The 1959 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 26th edition of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues composing Major League Baseball. The game was played on Tuesday, July 7, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL, and was a 5–4 victory for the National League. An unprecedented second game was played four weeks later in Los Angeles, California.
Background 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 Tuesday, July 7, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. The second game was on Monday, 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 game resulted in a 5–4 victory for the NL. and the AL won the second game 5–3 for a split. The experiment of two All-Star Games continued for four seasons; the tradition of just one annual game resumed in 1963.
Rosters Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
American League StartersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPEarly WynnWhite Sox6CGus TriandosOrioles31BBill SkowronYankees32BNellie FoxWhite Sox93BHarmon KillebrewSenators1SSLuis AparicioWhite Sox2OFRocky ColavitoIndians1OFAl KalineTigers5OFMinnie MiñosoIndians6
PitchersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPJim BunningTigers2PBud DaleyAthletics1PRyne DurenYankees2PWhitey FordYankees5PBilly PierceWhite Sox6PHoyt WilhelmOrioles2
ReservesPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCYogi BerraYankees12CSherm LollarWhite Sox61BVic PowerIndians31BRoy SieversSenators32BPete RunnelsRed Sox13BFrank MalzoneRed Sox3SSGil McDougaldYankees5OFHarvey KuennTigers7OFMickey MantleYankees8OFTed WilliamsRed Sox16
National League StartersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPDon DrysdaleDodgers1CDel CrandallBraves61BOrlando CepedaGiants12BJohnny TempleReds33BEddie MathewsBraves6SSErnie BanksCubs5OFHank AaronBraves5OFWillie MaysGiants6OFWally MoonDodgers2
PitchersPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesPJohnny AntonelliGiants5PLew BurdetteBraves2PGene ConleyPhillies3PDon Elston-yCubs1PRoy FacePirates1PVinegar Bend Mizell-xCardinals1PWarren SpahnBraves11
ReservesPositionPlayerTeamAll-Star GamesCSmoky BurgessPirates3CHal SmithCardinals21BStan MusialCardinals161BFrank RobinsonReds32BBill MazeroskiPirates23BKen BoyerCardinals2SSDick GroatPirates1OFJoe CunninghamCardinals1OFVada PinsonReds1OFBill WhiteCardinals1
-x – Injured and could not play -y – Injury replacement
Game Umpires: Al Barlick, Home Plate (NL); Ed Runge, First Base (AL); Augie Donatelli, Second Base (NL); Joe Paparella, Third Base (AL); Shag Crawford, Left Field (NL); Johnny Rice, Right Field (AL)
Starting lineups American LeagueNational LeagueOrderPlayerTeamPositionOrderPlayerTeamPosition1Minnie MiñosoIndiansLF1Johnny TempleReds2B2Nellie FoxWhite Sox2B2Eddie MathewsBraves3B3Al KalineTigersCF3Hank AaronBravesRF4Bill SkowronYankees1B4Willie MaysGiantsCF5Rocky ColavitoIndiansRF5Ernie BanksCubsSS6Gus TriandosOriolesC6Orlando CepedaGiants1B7Harmon KillebrewSenators3B7Wally MoonDodgersLF8Luis AparicioWhite SoxSS8Del CrandallBravesC9Early WynnWhite SoxP9Don DrysdaleDodgersP
Game summary
References
External links Baseball Almanac