Bretherton Dominates in 6-4 Win over National League North All-Stars
Tuesday, July 24, 1951
The 1951 All-Star game drew the crowds to Birmingham’s Athletics Field for another excellent competition of baseball between the very best players of North and South.
The scoring was opened in the top of the 2nd by the North All-Stars’ Jack Kennedy, with an inside the park home run. Leeds’ Tyler Hardy followed this with a double, moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt from Sheffield’s Robert Green, and made his way home to make it 2-0 on a double from Manchester’s Joey Casey.
The South immediately answered back in the bottom of the inning. London’s Joseph Pallett hit his own solo home run, inside the park. This was followed by a double from Kane Hamilton of Nottingham and a single from Bristol’s Ethan Bretherton. Hamilton was able to tag up on a sacrifice fly out from Ellis Johnson (Bristol) to tie the game.
The Southern stars took the lead in the bottom of the 4th, another hit from Bretherton set Richard Jones (Birmingham) up with a man on base and 1-out. Jones hit a home run into the right-field seats over 400ft from home plate for a 2-run home run. London’s Jack Cove followed this up with a solo home also into the seats to send the fans in the outfield into a frenzy.
Sheffield’s Colin Thompson replied for the North with a 2-run home run over the left field wall in the top of the 6th. But just as the North thought they were back in the game Bretherton hit a rocket into the seats for a solo home run in the bottom half.
Both side’s pitching then shut down the hitting and the game wrapped up as a 4-6 victory for the National League South All-Stars.
Player of the Game: Ethan Bretherton, 3AB, 2R, 3H, 1RBI.
Ballpark: Athletics Field. Attendance: 23,000
From the archives of The Baseball Review