1972 ALL-STAR GAME
On a blustery night in Mid-October 1972, 48,000+ fans watched the Mid-West Winter Leagues after season All-Star game. What a game it turned out to be! A classic pitcher duel, and a fantastic finish, especially if your a fan of the long ball. With both the American & National Leagues Cy Young awards winners from 72 on the mounds, the first few innings had very little action. American League starter Jim Catfish Hunter, threw a 1-2-3 first, and followed it up with a 1-2-3 second. Gaylord Perry the National leagues starter gave up a two out single to Bobby Murcer in the first, and then had a scare when Billy Williams sent Lou Brock to the fence in left, where Brock with his back up against the fence pulled in the long fly for the third out.
In the second Willie Stargell looped a leadoff single over second, but that’s all the A.L. could muster against Perry in the second. The top of the third brought a 1-2-3 inning for Gaylord Perry, and it looked like his workday was done. The bottom of three the American league had veteran Bob Gibson take the ball, and just as things seemed all settled in, Reggie Jackson pinch hit for Perry, and produced a two out double. Gibson looked cool and composed on the rubber. He’d been here many times. A crack of the bat later, and a long fly ball to Billy Williams in right field looked to end the inning, but Williams dropped it. “Plain and simple” he said “I just dropped it, I really thought it was going to be a routine catch, and I dropped it”. Jackson scored, and the National League was ahead 1-0.
The score stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th, when again with two outs the National pushed across a run with the help of an A.L. Error. This time it was Ellie Rodriguez who dropped a pop up in front of home plate that let Carlton Fisk reach first. The next batter Joe Torre, knocked a bullet inside the bag at third, and down into the left field corner. Fisk, churning and burning (the best a catcher can) scored all the way from first, and the National League went ahead 2-0. The National League pitchers where just shutting down the American League hitters.
Top of seven came, with the score 2-0 National League – Paul Linblad was pitching for the N.L. – and the American League final put something together. Willie Stargell drew a opening walk, and was replaced by pinch runner Carlos May. May took second on a steal of second, that was actually a missed hit and run – with Darrell Evans at the bat. Evans grounded out to firstbaseman John Mayberry, and Carlos May was somehow still stranded at second. So with May at 2nd and one out, Mike Marshall was called on to replace Linblad, and face Ellie Rodriguez. The A.L. Manager brought Al Oliver to pinch hit, and Oliver smacked a double of the left-center field fence that pushed across the A.L.’s first run. So again with a runner at 2nd and one out, Marshall faced light hitting Don Kessinger, who grounded one down the line in right, where Jimmy Wynn came up throwing. Wynn’s throw was just a tad late to the plate, as Oliver scored the tying run, and Kessinger took 2nd on the throw to the plate. Kessinger ended up stranded at 2nd, as the top of the seventh came to a close.
Mickey Lolich pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh for the A.L., so after 7 complete it was dead locked at two runs apiece. After a lead off walk to Dick Allen, the American League went a easy 1-2-3, and Lolich went back to the mound to face the Nationals in the bottom of the 8th. Lolich retired Bert Campaneris on a fly ball to the left field track that gave the A.L. manager a good scare. With one out Lolich looked in to face Carew. Carew lined one to left, that went past the left fielder May, and all the way to the wall. Carew who was out of the box like a cannon, ended up all the way at 3rd. So one out, and Carew at third, Lolich was replaced by Jim Brewer. Fisk was scheduled to be the next batter, but Johnny bench got the call, and with the infield in, hit a grounder to Kessinger, who looked Carew back, and took bench at first. So Brewer who was still in a tight situation, needing to get Joe Torre for the third out, and trying and get out of the inning. Two pitches later and a line shot back up the middle and Brewer flung his glove behind his back and snagged what was surely a base hit. Brewer who was more surprised than anyone that he snagged the ball gave a good long stare into Torre, who shook his head in disbelief.
Marshall walked the lead off batter Evans, who ended up at third when the top of the ninth was done. Jim Brewer got the Nationals to go 1-2-3 in the bottom of nine, and for the first time in MWWL History the End of Year All-Star Game was headed to extra innings.
Ted Abernathy came on to pitch for the N.L. , and with one out Roy White drew a walk. With first base open, Ted Abernathy looked in to see who was next. Dick Allen strolled to the box in his casual way. “I really thought they were going to put me on” said Allen. “I had no clue that the N.L. manager was going to order Abernathy to face me. When Bench squatted behind the plate it shocked the hell out of me. I was thinking he’s not going to give me anything good to hit, and then he comes in with a first pitch fastball right down Broadway. I had to take a hack, and when I did I knew I got good wood on it”. Indeed Allen did, he drove a one out, two run home run over the leftfield wall, and the American League was ahead 4-2. Both Billy Williams and Carlos May grounded out and the A.L. couldn’t put anything else on the board. So it came down to the Bottom of 10, N.L. down 4-2 with Brewer still on the mound, and Jimmy Wynn, Lou Brock and Bert Campaneris due up. Brewer got Wynn on a gapper that Billy Williams almost didn’t catch. “I caught the thing in the webbing, but there was no way I wouldn’t have gotten it, not after dropping the one in the 3rd inning” Williams said. Brewer then had to get the speedy Lou Brock, who hit a routine fly ball to center that Roy White camped under and caught. So one out away from an American League victory, and Rennie Stennett was called upon to replace Campaneris for the N.L.. The A.L. skipper called to his pen, and brought in the 1971, and 1972 American League Rolaids Relief Award winner in Sparky Lyle to face Stennett. Lyle threw two pitches up in the zone, followed by one downstairs, that Stennett slammed into and smashed back at the mound where it caromed off Lyle’s Leg, and right to Kessinger, who winged it across in time to get the speedy Stennett at first base for the third out. Lyle was O.K. after the play and was happy to earn the save. “I thought I’d have a nice easy save, now I have a damn bruise on my leg to think about all Winter” Lyle told the Chicago Tribune. “What a great way to end the year, I get the last out of 1972, isn’t that what the closers suppose to do?”.
1972 ALL – STAR GAME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – DICK ALLEN – ROSELAND RENEGADES
