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July 12, 1955: Nearly 80,000 fans showed up to watch the NL vs. AL All Star game, which took place in Cleveland! The AL started Cleveland’s Don “The Sphinx” Mossi (10-3, 2.35 ERA, 145.2 IP, 70 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) against the Giants’ Johnny Antonelli (9-7, 3.57 ERA, 156.1 IP, 79 K’s, 1.30 WHIP). Jackie Robinson started things off with a bang, a lead-off homer for the NL squad putting them up 1-0 as the fans went wild. Bobby Avila hit a two-run blast out of center to put the AL team up 2-1 in the bottom of the third, so Hank Aaron answered with a dinger of his own in the top of the fifth, tying the score 2-2! Gil Hodges hit a solo homer out of left just minutes later to make it a 3-2 lead for the NL squad, and the fans were getting their money’s worth. Randy Jackson hit an RBI single that drove in two more as the NL team started to run away with this one, but Jim Rivera made the defensive play of the game for the AL, stealing a potential grand slam from Duke Snyder, climbing for a catch at the wall in right so we’d still have a chance. Jim Finigan, a last minute addition to the team for the AL, pinch-hit in the bottom of the fifth but didn’t get on base. Bobby Shantz came out to pitch in the top of the seventh, pitching around a single by Randy Jackson to keep the NL to a 5-2 lead heading into the stretch. The NL made it official in the top of the eighth with a grand slam by Frank Thomas ... or so they thought, since we got back in with a grand slam of our own (thanks, Al Kaline!) to cut their lead back to three runs in the bottom of the eighth. Al Rosen hit a solo homer out of left to cut the NL’s lead to two. The NL got another homer off two outs in the top of the ninth, Gil Hodges extending their lead to 10-7, and that’s where this home run derby ended, with more bragging rights for the National League.
Gil Hodges was named All Star MVP, hitting twice and walking twice for three runs and two RBIs, with Frank Thomas and Al Kaline, who each hit grand slams, were also exceptional. Boston’s Jackie Jenson hit three times for the AL side, the most of any player on either team. The true MVP was the wind, blowing out to right at 12 miles per hour, which turned this into a fan’s dream.
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