1955 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

1955 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

File:1955 MLB All-Star Game.gif
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E American League 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0  0 5 10 2 National League 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 1x 6 13 1
Date	July 12, 1955
Venue	Milwaukee County Stadium
City	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Managers	Al Lopez (Cleveland Indians) Leo Durocher (New York Giants)
Attendance	45,643 – Time of Game: 3:17
Television	NBC Sports
TV announcers	Mel Allen and Al Helfer
Radio	Mutual
Radio announcers	Bob Neal and Earl Gillespie

The 1955 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 22nd 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 12, 1955, at Milwaukee County Stadium, the home of the Milwaukee Braves of the National League.

Summary

The National League overcame a five-run deficit to defeat the American League, 6–5, in this edition of the midsummer classic. Stan Musial led off the bottom of the 12th inning by drilling a home run to deep right field on the first pitch he saw from Frank Sullivan, pulling off one of the greatest victories in All-Star Game history.

The National League began their comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning. Willie Mays led off the frame with a single off Whitey Ford, and after two outs, Hank Aaron walked and Johnny Logan singled to drive home Mays and make it a 5–1 game. Next batter Stan Lopata reached base on an error, and Aaron scored the second run off the inning before the third out was made.

With two outs in the eight inning, Mays, Ted Kluszewski and Randy Jackson hit consecutive singles for a run, and Ford was replaced by Sullivan. Aaron greeted him with an RBI single scoring Kluszewski to knot the game at 5–5.

The American League quickly took the lead in the top of the first inning when Harvey Kuenn and Nellie Fox hit consecutive singles against Robin Roberts, with Kuenn advancing to third base from first and later scoring on a wild pitch. Then Ted Williams walked and Mickey Mantle hit a three-run home run, before Roberts recorded his first out. In the sixth inning, Mickey Vernon grounded out to drive home Yogi Berra to give the American League a five-run cushion.

In the ninth inning, Joe Nuxhall and Sullivan matched strikeouts as the All-Star Game went into extra innings for only the second time since 1950, which turned out to be the first year the game went more than nine innings.

The contest remained tied until the 12th inning, when Gene Conley struck out all three AL batters he faced. Then came the walk-off of Musial, which was his fourth homer in All-Star games, breaking a tie with Ted Williams and Ralph Kiner.

It was the fifth victory for the National League in the last six All-Star games, even though the American League still leading the contest 13–9.

Notes

• Billy Pierce sailed through his three innings of work for the American League, facing the minimum nine batters while striking out three without walks. Red Schoendienst led off the first inning with a single, but was out trying to advance to second on a pitch in the dirt that Yogi Berra managed to smother.
• Early Wynn relieved Pierce in the fourth, and he tossed three shutout innings as well, allowing just three hits.
• Harvey Haddix took over for Roberts in the fourth and he went three innings, allowing just one run in the sixth.
• Don Newcombe (1), Sam Jones (2⁄3) and Joe Nuxhall (3+1⁄3) combined for five scoreless innings.
• Whitey Ford got the first two batters out in the eighth, but allowed three singles and a run and was replaced by Frank Sullivan, who faced 14 batters in 3+1⁄3 innings before the Musial's blast.
• It was the only All-Star appearance for Sullivan, the losing pitcher, who would win 18 games for the Boston Red Sox that season. In 1960, Sullivan would be traded for the winning pitcher in this game, Gene Conley.
• Both teams' pitchers combined for 23 hits and 20 strikeouts of 100 batters faced.
• Roy Campanella was selected for the National League roster in the poll, but he did not play in the game due to a leg injury and was replaced by Stan Lopata.
• Ironically, this game was played the same day on which funeral services were held for Arch Ward, the sports editor for the Chicago Tribune, who had founded the All-Star Game in 1933.

Opening Lineups

American League			National League
Player	Team	Pos	Player	Team	Pos
Harvey Kuenn	Detroit Tigers	SS	Red Schoendienst	St. Louis Cardinals	2B
Nellie Fox	Chicago White Sox	2B	Del Ennis	Philadelphia Phillies	LF
Ted Williams	Boston Red Sox	LF	Duke Snider	Brooklyn Dodgers	CF
Mickey Mantle	New York Yankees	CF	Ted Kluszewski	Cincinnati Redlegs	1B
Yogi Berra	New York Yankees	C	Eddie Mathews	Milwaukee Braves	3B
Al Kaline	Detroit Tigers	RF	Don Mueller	New York Giants	RF
Mickey Vernon	Washington Senators	1B	Ernie Banks	Chicago Cubs	SS
Jim Finigan	Kansas City Athletics	3B	Del Crandall	Milwaukee Braves	C
Billy Pierce	Chicago White Sox	P	Robin Roberts	Philadelphia Phillies	P

Rosters

Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

1955 American League All-Star Game roster
Pitchers 19 Dick Donovan * 19 Billy Pierce 16 Whitey Ford 38 Billy Hoeft * 27 Herb Score * 18 Frank Sullivan 19 Bob Turley * 36 Jim Wilson 24 Early Wynn * Catchers  8 Yogi Berra 10 Sherm Lollar *		Infielders  1 Bobby Ávila 17 Chico Carrasquel  4 Jim Finigan  2 Nellie Fox  7 Harvey Kuenn  7 Vic Power  7 Al Rosen Outfielders 14 Larry Doby *  4 Jackie Jensen  6 Al Kaline  7 Mickey Mantle 32 Al Smith  9 Ted Williams		Manager 10 Al Lopez Coaches 44 Tony Cuccinello 39 Don Gutteridge  * = Did not play

1955 National League All-Star Game roster
Pitchers 38 Luis Arroyo * 22 Gene Conley 27 Sam Jones 42 Harvey Haddix 36 Don Newcombe 39 Joe Nuxhall 36 Robin Roberts Catchers 21 Smoky Burgess 39 Roy Campanella *  1 Del Crandall 29 Stan Lopata		Infielders 37 Gene Baker 14 Ernie Banks 14 Gil Hodges  2 Randy Jackson 18 Ted Kluszewski 23 Johnny Logan 41 Eddie Mathews  6 Stan Musial  2 Red Schoendienst Outfielders 44 Hank Aaron 14 Del Ennis 24 Willie Mays 22 Don Mueller  4 Duke Snider 15 Frank Thomas		Manager  2 Leo Durocher Coaches  2 Fred Haney 24 Mayo Smith  * = Did not play

Umpires

Position	Umpire
Home Plate	Al Barlick
First Base	Hank Soar
Second Base	Dusty Boggess
Third Base	Bill Summers
Left Field	Frank Secory
Right Field	Ed Runge

Line Score

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	R	H	E
AL All-Stars	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	10	2
NL All-Stars	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	1x	6	13	1
WP: Conley   LP: Sullivan Home runs: AL: Mantle NL: Musial

Winning Run scored with 0 outs

How the runs scored
Team	Inning	Play	AL	NL
AL	1st	Kuenn scored on a wild pitch; Mantle homered, Fox and Williams scored	4	0
AL	6th	Vernon grounded out, Berra scored	5	0
NL	7th	Logan singled, Mays scored, Aaron to third; Lopata safe on error, Aaron scored	5	2
NL	9th	Jackson singled, Mays scored, Kluszewski to third; Aaron singled, Kluszewski and Jackson scored	5	5
NL	12th	Musial homered to right	5	6

Play-by-play at Retrosheet

External links

• Baseball Almanac
• Baseball Reference
• IMDb.com