1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

The 1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 69th 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 7, 1998, at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, the home of the Colorado Rockies of the National League. The first All-Star contest played in the Mountain Time Zone, the game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 13-8. It remains the highest-scoring All-Star Game in MLB history. Also, it was the last MLB All Star Game not to be held on the 2nd or 3rd Tuesday of July, it was held on the 1st Tuesday of July, and thus the earliest ASG held since then.

1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
American League 0 0 0 4 1 3 1 1 3 13 19 2
National League 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 2 0 8 12 1
DateJuly 7, 1998
VenueCoors Field
CityDenver, Colorado
Managers
MVPRoberto Alomar (BAL)
Attendance51,267
Ceremonial first pitchElias Kurts
TelevisionNBC (United States)
MLB International (International)
TV announcersBob Costas and Joe Morgan (NBC)
Gary Thorne and Ken Singleton (MLB International)
RadioESPN
Radio announcersCharley Steiner and Kevin Kennedy

The pregame ceremony honored the United States Air Force Academy who provided the five-man color guard, flag presentations, and, at the end of country music singer Faith Hill's performance of the U.S. National Anthem, the flyover ceremonies. Hill's National Anthem performance was preceded by actress Gloria Reuben's performance of The Canadian National Anthem.

Twelve-year-old Elias Kurts was given the honor of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, the first "non-celebrity" so honored.

Rosters

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

Game

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Umpires

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Home Plate Ed Montague (NL)
First Base Derryl Cousins (AL)
Second Base Brian Gorman (NL)
Third Base Rick Reed (AL)
Left Field Rich Rieker (NL)
Right Field Tim McClelland (AL)

Starting lineups

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American League National League
Order Player Team Position Order Player Team Position
1 Kenny Lofton Indians LF 1 Craig Biggio Astros 2B
2 Roberto Alomar Orioles 2B 2 Tony Gwynn Padres RF
3 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners CF 3 Mark McGwire Cardinals 1B
4 Juan González Rangers RF 4 Barry Bonds Giants LF
5 Jim Thome Indians 1B 5 Chipper Jones Braves 3B
6 Alex Rodriguez Mariners SS 6 Mike Piazza Mets C
7 Iván Rodríguez Rangers C 7 Larry Walker Rockies CF
8 Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles 3B 8 Walt Weiss Braves SS
9 David Wells Yankees P 9 Greg Maddux Braves P

Source:[2]

Game summary

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Tuesday, July 7, 1998 6:29 pm (MT) at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
American League 0 0 0 4 1 3 1 1 3 13 19 2
National League 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 2 0 8 12 1
WP: Bartolo Colón (1-0)   LP: Ugueth Urbina (0-1)
Home runs:
AL: Alex Rodriguez (1), Roberto Alomar (1)
NL: Barry Bonds (1)
Boxscore

Home Run Derby

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The Home Run Derby was won by Ken Griffey Jr., who did not decide to enter the competition until hearing boos from fans during batting practice.[3]

Coors Field, Denver
Player Team Round 1 Round 2 Finals Total[c]
Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle 8 8 3 19
Jim Thome Cleveland 7 8 2 17
Vinny Castilla Colorado 7 5 12
Rafael Palmeiro Baltimore 7 3 10
Moisés Alou Houston 7[d] 7
Javy López Atlanta 5 5
Alex Rodriguez Seattle 5 5
Mark McGwire St. Louis 4 4
Damion Easley Detroit 2 2
Chipper Jones Atlanta 1 1

Source:[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Player declined or was unable to play.
  2. ^ Shaw was selected to the All-Star Game while a member of the Cincinnati Reds, then was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 4.[1]
  3. ^ Competition results were based on the individual totals during each round.
  4. ^ Alou did not advance to the second round based on having a lower number of regular season home runs.

References

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  1. ^ "Jeff Shaw". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  2. ^ "American League 13, National League 8". Retrosheet. July 7, 1998. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  3. ^ "Late entry Griffey wins Home Run Derby". North County Times. Oceanside, California. AP. July 7, 1998. p. C-3. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Correction". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 8, 1998. p. D2. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

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External videos
  1998 All-Star Game on YouTube
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