . I had never seen him before, but all he showed me was breaking stuff. No fastballs.”
We include this story because of what happened some 15 years later. In the fine 1993 book Maz and the ’60 Bucs, Friend told author Jim O’Brien about running into Williams at an airport in Atlanta. Williams was known for his uncanny ability to recall every at-bat he ever had in the majors. Friend walked up to Williams and introduced himself. Williams said, “I remember you. You know, I never thought you’d curve me.”
Clemente Shines
1961 – NL 5, AL 4 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco. Those of us who grew up in a certain era remember that for years, the NL’s starting outfield was Henry Aaron, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente. (Now and then, an intruder who had a good first half would displace one of them.) With the AL ahead 4-3 going into the bottom of the 10th, the NL’s Great Triumvirate went to work. Aaron led off with a single-off pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm. He advanced to second when one of Wilhelm’s knuckleballs eluded catcher Elston Howard. Mays then grounded a double over third base, scoring Aaron to tie the game. After Frank Robinson was hit by a pitch, Clemente strode to the batter’s box. Clemente swung and missed a knuckler before lining the next one into right-center to win the game.
1971 – AL 6, NL 4 at Tiger Stadium, Detroit. Six future Hall-of-Famers hit home runs: Johnny Bench, Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, and Clemente. Talk about one’s baseball cards coming to life! Clemente’s eighth-inning at-bat was hilarious. He was visibly disgusted over Mickey Lolich‘s floppy, slow outside pitches to him. Thus, Clemente took matters into his own hands and smacked a high, 3-1 pitch into the center field stands.
Another Pirate, pitcher Dock Ellis, has the ignominious distinction of surrendering Jackson’s homer, a tape measure shot that would have left the venerable old ballpark if it hadn’t hit the right field light tower.
The Invisible Man, the Cobra, and the Third Base Coach
1972 – NL 4, AL 3 at Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta. Pirates pitcher Steve Blass, a franchise icon and winner of two complete games in the 1971 World Series, made his only appearance in an All-Star Game. At least that’s what we were told. Unfortunately for Pirates fans, NBC had technical difficulties and lost the picture during the entire inning he pitched.
1979 – NL 7, AL 6 at Kingdome, Seattle. Pirates right fielder Dave Parker didn’t expect to be named MVP of this All-Star Game. “They had to practically drag me over to get the award,” he told Dan Donovan of The Pittsburgh Press. “I was already headed to the shower.” Parker, who played all nine innings and went 1-for-3, won the award on the strength of two outfield assists. The first one came in the seventh inning when he lost Jim Rice’s fly ball against the Kingdome’s ceiling. Parker retrieved the ball in time to gun down Rice at third base. In the eighth inning, Parker threw out Brian Downing at home plate when he tried to score on Graig Nettles’ single to right field.
1994 – NL 8, AL 7 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh. With the score tied, 7-7, in the bottom of the 10th, Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres greeted pitcher Jason Bere with a single to center. The Montreal Expos’ Moises Alou followed with a drive to left-center field, scoring Gwynn, whose slide barely beat the relay. What’s this got to do with the Pirates, you ask? The winning run was waved home by Pirates manager Jim Leyland, serving as third base coach. Now you ask, is that all you can come up with from the last 45 years? Hey, Pirates fans have to take what they can get.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
