1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

1997 American baseball competition August 2016 November 2013 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game logo.png 1997 National League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 American League 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 7 0 July 8, 1997 Jacobs Field Cleveland, Ohio Bobby Cox ATL Joe Torre NYY Sandy Alomar Jr. CLE Fox (United States)MLB International (International) Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly (Fox)Gary Thorne and Ken Singleton (MLB International) CBS John Rooney, Jerry Coleman and Jeff Torborg 44,916 Larry Doby The 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 68th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 8, 1997, at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, the home of the Cleveland Indians of the American League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 3-1. The game marked the fifth time the All-Star Game was held in Cleveland and first since 1981. It was also the first All-Star game held at Jacobs Field, which opened three years earlier. Rosters Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. National League StartersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCMike PiazzaDodgers51BJeff BagwellAstros32BCraig BiggioAstros63BKen CaminitiPadres3SSBarry LarkinReds9OFBarry BondsGiants7OFKenny LoftonBraves4OFLarry WalkerRockies2DHTony GwynnPadres13 PitchersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPRod BeckGiants3PKevin BrownMarlins3PShawn EstesGiants1PTom GlavinePlayer declined or was unable to play.Braves5PBobby JonesMets1PDarryl KileAstros2PGreg MadduxBraves6PPedro MartínezExpos2PDenny NeagleBraves2PCurt SchillingPhillies1 ReservesPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCTodd HundleyMets2CCharles JohnsonMarlins1CJavy LópezBraves11BAndrés GalarragaRockies31BMark GraceCubs32BTony WomackPirates13BChipper JonesBraves2SSJeff BlauserBraves2SSRoyce ClaytonCardinals1OFMoisés AlouMarlins2OFSteve FinleyPadres1OFRay LankfordCardinals1 American League StartersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCIván RodríguezRangers61BTino MartinezYankees22BRoberto AlomarOrioles83BCal Ripken Jr.Orioles15SSAlex RodriguezMariners2OFBrady AndersonOrioles3OFKen Griffey Jr.Mariners8OFDavid JusticeIndians3DHEdgar MartínezMariners4 PitchersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPRoger ClemensBlue Jays6PDavid ConeYankees4PJason DicksonAngels1PPat HentgenBlue Jays3PRandy JohnsonMariners5PMike MussinaOrioles4PRandy MyersOrioles4PMariano RiveraYankees1PJosé RosadoRoyals1PJustin ThompsonTigers1 ReservesPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCSandy Alomar Jr.Indians51BMark McGwireAthletics91BFrank ThomasWhite Sox51BJim ThomeIndians12BJoey CoraMariners12BChuck KnoblauchTwins43BJeff CirilloBrewers1SSNomar GarciaparraRed Sox1OFAlbert BelleWhite Sox5OFPaul O'NeillYankees4OFBernie WilliamsYankees1 Game Umpires Home Plate Larry Barnett (AL) First Base Gerry Davis (NL) Second Base Drew Coble (AL) Third Base Jeff Kellogg (NL) Left Field Terry Craft (AL) Right Field Wally Bell (NL) Starting lineups National LeagueAmerican LeagueOrderPlayerTeamPositionOrderPlayerTeamPosition1Craig BiggioAstros2B1Brady AndersonOriolesLF2Tony GwynnPadresDH2Alex RodriguezMarinersSS3Barry BondsGiantsLF3Ken Griffey Jr.MarinersCF4Mike PiazzaDodgersC4Tino MartinezYankees1B5Jeff BagwellAstros1B5Edgar MartínezMarinersDH6Larry WalkerRockiesRF6Paul O'NeillYankeesRF7Ken CaminitiPadres3B7Cal Ripken Jr.Orioles3B8Ray LankfordCardinalsCF8Iván RodríguezRangersC9Jeff BlauserBravesSS9Roberto AlomarOrioles2B Greg MadduxBravesP Randy JohnsonMarinersP Game summary Tuesday, July 8, 1997 8:29pm (ET) Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio National League NL 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 American League AL 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 3 7 0 José Rosado (1-0) Shawn Estes (0-1) Mariano Rivera (1) Javy López (1) Edgar Martínez (1), Sandy Alomar Jr. (1) yes The American League jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning led by a home run by Edgar Martínez of the Seattle Mariners. No one would score after that until the 7th inning when Javy López of the Atlanta Braves would tie the game with a home run of his own. However, in the bottom of the 7th, Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees walked and then Sandy Alomar Jr. of the Cleveland Indians hit a home run to give the American League the lead and the win, as they held on to defeat the National League 3-1. All the runs were driven in and scored by players either born (Alomar, López & Williams) or raised (Martinez) in Puerto Rico. Winning pitcher José Rosado's family roots are also from that island. The loudest ovation of the All-Star Game, which came early in the player introductions, was reserved for Kenny Lofton, whom the Indians had traded to the Atlanta Braves prior to the start of the 1997 season. Lofton was on the National League roster, but was injured and did not play. Also in the pregame ceremonies, Albert Belle, who was representing the Chicago White Sox, was booed for leaving the Indians as a free agent the previous winter. Unlike past years, the performance of O Canada, this year by the McAuley Boys, was not televised. Instead, the Fox network, airing its first All-Star Game, went into a commercial break, resulting in angry phone calls from Canadian television viewers. The Canadian National Anthem was later shown on tape delay after the game in the Cleveland area. Country star LeAnn Rimes sang the National Anthem following the commercial break. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of baseball's breaking of the color barrier, the ceremonial first pitch featured former Indian Larry Doby, the first African-American player to play in the American League. One of the more colorful moments in All-Star Game history occurred during an at bat with Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners pitching and Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies at the plate. The teams of the two former Montreal Expos teammates had faced each other about one month prior. However, when Johnson started on June 12, Walker chose not to play, explaining that, "I faced Randy one time in spring training and he almost killed me."Associated Press https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-12-sp-2622-story.html Walker will not face Johnson Los Angeles Times June 12, 1997 February 4, 2017 In this All-Star Game, Walker batted against Johnson, who theatrically threw over his head. Ever adaptable, Walker placed his batting helmet backwards and switched sides in the batters' box to stand right-handed for one pitch. He ended the at bat by drawing a walk.Cut4Staff https://www.mlb.com/cut4/video-ted-williams-hits-asg-walk-off-home-run-c135270768 Today in All-Star Game history: Larry Walker flips helmet, bats right-handed MLB.com Cut 4 July 8, 2016 January 7, 2017 The incident momentarily drew mirth and laughter from players in both dugouts, fans and announcers, and comparisons to Johnson pitching against John Kruk in the 1993 All-Star Game, in which he also threw over his head.Baker Chris https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-09-sp-11026-story.html Johnson's wild toss amuses Walker, fans Los Angeles Times July 9, 1997 January 7, 2017 In spite of garnering a reputation of avoiding Johnson,Eisenberg John Kubatko Roch https://www.baltimoresun.com/1997/07/09/relieved-walker-walks-away-from-hairy-at-bat-vs-johnson-kruk-like-wild-pitch-keeps-rockie-on-toes-68th-all-star-game/ Relieved Walker walks away from hairy at-bat vs. Johnson Kruk-like wild pitch keeps Rockie on toes The Baltimore Sun July 9, 1997 January 7, 2017 Walker batted .393 (11 hits in 28 at bats) against him in his career,Elias Sports Bureau, Inc. http://www.espn.com/espn/news/insider/story?id=2083323 Elias says ... ESPN.com June 11, 2005 February 4, 2017 nearly double the rate of all left-handed batters at .199.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?id=johnsra05&year=Career&t=p Randy Johnson career pitching splits Baseball-Reference.com January 7, 2017 Alomar was named MVP of the game, becoming the first player to win the All Star Game MVP award as a member of the host team (Pedro Martínez in 1999 and Shane Bieber in 2019 would later win MVP awards in their home ballparks). After the game, Major League Baseball CEO Paul Beeston presented Alomar with the MVP Award in lieu of the Commissioner of Baseball, who would not be named until after the next All-Star Game, when then-Chairman of the Executive Committee Bud Selig was officially named Commissioner. This was the last All-Star Game in which the Milwaukee Brewers were a member of the American League. The Brewers moved to the National League for the 1998 season. Footnotes and references External links Baseball Almanac Baseball-Reference.com Category:Major League Baseball All-Star Game Category:Baseball competitions in Cleveland Major League Baseball All-Star Game Major League Baseball All Star Game Category:July 1997 sports events in the United States 1997