62ND MAJOR LEAGUE ALL-STAR GAME : SkyDome Can Become a Site for Sore Eyes : Stadium: After several less-than-stellar offensive displays, viewers of tonight’s game may expect a power display.

The real All-Star in tonight’s 62nd meeting between the American and National leagues might be SkyDome itself.

Not only is it the equivalent of a $538-million futuristic city with an eight-acre retractable roof to protect, among other amenities, a hotel, health club, Hard Rock Cafe and 161 luxury suites costing up to $225,000 a year, but it is also baseball’s incumbent home run haven.

In that capacity the SkyDome might help restore a degree of offensive electricity to what has become a low-scoring game dominated by pitchers.

“Hitting here is great,” said Toronto Blue Jay outfielder Joe Carter, an American League All-Star who has driven in 59 runs and hit 19 home runs, 15 in the SkyDome.

“Everyone always used to wonder what I might do playing 81 games in Fenway Park, but it couldn’t be better than this. The conditions are perfect, the hitting background is awesome.

“If the wind kicks up or it starts to rain, they just close the roof. I mean, after six years in Cleveland, this is like a country club.”

In other words, the All-Stars can tee it up?

“This one definitely has a chance to be explosive,” Carter said. “You won’t have the rain that you had in Wrigley, the shadows you had in Oakland.

“The ball doesn’t seem to travel as well to center when the roof is open, but it still jumps everywhere else. The conditions are conducive to scoring.”

Barring an unexpected change in the weather, the roof will be open tonight when Tom Glavine (12-4) of the Atlanta Braves starts for the National League against Jack Morris (11-6) of the Minnesota Twins.

The American League has won three in a row and four of the past five games after the National won 26 of 29.

“We no longer feel there’s any kind of National League mystique,” Baltimore Oriole shortstop Cal Ripken said Monday after starring in a home run-hitting contest that showcased the run-producing potential of the SkyDome.

Ripken took 22 swings and hit 12 homers as the AL won the three-inning contest that highlights the workout day, 20-7.

Does the ball travel here, or what?

“It jumps out in every direction,” said Cecil Fielder, the Detroit Tiger first baseman who is tied with Jose Canseco for the major league home run lead with 21, leads the majors in RBIs with 65 and left Toronto for Japan before the SkyDome’s opening in midseason of 1989.

Fielder joined the Tigers last year and said he was awed by the beauty and scope of Toronto’s building.

“That was even before I took a look at the dimensions (328 in the corners, 375 in the gaps and 400 to center). I mean, once I started hitting the ball, it was like I said to myself, ‘Oh, my goodness. The ball just jumps out.’ ”

Last year, in its first full season, there were 175 homers hit at the SkyDome. Only one other major league park, Tiger Stadium in Detroit, produced more than 160.

This year, there have been 74 homers hit in 43 games here. Tiger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Anaheim Stadium and the new Comiskey Park have produced more, but it is difficult to gauge the home run standings until the number of games evens out.

By any yardstick, the SkyDome renewal has a chance to awaken the ghosts of All-Stars past.

Consider their recent embarrassment:

--Three times in the past four games the winning team has scored two runs.

--Aside from a 13-3 blowout by the American League in 1983, the two teams have not combined to score 10 or more runs since 1979.

--In the last seven games, the highest combined score was eight, with six the highest total by a winning team.

“They change pitchers so often and so fast that it’s tough for the hitters to adjust,” Boston Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs said. “Just when you get a feel for one pitcher, a new one is out there. It’s tough to score.”

Said Lou Piniella, who manages the Cincinnati Reds and NL All-Stars:

“You don’t often bunt or hit-and-run in this game. You don’t do the little things to create runs that you do during the season because it’s a showcase and the guys want to go up there and hit the ball out of the park.

“This year, we’ve varied it some. We’ve got guys like (the Dodgers’) Brett Butler and Juan Samuel, who can do those things, and we may. I want to win and so does (NL President) Bill White.”

Piniella cited other factors for the low scoring of recent years:

--The twilight starting times of West Coast games.

--The midseason reduction in bat speed by tiring hitters contrasted to the dominating velocity of pitchers kept fresher by the development of five-man rotations.

--The use of hard-throwing relievers, of which the 10-man AL pitching staff has five--Bobby Thigpen, Bryan Harvey, Dennis Eckersley, Jeff Reardon and Rick Aguilera.

Said Piniella: “It’s like every time you go to bat, you’re facing a new speed gun.”

The SkyDome might help the hitters fire back.

Tonight’s Game

Game time: 5:36 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2 and 8

(Pregame show, 5 p.m.)

Radio: KNX (1070),

KFMB (760)

The Starting Lineups

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CF Tony Gwynn Padres 2B Ryne Sandberg Cubs 1B Will Clark Giants DH Bobby Bonilla Pirates RF Andre Dawson Cubs LF Ivan Calderon Expos 3B Chris Sabo Reds C Benito Santiago Padres SS Ozzie Smith Cardinals P Tom Glavine Braves

AMERICAN LEAGUE

LF R. Henderson Athletics 3B Wade Boggs Red Sox SS Cal Ripken Orioles 1B Cecil Fielder Tigers DH Danny Tartabull Royals RF D. Henderson Athletics CF Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners C Sandy Alomar Jr. Indians 2B Roberto Alomar Blue Jays P Jack Morris Twins

All-Star Statistics

NATIONAL STARTERS

AB R H HR RBI AVG Catcher Benito Santiago Padres 306 29 76 10 39 .248 First Base Will Clark Giants 281 35 83 15 59 .295 Second Base Ryne Sandberg Cubs 308 55 93 13 48 .302 Third Base Chris Sabo Reds 283 44 76 12 38 .269 Shortstop Ozzie Smith Cardinals 270 52 85 0 29 .315 Outfield Ivan Calderon Expos 301 45 93 9 49 .309 Andre Dawson Cubs 280 37 81 15 52 .289 Tony Gwynn Padres 332 47 119 2 48 .358 x-D. Strawberry Dodgers 205 44 47 8 30 .229 Designated Hitter Bobby Bonilla Pirates 283 42 81 7 42 .286 Pitcher G W-L Sv H BB SO ERA Tom Glavine Braves 17 12-4 0 101 21 108 1.98

NATIONAL LEAGUE RESERVES

AB R H HR RBI AVG Infielders Howard Johnson Mets 267 52 69 19 63 .258 John Kruk Phillies 279 41 77 10 55 .276 Barry Larkin Reds 212 44 63 14 37 .297 Eddie Murray Dodgers 274 34 71 8 51 .259 Juan Samuel Dodgers 313 47 98 9 43 .313 Outfielders George Bell Cubs 306 34 90 16 50 .294 Brett Butler Dodgers 311 59 94 1 20 .302 Felix Jose Cardinals 289 39 93 2 42 .322 Paul O’Neill Reds 255 34 66 15 47 .259 Catcher Craig Biggio Astros 273 39 86 3 19 .315 Pitchers G W-L Sv H BB SO ERA Tom Browning Reds 19 10-5 0 114 32 62 3.99 Rob Dibble Reds 37 0-0 23 28 12 66 1.29 Pete Harnisch Astros 17 5-7 0 81 49 81 2.22 Dennis Martinez Expos 18 10-5 0 118 35 75 2.10 y-Mike Morgan Dodgers 17 9-5 1 98 25 68 2.43 John Smiley Pirates 16 9-6 0 93 18 64 3.40 Lee Smith Cardinals 36 3-2 23 32 8 41 2.40 Frank Viola Mets 18 10-5 0 135 33 71 2.80 x-Ramon Martinez Dodgers 17 12-3 0 99 31 80 2.54

AMERICAN LEAGUE STARTERS

AB R H HR RBI AVG Catcher Sandy Alomar Indians 141 7 34 0 4 .241 First Base Cecil Fielder Tigers 307 53 84 21 65 .274 x-Mark McGwire Athletics 254 33 51 13 42 .201 Second Base Roberto Alomar Blue Jays 321 41 91 5 37 .283 Third Base Wade Boggs Red Sox 287 49 93 5 33 .324 Shortstop Cal Ripken Orioles 319 58 111 18 54 .348 Outfield Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners 271 29 76 9 36 .280 D. Henderson Athletics 285 54 85 18 50 .298 R. Henderson Athletics 222 50 61 5 26 .275 Designated Hitter Danny Tartabull Royals 275 48 88 20 59 .320 Pitcher G W-L Sv H BB SO ERA Jack Morris Twins 18 11-6 0 121 58 82 3.65

AMERICAN LEAGUE RESERVES

AB R H HR RBI AVG Infielders Julio Franco Rangers 299 55 95 9 40 .318 Ozzie Guillen White Sox 274 28 71 0 20 .259 Paul Molitor Brewers 320 60 102 9 32 .319 y-Rafael Palmeiro Rangers 320 60 102 13 40 .319 Outfielders Harold Baines Athletics 257 43 83 12 58 .323 Joe Carter Blue Jays 321 44 97 19 59 .302 Kirby Puckett Twins 321 50 101 11 45 .315 Ruben Sierra Rangers 323 55 105 12 58 .325 Catcher Carlton Fisk White Sox 246 22 63 7 36 .256 Pitchers G W-L Sv H BB SO ERA Rick Aguilera Twins 33 2-3 22 29 23 34 2.75 Roger Clemens Red Sox 17 11-5 0 105 29 123 2.22 Dennis Eckersley Athletics 31 1-1 23 31 1 38 2.35 Bryan Harvey Angels 32 1-1 22 24 5 49 0.92 Jimmy Key Blue Jays 16 10-3 16 99 22 68 2.30 Mark Langston Angels 17 12-3 0 99 49 88 3.84 Jack McDowell White Sox 18 10-4 0 105 49 100 3.20 Jeff Reardon Red Sox 30 0-2 21 23 7 20 2.70 Scott Sanderson Yankees 17 9-3 0 112 13 60 3.93

x-injured, will not play

y-injury replacement