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2004 Midsummer Classic
Email: Michael
Aubrecht Website:
Pinstripe
Press
Written for
Baseball-Almanac.com's All-Star Game
section
Detailed recaps with complete statistics
are online at Baseball-Almanac.com's All
Star Games
THE 75th MIDSUMMER
Classic will always be
remembered not for WHAT happened, but for
WHAT DIDN'T happen. As with most All-Star
events, pre-game hype was at an all time
high and the sports media could not have
asked for a better itinerary of events to
cover. The recently "un" retired Roger
Clemens dominated the headlines and his
hometown crowd of Houston Astros fans were
more than anxious to witness their
"favorite son" make history. At age
forty-one (41), Clemens had become the
oldest pitcher ever to start an All-Star
Game and had recently completed a
phenomenal first-half of the season. A
veteran of the Classic, Roger had
dominated for the American League in all
eight of his previous All-Star
appearances. During that time, he faced
forty (40) hitters and had given up a
total of one (1) extra-base hit (a 1991
home run to Andre Dawson). Ironically,
catcher Mike Piazza, who had a
long-standing feud with "The Rocket," also
started behind the plate for the National
League. Both men stated that they had put
the past behind them, but many doubted
that this was true.
In the opening ceremonies,
American icon Muhammad Ali helped toss out
a ceremonial first-pitch and Hall of Fame
great Nolan Ryan "coached" one lucky fan
to a million dollars in a Taco Bell
sponsored pitching contest. Little did the
fans at Minute Maid Park know that would
be the ONLY quality pitching they would
witness until the second inning. Almost
immediately after taking the mound,
Clemens ran into trouble. Speed, control
and consensus on pitches with his catcher
were obviously lacking and before they
knew it, the National League was down
6-0.
Catcher Ivan Rodriguez
ignited the American League's rally after
tagging an RBI triple. Then, Boston's
Manny Ramirez knocked out a two-run home
run giving his teammates an immediate 3-0
lead. With two outs, Jason Giambi reached
base on a rare Jeff Kent error, and after
Derek Jeter singled to left, game MVP
Alfonso Soriano cleared the bases with a
first-pitch home run to left field that
gave the American League a huge advantage.
Both Clemens and the crowd appeared in
shock after he had surrendered more runs
in the first inning, than he had ever
given up in his entire All-Star career to
date. Although he was throwing on only
two-days rest, "The Rocket" refused to
accept that as an excuse and took full
responsibility as he walked back to the
clubhouse. Unfortunately many fans, as
well as members of the media, would later
pose rumors of a "conspiracy theory" after
Clemens appeared to shake off a few
pitches called by "his rival" leading up
to the Ramirez home run.
Starter Mark Mulder was
credited with the win after holding the
National League to one run over two
innings of work, although being staked to
a 6-0 lead didn't hurt the Oakland ace's
chances either.
The surprise opening
marked only the second time that an
All-Star team had scored six runs in a
single frame as well as the most runs
scored by a team since the American League
tallied a record seven runs in the third
inning of the '83 Classic. As a result,
skipper Jack McKeon was forced to change
his entire game plan after the starting
right-hander threw thirty-five (35)
pitches in the first inning debacle. The
sudden shuffle appeared to prevent the
National League from establishing a rhythm
and they continued to struggle throughout
the contest.
Little improved for
National League favoring crowd of 41,886
either until the fourth inning when the
Nationals managed to score three runs off
of Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia. First Jeff
Kent knocked a two-out single, followed by
a base hit by Carlos Beltran. Edgar
Renteria sent Kent home with a ground-rule
double down the left-field line, and two
more runs scored on a double by Albert
Pujols.
Not to be outdone, Manny
Ortiz added a third home run for the
American League in the sixth with a
two-run shot that increased the American's
lead to five. Starter Mark Mulder was
credited with the win after holding the
National League to one run over two
innings of work, although being staked to
a 6-0 lead didn't hurt the Oakland ace's
chances either. Along the way, Mulder
retired Barry Bonds on a routine fly ball
to center field, which pleased him nearly
as much as getting the win. When America
League reliever Esteban Loaiza walked
Barry Bonds later in the game, the sellout
crowd showered him with boos.
Perhaps the most exciting
performances on the mound took place only
after the game had been clearly decided.
Fans in attendance were treated to a real
"pitcher's duel" put on by two of the
game's greatest. Eric Gagne, who had
recently set an all-time record for most
consecutive saves (84) completed the
Nationals effort and Mariano Rivera, the
most successful post-season closer in
history, ended the game. Still using the
"it counts" concept (disputed by the
Players Union), the American League walked
away with a 9-4 victory and their second
consecutive home field advantage going
into the 2004 World Series.
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