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1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The 1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the first edition of the All-Star Game known as the "Midsummer Classic". This was the first official playing of the midseason exhibition baseball game between Major League Baseball's (MLB's) National League (NL) and American League (AL) All-Star teams. The game was held on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey ParkinChicago, Illinois, the home of the AL's Chicago White Sox. The game resulted in the AL defeating the NL, 4–2, in two hours and five minutes.

The first official All-Star Game came 22 years after the Addie Joss Benefit Game of July 24, 1911, when the American League's Cleveland Naps faced a team of all-stars from other American League teams at League ParkinCleveland, Ohio; the game was won by the all-star squad, 5–3.^[2][3]

History[edit]

The first official MLB All-Star exhibition game on July 6, 1933, was held at Comiskey Park (1910–1990) and was part of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair during the city's centennial. The 1933 MLB All-Star Game was the idea of Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, after the Mayor of Chicago, Edward J. Kelly, had first approached the Tribune's publisher for a major sport event.^[4] The game was intended to be a one-time event to boost morale during the Great Depression. Ward decided that the fans would select the starting nine players and the managers the other nine players for each of the NL and AL All-Star teams. The Tribune called it the "Game of the Century", and 55 newspapers across the country printed the fans' ballots in their papers.^[5] The Tribune estimated the game's attendance on July 6, 1933, at 49,000. The proceeds ($45,000, net gate receipts) from the game went to a charity for disabled and needy major league players. The All-Star Game would afterwards be known as MLB's "Midsummer Classic".

The legendary Babe Ruth of the Yankees highlighted the game by hitting a two-run home run to right field in the bottom of the third inning and catching a fly ball up against the scoreboard in right-center field in the top of the eighth inning. Ruth was greeted at home plate by the AL/Chicago White Sox batboy John McBride and teammate Lou Gehrig. Twenty of the game's thirty-six All-Stars including Ruth would later be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of FameatCooperstown, New York. Both the game's managers, five out of six coaches, and two out of the four umpires on the field that day would also be future Hall of Famers. Two AL All-Stars were White Sox players, starting third baseman Jimmy Dykes and starting center fielder Al Simmons. Yankee Lefty Gomez was the winning pitcher for the American League.

The NL team wore specially made gray uniforms and navy blue caps with "National League" in navy blue felt letters on the front of the jersey, a large navy blue felt number on the back and "NL" in white letters printed on the navy caps. The AL team members each wore their home uniform. The NL members were allowed to keep their All-Star uniforms and caps. In 1934, each NL member used their home uniform and cap.

The game's official AL baseball was changed to an official NL baseball and the AL home plate umpire was replaced by a NL home plate umpire after the top of the 5th inning.^[6] 60 baseballs autographed by All-Star players were given out before the game started.

1933 All-Star Game rosters[edit]

Personnel in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

1933 All-Star Game[edit]

Umpires[edit]

The umpires rotated positions clockwise in the middle of the fifth inning, with Klem moving behind the plate.

Starting lineups[edit]

Game summary[edit]

Chick Hafey of the National League had the first hit, a bloop single to center field to lead off the second inning. The American League got on the board first in the bottom of the second. NL pitcher Bill Hallahan issued one-out walks to Jimmy Dykes and Joe Cronin. Two batters later, the game's winning pitcher Lefty Gomez, singled home Dykes for the AL's first run.

In the bottom of the third, after a walk to Charlie Gehringer, Babe Ruth famously hit the first home run in All-Star Game history, putting the AL up 3–0. Hallahan was chased from the game after walking Lou Gehrig immediately afterward, and was replaced by Lon Warneke. General Crowder replaced Gomez to start the fourth inning. In the sixth, Warneke hit a one-out triple and scored on a Pepper Martin groundout. Frankie Frisch followed with a home run to bring the NL to within a run, but after a Chuck Klein single, Crowder would escape the inning without giving up any more damage.

Cronin led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. After advancing on a bunt, he scored on an Earl Averill single to extend the lead to 4–2. Crowder would be replaced by Lefty Grove in the top of the seventh, while Warneke was replaced by Carl Hubbell in the bottom of the inning. The NL looked to have a chance in the top of the eighth. With Frisch on first with two outs, Hafey lined a shot to right field that looked like it could be a home run, but Ruth reached over the wall to catch it, denying the NL a chance to tie the game. Grove retired the side in order in the ninth to secure the American League's victory.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• 1933 All-Star Game Box Score, July 6atBaseball-Reference.com
• 1933 All-Star GameatBaseball Almanac
• July 6, 1933: A Dream Realized - Comiskey Park hosts first All-Star Game; Babe Ruth homers - Society for American Baseball Research (SABR Games Project)