All-Star Game History
The first All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, and was the brainchild of Arch Ward, then sports editor for The Chicago Tribune. Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. Ward's contribution was recognized by Major League Baseball in 1962 with the creation of the "Arch Ward Trophy", given to the AllStar Game's most valuable player each year.
The All-Star Game has seen several "eras" in which one league tended to dominate. During the 1930s and 1940s, the American League won the majority of the games. Starting in 1950, the National League reversed that trend and from the 1960s through the mid 1980s was winning nearly every one of the games. In the late 1980s that trend reversed again, and since then the American League has won nearly all the time, including an 11-game winning streak (excluding the tie game in 2002) since 1997.
In a break from tradition, the league scheduled a "doubleheader" as part of an effort to boost the players' pension fund. The first game was held on July 7 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. The second game was held on August 3 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers also of the NL. The first All-Star game resulted in a 5-4 victory for the NL. The AL won the second game by a score of 5-3. The experiment of staging two All-Star Games each year continued through the 1962 season, after which the playing of one annual game resumed.
1933 All-Star Game
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| All-Star Game History-Babe Ruth crossing the plate after 2 run homer |