Sunday, January 11, 2026

2026-01-05 The 12 All-Star Games that Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Stan Musial all played in

MONDAY  — 05-Jan-2026

Q.  Which All-Star Game did the National League win on a home run by Stan Musial in the bottom of the 12th inning?

Hint: #1  A future NBA player struck out the side in the 12th and got the win.

Hint: #2  Arch Ward, impresario and originator of the All-Star Game concept, had died and was buried on the day of the game.

A.  1955  [SABR Doc]

-  Ans.  Held at Milwaukee County Stadium

-  #1  Gene Conley got the win after pitching just one inning..

-  #2  Ward invented the concept of the “all star” game the way we understand it today.

FCR -  Dennis Walls

Incorrect guesses:  1938, Gene Conley, Stan Musial, 1950, 1957, 1963, 1958, 1952

 

 

TUESDAY  — 06-Jan-2025

Q.  Which All-Star Game was the first played in California?

Hint: #1  A twenty-year-old rookie Oklahoman from the Orioles was the starting pitcher for the American League, making the only All-Star appearance of his eight-season career.

Hint: #2  In his three innings of work, he only walked one batter, Stan Musial.

A.  1959b  [SABR Doc]

-  An.  Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

-  #1  BAL’s Jerry Walker was the starting and winning pitcher.

-  #2  Box score.  Musial at bat.

FCR -  Mark Hayne, Dumfries, Virginia

Incorrect guesses:  1960, 1958

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 07-Jan-2026

Q.  In which All-Star Game was the starting National League infield made up entirely of St Louis Cardinals?

Hint: #1  It was the first year in five where only one All-Star Game was played.

Hint: #2  Tom Haller’s brother made his first All-Star appearance.

A.  1963  [SABR Doc]

-  Ans.  The starting NL infield was Bill White @ 1st; Julian Javier @ 2nd; Ken Boyer at 3rd & Dick Groat @ SS.

-  #1  In 1959, 1960, 1961 & 1962 MLB held 2 ASGs each year.  Asking why leads to an interesting discussion.

-  #2  Bill Haller, the left field umpire that day, was in this 2nd season as an AL ump.  He umpired through 1982, including 3 more Al-Star games.  His brother Tom Haller, was the 1st string catcher for SFG in 1963, but not yet an All-Star.  On 14-Jul-1972 in Detroit, Bill was the home plate umpire and Tom was the visiting team’s catcher, an MLB first.  No favoritism was observed as Tom’s team lost 1-0.

FCR -  Andy Knobel, Columbia, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  1933, 1964, 1957, Bill White, Julian Navier, Dick Groat, Ken Boyer, 1961, Bob Turley, 1973, 1959a, 1959

 

 

MIDWEEK BONUS  — 08-Jan-2026

Q.  For which All-Star Game was Hank Aaron the first player unanimously chosen?

Hint: #1  Whitey Ford had a blown save.

Hint: #2  It was played at a stadium celebrating its fiftieth anniversary.

A.  1959a  [B-R Box]

-  Ans.  Aaron was hitting .370 at game time.  Listen to the game here.

-  #1  It was Willie Mays who sent Ford to the showers, with a triple.  Ford had just entered the game.  Mays was the 4th & final batter he faced.

-  #2  Forbes Field, the Pirates’ home field, opened in 1909.  It was also the bicentennial of the City of Pittsburgh & the centennial of the discovery of petroleum nearby.

FCR -  Terry Walters, Wabasha, Minnesota

Incorrect guesses:  Yankee Stadium, 1962, 1956, 1962b, 1959, 1963

 

 

THURSDAY  — 08-Jan-2026

Q.  When did an American League player first win an All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award?

Hint: #1  It would be twenty-one more years before the American League again scored as many runs in an All‑Star game.

Hint: #2 It was the final second All-Star game in the same year.

A.  1962b  [Wiki doc]

-  Ans.  At Wrigley Field in Chicago Leon Wagner of the Los Angeles Angels received the Arch Ward Trophy.

-  #1  Thanks to home runs by Wagner, Pete Runnels &  Rocky Colavito, the AL won its first All-Star game after five consecutive NL wins, 9-4.  The AL scored 9+ again in 1983, when, thanks much to Fred Lynn’s grand slam, they won 13-3 in Chicago.

-  #2  After 4 years of 2 games per year—1959, 1960,1961 &1962—all midsummer classics since would, and will continue to, stand alone each season.

FCR -   Brett Moore, Studio City, California

Incorrect guesses:  1961, 1969, Leon Wagner

 

 

FRIDAY  — 09-Jan-2026

Q.  Which All-Star Game was impacted by (also the cause of) the “Cincinnati Scandal”?

Hint: #1  MLB Commissioner Ford Frick named three All-Star regulars to replace George Crowe, Wally Post and Gus Bell respectively.

Hint: #2  Minnie Minoso saved the game with a running catch in the outfield.

A.  1957  [SABR Doc]

-  Ans. With fans voting on who should be the All-Stars in 1957 and without a limit on the numbers of times a person could vote, the fans of Cincinnati poured votes for their Reds (ahem!... Redlegs) into the ballot boxes.  Full story here.

-  #1  Stan Musial was in either way.

-  #2  Minoso had the respect of his peers at bat and in the field.  Justice was finally served when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022, 7 years after his death.

FCR -  Terry Gans, San Carlos, California

Incorrect guesses:  1956, 1954, 1962, 1958

 

 

WEEK-ENDING BONUS  — 09-Jan-2026

Q.  In which game did the Splendid Splinter make his final All-Star at-bat?

Hint: #1  Williams pinch-hit for Minnie Minoso, stroked a single and was replaced by speedster Brooks Robinson.

Hint: #2  Stan Musial hit his record sixth All-Star home run in the game.

A.  1960b [B-R Box]

-  Ans.  It was the final of his 19 (not a typo) All-Star games.

-  #1  Robinson was not just the ultimate glove man, he had some serious speed 😏.

-  #2  6 career ASG HR = Still the record.  Highest career total for an active player is Mike Trout’s 2.

FCR -  Brett Moore, Studio City, California

Incorrect guesses:  1961, 1959

 

 

FRIDAY NIGHT SPECIAL — 09-Jan-2026

Q.  Which All-Star Game was the first played without an extra-base hit on either side?

Hint: #1  Billy O’Dell, pitching in his home team’s stadium, threw three perfect innings.

Hint: #2  It was the final game before mitosis.

A.  1958  [SABR Doc]

-  Ans.  The AL’s lead-off second baseman, Nellie Fox was the only batter with more than one hit.

-  #1  O’Dell retired 9 consecutive NL All-Star batters, including 5 future Hall of Famers.

-  #2  Following 1958, the All-Star Game split into two equal but distinct encounters.  A satisfying return to the original format was restored in 1963.

FCR -  Steve Krevisky, Middletown, Connecticut

Incorrect guesses:  1960, 1860, 1956, 1957

 

 

SATURDAY  — 10-Jan-2026

Q.  In which All-Star Game did a alleged gust of wind become a lasting part of All-Star lore?

Hint: #1  Whitey Ford struck out Willie Mays in the first inning.

Hint: #2  Roberto Clemente delivers the winning hit in extra innings.

A.  1961a  [SABR Doc]

-  Ans.  Read here about Stu Miller’s battle with Candlestick Park’s infamous weather.

-  #1  It was the only time Ford ever stuck Mays out in 16 career AB.

-  #2  Mays & Frank Robinson scored on Clemente’s hut in he 10th inning.

FCR -  Terry Gans, San Carlos, California

Incorrect guesses:  1962, 1961b, 1961, 1962b, 2001, 2002

 

 

SATURDAY NIGHT BONUS  — 10-Jan-2026

Q.  Which was the first All-Star Game to end in a tie?

Hint: #1  After a first inning home run, no other American League runner reached second base until the ninth inning.

Hint: #2  Only one American League pitcher gave up any hits in the game.

A.  1961b  [B-R Box]

-  Ans.  The game was ended after 9 innings due to rain.

-  #1  AL scoring was the HR by the Tiger’s Rocky Colavito in the 1st inning.  The next AL player to reach base was Colavito’s teammate Al Kaline who singled, but was left stranded in the 9th.

-  #2  Jim Bunning, the AL starting pitcher, opened with three perfect innings.  Twins’ Camilo Pascual pitched the final 3 innings hitless.  Only Don Schwall, from the hometown Red Sox, surrendered any scoring, namely the single NL run in the 6th when Bill White knocked in Eddie Mathews.

FCR -  Richard Tourangeau, Boston

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

SUNDAY  — 11-Jan-2026

Q.  In which All-Star Game did Mays, Mantle, Musial and Williams all homer?

Hint: #1  It was the first year where 60% of radio and television All-Star Game revenues went to the players’ pension fund.

Hint: #2  Of the American League, six starters and two reserves are now in the Hall of Fame.  The team from the Senior Circuit had Stan Musial and Frank Robinson staring, but they and eight reserves are now in the Hall.  Both All-Star managers are also now Hall of Famers.

A.  1956 [SABR Article]

-  Ans.  Mays, pinch-hitting for Gus Bell, hit a 2-run HR off Whitey Ford in the 4th.  Williams hi a 2-run HR in the 6th off Warren Spahn.  Mantle, the next batter up, hit a solo HR, also off Spahn.  Musial hit a solo HR off Boston’s Tom Brewer in the 7th.

-  #1  BPP Plan in better detail here.

-  #2  Full ASG rosters here.

FCR -  John Michael Pierobon, Fort Lauderdale

Incorrect guesses:  1959, 1962, 1958

 

 

WEEK’S FINALE  — 11-Jan-2026

Q.  Which was the first All-Star Game played entirely on the west side of the state of Missouri?

Hint: #1  Willie Mays hits for the cycle (sort of).

Hint: #2  Mays's performance was so well-executed that he asked NL Manager Walt Alston to bring in another player to allow someone else some action.

A.  1960a  [SABR Article]

-  Ans.  The game’s venue was Municipal Stadium, Kansas City, MO.

-  #1  The 2 All-Star games in 1960 were held only 48 hours apart.  In this, the 1st game, Mays had a double and triple, both off Bill Monbouquette.  In the ASG in Yankee Stadium 2 days later (see “Week Ending Bonus” above.), Mays singled and homered off Whitey Ford to complete a “stretch” cycle.  Ted Williams said, “They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays.”

-  #2  Alston complied & brought in CIN’s Vada Pinson in the bottom of the 6th.

FCR -  ¯Jim Casey, Savannah

Incorrect guesses:  1967, 1959, 1969

 

 

WEEKLY THEME – Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron each played in a record 24 All-Star Games.  These are the twelve they played in together.  Aaron was a reserve on 1962a, but didn’t get in.

 

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959a............. 1959b

1960a............. 1960b

1961a............. 1961b

....................... 1962b

1963

 

First Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Warren Ken, Whitehall, Michigan (after Tuesday)

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Mon     -  1st World Series win by a franchise

 

Tues    -  All-Star games worked by umpire Bill Summers

 

 

Wed     -  Years when the Dodgers won the World Series

-   All-Star Games played in stadia that no longer exist

 

Fri        -  The ASGs in which Stan Musial homered

 

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