The 2008 All Star game is being played Tuesday night in Yankee Stadium, the last year of existence for the Bronx bombshell.
But the most exciting All Star game of all time happened in 1964 at our immortal Shea Stadium, the first year of existence for the greatest home the Mets will ever have.
Ron Hunt represented the Mets and started that game, batitng 8th and playing second base.
Some future Mets played as well, including Joe Torre in the National League and Jim Fregosi, who led off for the AL.
The 36th All Star game was played on July 7th, 1964. The National League scored four runs in the bottom of the 9th to win the game 7–4.
Willie Mays led off that last inning with a walk, stole second, then went to third on a bloop single by Orlando Cepeda. On the play, Joe Pepitone made a throwing error, allowing Mays to score the tying run.
After Ken Boyer flew out, Johnny Edwards was walked, then Hank Aaron pinch-hit for Hunt and struck out.
With two out and two on, up to the plate came the eventual hero of the game (and All Star MVP): Johnny Callison. Callison ripped a three-run home run to win the game and was mobbed at the plate (see photo above). Take a listen to Callison’s historic home run at Shea Stadium.
This turned out to be the highlight of Callison’s career. Johnny died in 2006. He is memorialized in Citizen’s Bank Park, his plaque next to another guy tightly linked with Shea history and who also died too soon: the great Tug McGraw. Take a look after the jump.
Comments
Even though I was in the Shea home dugout for Callison's homerun (Not!), I'm willing to bet that the radio call here is a recreation. If not somebody please check the pulse on that announcer.