This is a wonderful video not just because it has great highlights of MLB’ 1981 and 1983 All Star Games….but also because those highlights are brought to you by two Major League Baseball legends…..in Mel Allen and Mr. Baseball Bob Uecker….as Mel Allen, the voice of Bone Daddy’s beloved New York Yankees during the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1950’s….for Imasportsphile has posted the majority of Bone Daddy’s Yankee baseball collection that covers from 1948 to 1986 in our Memorabilia section…plus Allen was the voice of This Week In Baseballduring the 1970’s and 1980’s…of which we feature many videos in our Baseball section…..and when you add in the special “fantasy” look at the All Star Game by Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker…..you have the stuff of what makes an awesome video….that is worth watching over and over again.
The 1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on August 9, 1981 at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the Cleveland Indians of the American League. This was one of only two All-Star Games to be played outside of the month of July….the other being the second 1959 game….as this game was originally scheduled to be played on July 14….but was cancelled due to the players’ strike lasting from June 12 to July 31….so, it was then brought back as a prelude to the second half of the season….which began the following day….as 72,086 people hungry for MLB to return were in attendance….when it broke the stadium’s own record of 69,751 set in 1954 by setting the still-standing record for the highest attendance in an All Star Game.
The American League started with four shutout innings….with two apiece by starter Jack Morris and Len Barker…..meanwhile, Fernando Valenzuela….who was only the second rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game….pitched a scoreless first with two strikeouts. The AL got on the board in the second when Ken Singleton homered off NL starter Tom Seaver. Gary Carter broke the scoring drought for the NL by tying the game with a solo shot off Ken Forsch in the fifth….and Dave Parker gave the senior circuit the lead with a solo homer of his own in the sixth off Mike Norris. Burt Hooton came in for the NL in the AL-half of the sixth and promptly loaded the bases on three successive singles by Singleton, Dwight Evans, and Carlton Fisk….then Fred Lynn lined another single….but only Singleton came home to tie it at 2-2…..to which Buddy Bell followed with a sacrifice fly to give the AL a 3-2 lead….followed by Eddie Murray’s what looked to be a double-play grounder to Steve Garvey at first….whose low throw combined with a great play by Ozzie Smith at second and a rolling slide by Lynn resulted in only a force at second….as Fisk went to third and Ted Simmons singled him in to make it 4-2. Al Oliver then lifted a bloop fly ball to left that looked like it would drop…. but Dusty Baker hustled in and made a sliding catch for the third out, saving a run and possibly more. In the seventh, Carter got one of the runs back with his second solo homer off Ron Davis. Then, in the eighth, Rollie Fingers walked Ozzie Smith….who stole second and attempted to take third when Bo Díaz’ throw went into center field…..but Dave Winfield hustled the ball back to the infield and Smith was caught in a rundown and tagged out by Fingers….then Mike Easler walked and Mike Schmidt homered off Fingers to give the National League their winning runs.
The 1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on Wednesday, July 6, 1983, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 13-3…in a game occurred exactly 50 years to the date of the first All-Star game….and was the first American League win since 1971….and only the AL’s second win since 1963….as the 13 runs scored by the AL set a new record for one team in All-Star Game history….and the ten-run margin of victory was the largest since the 12-0 American League victory in 1946. The game is perhaps best remembered for Fred Lynn’s third inning grand slam….for as of the 2016 All Star Game….it is still the only grand slam in the history of the Midsummer Classic.
The first inning gave notice that this would be one of the sloppiest All-Star games in history….as Steve Sax led off the game by reaching on an error by AL starting pitcher Dave Stieb….then stole second and scored when next batter Tim Raines grounded to Stieb and Stieb threw wildly past Rod Carew at first….after which Raines reached third but couldn’t score as Stieb struck out the side as Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, and Mike Schmidt all fanned. The AL tied it in their half of the first on a sacrifice fly by George Brett….taking the lead in the second on another sac fly by Robin Yount. The Giants’ Atlee Hammaker came in to pitch for the NL in the bottom of the third and promptly had one of the worst innings by a pitcher in All-Star Game history….as Jim Rice led off with a solo homer….followed by a George Brett triple…whom Dave Winfield singled home….then Manny Trillo singled….and Carew drove home Winfield with a two-out single. Hammaker then intentionally walked right-handed hitter Yount to face Fred Lynn….who made the NL pay for the move with the only grand slam hit in All-Star game history. When the dust cleared, the AL had a 9-1 lead and Hammaker had given up six hits and seven runs in an inning….both of which are All-Star game records that still stand.
The NL could only muster RBI singles by Dale Murphy in the fourth and Sax in the fifth….but that was all they would get. In the seventh, Lou Whitaker had an RBI triple and Willie Wilson an RBI double for the AL…who capped off the scoring when Brett scored on a fly ball hit by Whitaker that Pedro Guerrero dropped and Rickey Henderson driving in Cecil Cooper with a groundout.
Any way you cut the pie….these video highlights of the 1981 and 1983 MLB All Star Games….when brought to you through the minds and voices of Mel Allen and Mr. Baseball, Bob Uecker makes this a video well worth watching.
