1977 All-Star Game
Held on the hallowed grounds in "The House that Ruth built", the '77 All-Star Game may have appeared to be a more even contest in the box score, but unfortunately for the American League, the numbers were deceiving. Pitcher Jim Palmer took the mound, but his performance would leave much to be desired. He only lasted two innings, gave up five runs on five hits, walked one and was the losing pitcher. Joe Morgan led off with a home run. Dave Parker singled and then scored on a George Foster double. Then Greg Luzinski homered for a 4-0 lead before the fans had even sat down. The American League was determined to fight their way back and managed to score a few runs, but the National League continued it's winning momentum for the rest of the game. The always outspoken Sparky Anderson put the game's one-sided trend in perspective: "The only reason we're here is to kick the living hell out of those guys." One of the most interesting stories around this meeting was the pregame spat between Billy Martin and Nolan Ryan. When Frank Tanana was unable to play because of injuries, Martin asked Ryan to fill in. Ryan, irked at not being selected in the first place, refused. Martin fumed and announced he would never select Ryan for any future games.
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