Mauch Would Like a Replay of His ’65 Appearance

The last time they held the All-Star game in Minneapolis it was 1965, and the manager of the National League was Gene Mauch. The NL won, 6-5, to go ahead in the series for the first time, 18-17-1. At one time, the American League had led, 12-4.

Willie Mays was the big man for the NL, hitting a homer to lead off the game and later scoring the winning run.

Normally, Johnny Keane would have been the NL manager, but after his St. Louis Cardinals beat Yogi Berra’s New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series, he was hired by the Yankees to replace Berra, who was fired. Thus Mauch, whose Philadelphia Phillies had performed their famous pratfall in 1964, got the job.

Note: The game marked the first appearance of Cincinnati second baseman Pete Rose, who would set a record by playing five different positions in All-Star games. He later played third base, first base, left field and right field.

When Sparky Anderson and Dick Williams squared off in the 1973 All-Star game, the roles were reversed. Williams’ Oakland A’s had beaten Anderson’s Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 World Series. However, Anderson and the N.L. prevailed in the All-Star game, 7-1.

Last year, Anderson became the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues when his Detroit Tigers beat Williams’ San Diego Padres. An AL victory tonight would make Anderson the first manager to the win the All-Star game in both leagues.

Add Williams: In 1955, when he and Anderson were teammates with Fort Worth of the Texas League, he took out an insurance policy. The Fort Worth doctor who examined him for the policy was Dr. Bobby Brown, now the president of the American League.

Trivia Time: Henry Aaron, playing for the National League in 1963 and the American League in 1975, played for the same manager in both games. Who was it? (Answer below.)

In the first All-Star game, in 1933, Babe Ruth not only hit a two-run homer to win it for the American League, 4-2, but he made the defensive play of the game. In the eighth inning, the 38-year-old right fielder chased down a drive by Cincinnati outfielder Chick Hafey.

Lefty Gomez was the winning pitcher, but he was prouder of the fact he knocked in the first run of the game with a single. Gomez was a career .147 hitter.

In 1936, Joe DiMaggio became the first rookie to play in the All-Star game, and he turned out to be the goat. He went 0 for 5 and made an error in center field as the AL lost for the first time, 4-3.

DiMaggio almost became a hero in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, but his wicked liner toward left field was speared by St. Louis shortstop Leo Durocher, who was almost spun around by the force.

Note: Detroit’s Mickey Cochrane was scheduled to be the AL manager, but he suffered a nervous breakdown in June and was sent to a Wyoming ranch to recuperate. He was replaced by Joe McCarthy.

Add DiMag: Brothers Joe, Dom and Vince DiMaggio all played in All-Star games, and it was Vince who enjoyed the biggest day. The Pittsburgh outfielder went 3 for 3 in 1943, with a homer, triple and single. The NL still lost, 5-3.

Trivia Answer: Alvin Dark. He had won pennants at San Francisco in 1962 and Oakland in 1974.

Quotebook

Sandy Koufax, told that Dwight Gooden has had a problem in holding runners on base: “He also has a great ability in keeping runners off base.”