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MLB All-Star Game: Top 10 All-Star Game Performances

By Bobby Mueller

Apr 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A general view of a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A general view of a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of baseballs prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

The Top 10 MLB All-Star Game performances include one of the greatest hitters who ever lived, a phenom pitcher, and a potential 2017 Hall of Fame inductee, among others.

When it comes to judging the best All-Star Game performances, there are a number of considerations to take into account. Can a single at-bat make the top 10 All-Star Game performances, such as the 1971 mammoth blast by Reggie Jackson off of Dock Ellis that is considered to be the longest home run ever hit in an All-Star Game? According to ESPN Home Run Tracker, Reggie’s dinger “cleared the roof of Tiger Stadium in Detroit and slammed into an electrical transformer about 100 feet above field level, at a distance from home plate of about 380 feet.” They estimate the ball would have landed 539 feet from home plate if it had not hit the transformer.

The caveat is that it was Jackson’s only at-bat in that All-Star Game. When he came to the plate, his team was losing 3-0. His home run made it 3-2. He pinch hit for Vida Blue in the bottom of the 3rd and was replaced by Jim Palmer in the top of the 4th. It was a memorable moment in All-Star Game history, but it was just a single at-bat.

More from MLB All-Star Game

The year before Reggie’s monster shot there was another memorable All-Star Game moment that has since become one of the most replayed moments in baseball history. In the bottom of the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star Game in Cincinnati, hometown boy Pete Rose was on second base with two outs in a tie game. Jim Hickman singled up the middle and Pete Rose took off from second and came rumbling around third, headed for home. Catcher Ray Fosse positioned himself for a play at the plate and Rose barreled into him like a semi truck, jarring the ball loose and winning the game for the National League.

This play is one of the signature moments of Pete Rose’s 24-year career. But it was just one play in a 12-inning game. Rose was 1 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts in that game. He left four men on base. His Wins Probability Added was .028, which put him eighth on the team in that metric, and his Run Expectancy for his four plate appearances was 0.3, tied for fifth on the team. It was a great moment, but not a top 10 performance when you look at the whole game.

For my top 10 list, I will look at the entire game for each player, not just one signature play. This may skew the list towards games that were played before rosters were expanded and everyone got an at-bat or two, but I’m okay with that. Also, with pitchers being limited in the number of innings they pitch in All-Star Games, they have less of an opportunity to have a great performance than a hitter who gets four or more at-bats. Of course, some pitchers are able to transcend their innings limitation with amazing performances in two or three innings and that will be reflected here. Here is my top 10 list of All-Star Game performances.

Next: Number 10

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