Yankee All-Star Appearances, 1933-2026

Stan Musial and Mickey Mantle,

1975 All-Star Game, Milwaukee County Stadium

This list takes into account all times a player was named to an All-Star Team, whether he got into the All-Star Game or not; but not the doubled-up ASGs of 1958 to 1962. It does not include managers. And it only includes berths in the Game while with the Yankees, not with other teams.

Also, while the All-Star Game was canceled twice, in both cases due to travel restrictions, in 1945 because of World War II and in 2020 due to COVID-19, All-Star Teams were still named in those seasons.

Keep in mind also that the All-Star Game did not start until 1933. If it had started earlier -- say, in 1920 -- Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, in particular, would have had many more appearances.

Players in Yankee Blue are Monument Park honorees. Players in bold are Baseball Hall of Fame inductees.

Mickey Mantle, 16: 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968
Yogi Berra, 15: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962
Derek Jeter, 14: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014
Joe DiMaggio, 13: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951
Mariano Rivera, 12: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013
Bill Dickey, 11: 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946
Elston Howard, 9: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965
Whitey Ford, 8: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964
Dave Winfield, 8: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
Aaron Judge, 8: 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Lefty Gomez, 7: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940
Bobby Richardson, 7: 1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
Alex Rodriguez, 7: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

Lou Gehrig, 6: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938
Red Ruffing, 6: 1934, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942
Joe Gordon, 6: 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946
Thurman Munson, 6: 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977
Don Mattingly, 6: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
Tommy Henrich, 5: 1942, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
Phil Rizzuto, 5: 1942, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953
Allie Reynolds, 5: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954
Gil McDougald, 5: 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959
Mel Stottlemyre, 5: 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970
Graig Nettles, 5: 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Reggie Jackson, 5: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981
Willie Randolph, 5: 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1987
Bernie Williams, 5: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
Jorge Posada, 5: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007
Robinson Canó, 5: 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Red Rolfe, 4: 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940
Charlie Keller, 4: 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946
Spud Chandler, 4: 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947
Vic Raschi, 4: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952
Bill "Moose" Skowron, 4: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
Bobby Murcer, 4: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974
Rich "Goose" Gossage, 4: 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982
Ron Guidry, 4: 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983
Rickey Henderson, 4: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
Wade Boggs, 4: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
Paul O'Neill, 4: 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998

Dellin Betances, 4: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Ben Chapman, 3: 1933, 1934, 1935

Joe Page, 3: 1944, 1947, 1948
Hank Bauer, 3: 1952, 1953, 1954
Tony Kubek, 3: 1958, 1959, 1961
Roger Maris, 3: 1960, 1961, 1962
Joe Pepitone, 3: 1963, 1964, 1965
Sparky Lyle, 3: 1973, 1976, 1977
Jason Giambi, 3: 2002, 2003, 2004
Curtis Granderson, 3: 2010, 2011, 2012

Gerrit Cole, 3: 2021, 2022, 2023

Babe Ruth, 2: 1933, 1934
George Selkirk, 2: 1936, 1939
Frank Crosetti, 2: 1936, 1939
Johnny Murphy, 2: 1937, 1939
Monte Pearson, 2: 1936, 1940
Tiny Bonham, 2: 1942, 1943

Hank Borowy, 2: 1944, 1945
George McQuinn, 2: 1947, 1948
Bob Turley, 2: 1955, 1958
Ryne Duren, 2: 1958, 1959
Tom Tresh, 2: 1962, 1963
Roy White, 2: 1969, 1970
Jim "Catfish" Hunter, 2: 1975, 1976
Tommy John, 2: 1979, 1980
Bucky Dent, 2: 1980, 1981
Dave Righetti, 2: 1986, 1987
Steve Sax, 2: 1989, 1990
Jimmy Key, 2: 1993, 1994
Andy Pettitte, 2: 1996, 2001
David Cone, 2: 1997, 1999

Roger Clemens, 2: 2001, 2003
Alfonso Soriano, 2: 2002, 2003
Hideki Matsui, 2: 2003, 2004
Gary Sheffield, 2: 2004, 2005

Mark Teixeira, 2: 2009, 2015

CC Sabathia, 2: 2011, 2012

Masahiro Tanaka, 2: 2014, 2019

Luis Severino, 2: 2017, 2018

Gary Sánchez, 2: 2017, 2019

Gleyber Torres, 2: 2018, 2019

DJ LeMahieu, 2: 2019, 2020

Aroldis Chapman, 2: 2019, 2021

Clay Holmes, 2: 2022, 2024

Tony Lazzeri, 1: 1933

Marius Russo, 1: 1941
Buddy Rosar, 1: 1942
Johnny Lindell, 1: 1943
Rollie Helmsley, 1: 1944

Nick Etten, 1: 1945

Oscar Grimes, 1: 1945
George "Snuffy" Stirnweiss, 1: 1946
Aaron Robinson, 1: 1947
Frank "Spec" Shea, 1: 1947
Billy Johnson, 1: 1947
Tommy Byrne, 1: 1950
Jerry Coleman, 1: 1950
Eddie Lopat, 1: 1951
Johnny Mize, 1: 1953
Johnny Sain, 1: 1953
Irv Noren, 1: 1954
Billy Martin, 1: 1956
Johnny Kucks, 1: 1956
Bobby Shantz, 1: 1957
Bob Grim, 1: 1957
Jim Coates, 1: 1960
Luis Arroyo, 1: 1961
Ralph Terry, 1: 1962
Jim Bouton, 1: 1963
Al Downing, 1: 1967
Fritz Peterson, 1: 1970
Bobby Bonds, 1: 1975
Chris Chambliss, 1: 1976
Mickey Rivers, 1: 1976
Ron Davis, 1, 1981
Phil Niekro, 1: 1984
Scott Sanderson, 1: 1991
Roberto Kelly, 1: 1992
Mike Stanley, 1: 1995
John Wetteland, 1: 1996
Tino Martinez, 1: 1997
David Wells, 1: 1998
Scott Brosius, 1: 1998
Mike Stanton, 1: 2001
Robin Ventura, 1: 2002
Javier Vázquez, 1: 2004
Tom Gordon, 1: 2004
Nick Swisher, 1: 2010
Phil Hughes, 1: 2010
Russell Martin, 1: 2011
David Robertson, 1: 2011
Brett Gardner, 1: 2015

Carlos Beltrán, 1: 2016

Andrew Miller, 1: 2016

Giancarlo Stanton, 1: 2022

Jose Trevino, 1: 2022

Nestor Cortes, 1: 2022

Juan Soto, 1: 2024

Jazz Chisholm Jr., 1: 2025

Max Fried, 1: 2025

Carlos Rodón, 1: 2025

Ben Rice, 1: 2026

Cody Bellinger, 1: 2026

Cam Schlittler, 1: 2026

DiMaggio played 13 seasons, missing 1943, 1944 and 1945 due to service in World War II, and made the All-Star Game every season. He's the only player with as many seasons to make the All-Star Game every season.

Living Yankee All-Stars, in chronological order: Bobby Shantz, Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Al Downing, Roy White, Sparky Lyle, Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Goose Gossage, Tommy John, Bucky Dent, Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly, Dave Righetti, Steve Sax, Roberto Kelly, Wade Boggs, Jimmy Key, Paul O'Neill, Mike Stanley, Andy Pettitte, John Wetteland, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, David Cone, Derek Jeter, David Wells, Scott Brosius, Jorge Posada, Roger Clemens, Mike Stanton, Jason Giambi, Alfonso Soriano, Robin Ventura, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Javier Vázquez, Tom Gordon, Robinson Canó, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, Phil Hughes, Curtis Granderson, CC Sabathia, Russell Martin, David Robertson, Masahiro Tanaka, Dellin Betances, Brett Gardner, Carlos Beltrán, Andrew Miller, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Clay Holmes, Jose Trevino, Nestor Cortes, Juan Soto, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Cam Schlittler.

Cone, Beltrán and Soto are the only players to be named to the All-Star Game as a Yankee and as a Met.

Based solely on most All-Star berths, this would be the all-time Yankee lineup:

1B Lou Gehrig
2B Bobby Richardson
SS Derek Jeter
3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Dave Winfield
CF Joe DiMaggio
RF Aaron Judge
DH Mickey Mantle
C Yogi Berra
SP1 Whitey Ford
SP2 Lefty Gomez
SP3 Red Ruffing
SP4 Allie Reynolds
SP5 Mel Stottlemyre

RP Mariano Rivera

March 2, 1951: The 1st NBA All-Star Game

Walter Brown, owner of the Boston Garden,

and thus owner of the Boston Celtics (and Bruins),

and host of the game, flanked by the Celtics named to the game,

Ed Macauley (22) and Bob Cousy (14).

March 2, 1951, 75 years ago: The 1st NBA All-Star Game is played, at the Boston Garden.

The players for this game were chosen by sportswriters, without regard to position, and the only rule was that a writer could not select a player from his own city. On February 13, the NBA's President (the title wouldn't be "Commissioner" until 1967), Maurice Podoloff, announced the 10 players on each team.

From the Eastern Division, wearing white jerseys, coached by Joe Lapchick of New York:

* From the Baltimore Bullets: Center Red Rocha. This version of the Bullets went out of business in 1954. In 1961, the Chicago Packers were formed. They became the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962, the new Baltimore Bullets in 1963, then moved to the D.C. area for 1973-74, becoming the Capital Bullets. That name was every bit as dumb as a football fan might perceive "Chicago Packers" to be, so for 1974-75, they became the Washington Bullets. In 1997, they became the Washington Wizards.

* From the Boston Celtics: Guard Bob Cousy and center Ed Macauley.

* From the New York Knickerbockers: Forwards Vince Boryla and Harry Gallatin, and guard Dick McGuire. Then as now, hardly anybody used the team's full name: To all and sundry, they have been, and are, the Knicks.

* From the Philadelphia Warriors: Forwards Joe Fulks and Paul Arizin, and guard Andy Phillip. They became the San Francisco Warriors in 1962, then moved across the Bay to Oakland in 1971, becoming the Golden State Warriors. Despite moving back to San Francisco in 2019, they have kept the Golden State name.

* From the Syracuse Nationals: Forward Dolph Schayes. They moved in 1963, taking the Warriors' place in the City of Brotherly Love, becoming the Philadelphia 76ers.

From the Western Division, wearing blue jerseys, coached by John Kundla of Minneapolis:

* From the Fort Wayne Pistons: Forwards Larry Foust and Fred Schaus. They moved to Detroit in 1957.

* From the Indianapolis Olympians: Guard Ralph Beard and center Alex Groza. They went out of business in 1953.

* From the Minneapolis Lakers: Center George Mikan, and forwards Jim Pollard and Vern Mikkelsen. They moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

* From the Rochester Royals: Guard Bob Davies. They became the Cincinnati Royals in 1957, the Kansas City Kings in 1972, and the Sacramento Kings in 1985.

* From the Tri-Cities Blackhawks: Guard Frank Brian and forward Dwight Eddleman. This team was based in Moline, Illinois, and the region, which also includes Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa is now widely known as the Quad Cities. They became the Milwaukee Hawks the next season, the St. Louis Hawks in 1955, and the Atlanta Hawks in 1968.

Due to the limited size of the rosters, the NBA is the only one of the "Big Four" North American sports leagues that doesn't guarantee every team at least one player in its All-Star Game. Nevertheless, all 10 teams were represented. (The season had started with 11, but the Washington Capitols had gone out of business early on.)

The game was not broadcast on television, only on radio. At the end of the 1st quarter, the East led 31-22. At halftime, the East led 53-42. After 3 quarters, the East led 83-64. The final score was East 111, West 94.

Points scored, East: Macauley 20 for the game's Most Valuable Player award, Fulks 19, Schayes 15, Arizin 15, Boryla 9, Cousy 8, Rocha 8, Phillip 6, McGuire 6, Gallatin 5. West: Groza 17, Brian 14, Davies 13, Mikan 12, Mikkelsen 11, Schaus 8, Eddleman 7, Beard 6, Pollard 4, Foust 2. So everybody who got into the game scored. Schayes led all players with 14 rebounds, and McGuire did so with 10 assists.

Bob Cousy in 2023

At the age of 97, Cousy is the only surviving player.

January 27, 1976: Dr. J's Foul Line Dunk

January 27, 1976, 50 years ago: The American Basketball Association All-Star Game is played at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver. The Denver Nuggets, in 1st place in what had become a single 7-team division (3 teams had folded already this season), took on an All-Star team made up of players from the other 6, and won, 144-138.

But that's not what everyone remembers from this game. They remember the 1st-ever professional basketball Slam Dunk Contest, won by Julius Erving of the New York Nets. "Dr. J" made a leaping dunk from the foul line.

The other competitors were David Thompson of the Nuggets, Artis Gilmore of the Louisville-based Kentucky Colonels, and George Gervin and Larry Kenon of the San Antonio Spurs. All but Kenon have since been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The performances they put on led a writer from Sports Illustrated to write, "The dunk contest was the best halftime invention since the bathroom."

The Nets would beat the Nuggets in the ABA Finals -- the last league championship won by a New York Tri-State Area basketball team until the New York Liberty won the 2024 WNBA Championship. Both teams would enter the NBA before the next season, as would the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs. In 50 years, the Spurs are 5-1 in NBA Finals, the Nuggets 1-0, and the Nets and Pacers are each 0-2.

The NBA would adopt the 3-point line that the ABA (and, before it, the 1961-62 ABL) used in 1979, and the All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest in 1984. They would not, however, adopt the league's famed red, white & blue ball, sticking with their more familiar orange.

July 13, 1999: Old Ted Williams at the All-Star Game

In 1999, The Sporting News listed its 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Ted Williams, often called "the greatest hitter who ever lived," with a .344 lifetime batting average and 521 home runs, was ranked 8th, the highest-ranking left fielder.

For the sake of perspective, here are the 7 players ranked ahead of him: Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig and Christy Mathewson. That's 4 of the 1st 5 guys elected to the Hall (Ruth, Cobb, Johnson and Mathewson, but not Honus Wagner), a .340 lifetime hitter (Gehrig), and the guys who used to be the top 3 home run hitters ever (Aaron, Ruth and Mays). Although it probably pleased him that only 2 of the guys ahead of him were pitchers.

That year, Ted was named a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, to be chosen in All-Star-style balloting by the fans.

July 13, 1999, 25 years ago: Many of the finalists for the MLB All-Century Team were introduced before the 1999 All-Star Game, which was held at Fenway Park in Boston, where Ted Williams had played his home games from 1939 to 1960. After the other finalists were introduced, Ted, 77 years old and weakened by a stroke, was driven onto the field in a golf cart, and tipped his cap to the fans, something he had always refused to do while he was playing.

When the cart stopped, all the greats, current and former, crowded around him, like he was the Pope about to offer blessings. A path had to be cleared for them so he could be eased to a spot in front of the pitcher's mound, where he would throw out the ceremonial first ball to another finalist, former Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. The man then thought of as the best pure hitter in the game, Tony Gwynn, helped steady him so he could properly throw. Gwynn played for the major league edition of the San Diego Padres, in Ted's hometown. Ted had played for the old, minor-league version of the Padres.

When Ted finished his throw, he was led back to the cart, and the players were still crowding around him. It might have been the first time people had come to a baseball game, and were hoping it wouldn't be played, that the pregame could go on forever.

Oh yes, the game: The American League won, 4-1.

The fans voted, and, naturally, Ted was elected to the final All-Century Team. Every player elected to it and still living showed up at Turner Field in Atlanta, to be introduced before Game 2 of the World Series between the Braves and the Yankees. Ted tipped his cap again, and Atlanta fans, who never got to see him play (never mind Interleague play, the Braves didn't move to Atlanta until he was already elected to the Hall of Fame), gave him a standing ovation.

It was his last time in a major league ballpark. He'd had a stroke, and his famous vision had already gotten so bad, he couldn't see Fisk from the mound during the Fenway pregame, and was heard to ask, "Where is he?" And he was nearly wheelchair-bound. He had another stroke, and was practically immobile after that. He died on July 5, 2002, at age 83, at Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness, Florida.

July 10, 1934: The Crowning of King Carl Hubbell

July 10, 1934, 90 years ago: The 2nd baseball All-Star Game is held at the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants. Among the host players in the game for the National League are starting pitcher Carl Hubbell, starting 1st baseman Bill Terry, starting shortstop Travis Jackson, reserve outfielders Mel Ott and Jo-Jo Moore. Terry is also the NL team's manager, because he's the manager of the defending League (and, in this case, World) Champions.

But the American League's starting lineup is loaded:

2B Charlie Gehringer, Detroit Tigers, also their manager

CF Henry "Heinie" Manush, Washington Senators

RF Babe Ruth, New York Yankees

1B Lou Gehrig, Yankees

3B Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics

LF Al Simmons, Athletics

SS Joe Cronin, Senators, also their manager and the AL team's

C Bill Dickey, Yankees

P Vernon "Lefty" Gomez, Yankees

Okay, Gomez wasn't a good hitter. Even by the standards of pitchers, he was lousy. Great pitcher, and a bit of a quipster, even as an old man, but a lousy hitter: "I never broke a bat until I was 73 years old, and that was by backing the car out of the garage." Still, all 9 are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of course, the NL starting lineup wasn't exactly a bunch of Punch-and-Judy hitters:

2B Frankie Frisch, St. Louis Cardinals, also their manager

3B Harold "Pie" Traynor, Pittsburgh Pirates

LF Joe Medwick, Cardinals

CF Hazen "Kiki" Cuyler, Chicago Cubs

RF Wally Berger, Boston Braves

1B Bill Terry, New York Giants

SS Travis Jackson, Giants

C Charles "Gabby" Hartnett, Cubs

P Carl Hubbell, Giants

All of these are in the Hall of Fame, except Berger, and he was still a .300 lifetime hitter who peaked at 38 home runs in a season, despite playing in a pitcher's park for most of his career.

Gehringer started the game with a single to center, and advanced to 2nd base on an error by Cuyler. Manush followed by drawing a walk. And the Great Bambino was coming up, with the Polo Grounds' right-field pole only 257 feet away. It was not looking good for Hubbell.

Except Hubbell, a lefthander who was one of the earliest pitchers to throw an effective screwball, struck Ruth out on 3 pitches.

Gehringer and Manush executed a double steal, giving the lefthanded Gehrig a good chance at 2 RBIs, as if he didn't already have a good chance at 3 with that close pole. But Hubbell struck him out, too.

Next up was Foxx, Ruth's fellow Marylander, and the closest thing that righthanded hitting had to a Ruth: His 58 home runs in 1932 were then the most by any player other than Ruth. They even looked a lot alike. Gomez once said, "Even his hair has muscles." And, "He wasn't scouted, he was trapped." And the left-field pole wasn't a whole lot further out than the one in right: 279 feet. But Hubbell struck him out, stranding the runners.

Frisch led off for the NL with a home run off Gomez, giving Hubbell a 1-0 lead to work with. The next batter he faced was Simmons, a dangerous hitter who once batted .392, and would fall just 73 hits short of 3,000 for his career. Hubbell struck him out. Next up was Cronin, a lifetime .301 hitter on his way to his 5th straight season of at least 100 RBIs. Hubbell struck him out, too.

Hubbell had struck out 5 men who were already legends of the game. No one could believe it.

The next batter was Dickey, a dangerous hitter, and he singled. But next up was Gomez, and, as stated, he was no hitter. Hubbell had no problem striking him out.

Six strikeouts, all of them future Hall-of-Famers, including 5 in a row. Hubbell, a World Series winner with the Giants the season before, was known as "King Carl" from then on. In the 1936 and '37 seasons, he won 24 straight regular-season decisions, helping the Giants win the Pennant each time, and earning him a new nickname: "The Meal Ticket." Of course, that's in the regular season. In the 1936 World Series, a Gehrig homer helped to make him a losing pitcher, and the Yankees won both Series.

Hubbell finished his career in 1944, with a record of 253-154. The Giants made his Number 11 the 1st uniform number retired in the National League. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947 (a player only needed to be retired for 1 full year at that time), and died in 1988. In 1999, he was ranked 45th on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

Here's the thing, though: Hubbell wouldn't be the 1934 All-Star Game's winning pitcher. Not even after Medwick hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 3rd inning. The AL closed to within 3-2 in the top of the 4th.

And then, well, you know what walks can do, especially the leadoff variety. Lon Warneke of the Cubs was brought in to relieve Hubbell, and he started the top of the 5th by walking Ruth and Gehrig -- neither, intentionally.

Terry replaced Warneke with Van Lingle Mungo of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he had nothing, allowing an RBI single to Foxx, an RBI single to Simmons, a popup by Cronin, a walk to Dickey, and a 2-RBI double to Earl Averill of the Cleveland Indians, who had pinch-hit for Gomez. He then intentionally walked Gehringer. The next batter was the new AL pitcher, Charles "Red" Ruffing of the Yankees. He was a good hitter for a pitcher, and singled home 2 more runs. It was 8-4 AL.

The NL closed to within 8-7 in the bottom of the 5th, including a steal of home plate by Traynor. But an RBI double by Cronin in the 6th gave the AL a 9-7 lead, and that's the way it ended. The winning pitcher was the Indians' Mel Harder.

July 10, 1934 was a Tuesday. Jerry Nelson, the puppeteer who operated The Count on the kids' TV series Sesame Street, was born on this day.

February 14, 1934: The Ace Bailey Benefit Game

A colorized photo of Ace Bailey, included in a composite photo

of a Maple Leafs' Centennial Team, 2016

February 14, 1934, 90 years ago: One of the greatest moments in National Hockey League history occurs. But it was brought on by perhaps its ugliest game.

On December 12, 1933, the Boston Bruins were hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Boston Garden. The Bruins still had most of the players who had led them to the 1929 Stanley Cup, including 2 of the greatest defensemen the game has ever known, Eddie Shore and Aubrey "Dit" Clapper. The Leafs, winners of the Cup in 1932, had another, Francis "King" Clancy.

This game, which the Leafs would win 4-1, was in the 2nd period. The Leafs had taken 2 quick penalties, and sent Clancy, defenseman George "Red" Horner, and right wing Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey out to defend the 5-on-3 Bruin power play.

Shore, who helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1929, rushed up the ice. Clancy, charitably listed at 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds, and a winner of the Cup with the Ottawa Senators in 1922, '23 and '27, and with the Leafs in '32, followed him, and checked him into the boards.

Shore got up, and, in his daze, he figured the closest Leaf player to him must have been the one who did it. He guessed wrong: The closest Leaf player to him was Bailey. Shore hit him from the side, and he landed head-first on the ice.

Horner skated over, knowing full well that it wasn't Bailey who had checked Shore, and yelled, "What did you do that for, Eddie?" Shore, not realizing the enormity of what he had done, gave Horner a big grin. What happened next is in dispute: The first source I saw on the story said that Horner hit Shore over the head with the blade of his stick. Another source said that Horner punched Shore, knocking him out in an instant.

Whatever the truth was, Shore was also out cold. The Boston crowd booed the hell out of Horner, who was already known as one of the dirtiest players in the game. But so was Shore, who, with his attitude, his receding hairline, and the fact that he was admired but not especially liked, was practically the Ty Cobb of hockey.

But it quickly became apparent that Bailey was hurt worse. Both men regained consciousness, and were carried off the ice together. Shore apologized. Bailey seemed to forgive him, saying, "It's all part of the game," and then passed out again.

Bailey was taken to Boston City Hospital. He was diagnosed with a fractured skull and an extradural clot on the brain. His father, listening to the game on the radio in Toronto, packed a gun, and immediately boarded a train for Boston, intending to kill Shore.

Leafs owner Conn Smythe found out about this, and talked to his general manager, Frank Selke. Selke had a friend working with the Boston Police, who met Bailey's father at the hotel, and talked him out of the murder plot.

Nevertheless, the BPD said they would charge Shore with manslaughter if Bailey died. Within 24 hours, he underwent 2 spinal taps to relieve intracranial pressure. There was at least one news report that Bailey had died. But, through several procedures, he came out of his coma after 10 days. He hung on, through Christmas and New Year's. In mid-January 1934, he was released from the hospital.

NHL President Frank Calder suspended Horner for 6 games, and Shore indefinitely. Once he was confident that Bailey was going to live, Calder set Shore's suspension at 16 games, or 1/3rd of the season at the time (48 games). Bailey never played again.

Walter Gilhooly, sports editor of the Ottawa Journal, recommended that a benefit game be played, to offset Bailey's loss of income. Calder agreed. The Leafs would host the game, and put their team out against a team made up of players from the rest of the League, 2 from each of the other 8 teams then in it.

The game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens on February 14, 1934. Here were the lineups:

* From the Toronto Maple Leafs, coached by Dick Irvin, once a great player, and the father of eventual Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Irvin Jr.: Number 1, goaltender George Hainsworth, formerly a star with the Montreal Canadiens; 2, defenseman Red Horner; 3, defenseman Alex Levinsky; 4, defenseman Clarence "Hap" Day; 5, center Andy Blair; 7, defenseman King Clancy; 8, left wing Harold "Baldy" Cotton; 9, right wing Charlie "the Bomber" Conacher; 10, center Joe Primeau; 11, left wing Harvey "Busher" Jackson; 12, left wing Hector "Hec" Kilrea; 14, center Bill Thoms; 15, right wing Ken Doraty; 16, right wing Charlie Sands; 17, left wing Frank "Buzz" Boll.

NHL All-Stars, coached by Lester Patrick of the New York Rangers, also once a great player:

* From the Chicago Black Hawks: 1, goaltender Charlie Gardiner; and 7, defenseman Lionel Conacher, brother of Charlie.

* From the Boston Bruins: 2, defenseman Eddie Shore; and 9, center Nelson "Nels" Stewart, better known as a Montreal Maroon.

* From the Ottawa Senators: 3, right wing Frank Finnigan; and 17, defenseman Al Shields.

* From the Montreal Canadiens: 4, left wing Aurele Joliat; and 16, center Howie Morenz. Morenz, known as "the Babe Ruth of Hockey" -- like Ruth, he had several nicknames -- normally wore 7, but Lionel Conacher was considered the greatest all-around athlete in Canada, and had priority.

* From the Detroit Red Wings: 5, left wing Herbie Lewis; and 14, right wing Larry Aurie.

* From the New York Rangers: 6, defenseman Ivan "Ching" Johnson; and 15, right wing Bill Cook. Somebody decided that the Irish-Canadian Johnson looked Chinese, and nicknamed him Ching. He had seniority over Aurie, who also wore 6; but Lewis had seniority over Cook, who wore 5 with the Rangers.

* From the Montreal Maroons: 10, center Reginald "Hooley" Smith; and 18, right wing Jimmy Ward.

* From the New York Americans: 11, center Norman Himes; and 12, defenseman Norman "Red" Dutton.

Before the game, the other teams' players posed at center ice in their regular sweaters. Then they were given white jerseys with "NHL" on them. And the Leafs had special jerseys, too, with "ACE" on them.

The selection of Shore was controversial. When he skated up to receive his Number 2 jersey, the crowd of 14,074 was silent. Then he skated over to the Leafs bench, where Bailey was sitting in a suit, long coat and fedora. Shore offered his hand, and Bailey shook it. The crowd roared, and the players tapped their sticks on the ice, in what was already a long-established hockey salute.

The ceremony concluded with Smythe giving Bailey his Number 6 jersey, and announced that it would be retired.

Bailey dropped a puck for a ceremonial faceoff, and the game began. Charlie Conacher already had an injured knee, and left the game early. Other than that, there wasn't much hitting, and no penalties were called. Cotton and Jackson scored to put the Leafs up 2-0, before Stewart scored to make it 2-1 Leafs at the end of the 1st period.

Jackson scored again early in the 2nd period. Morenz and Finnigan scored to tie it up. But it was all Leafs the rest of the way: Day scored halfway through the 2nd, and Kilrea, Doraty and Blair scored in the 3rd. The Leafs won, beating the entire rest of the NHL, 7-3.

The game raised $20,909 for Bailey's family, about $494,000 in 2024. Bailey applied to the NHL to be a referee, but was turned down. Smythe hired him to work in the team's front office. He worked there in one capacity or another until a later owner, Harold Ballard, already perhaps the most hated man in the history of Canadian sports, fired him in 1986. Bailey lived until 1992, ironically becoming one of the game's last surviving players.

A later player, Garnet Bailey, no relation, played in the NHL from 1969 to 1978, and was known as Ace Bailey. (An athlete receiving the same nickname as an earlier player with the same surname has happened a few times.) He was working as a scout for the Los Angeles Kings when he died in the destruction of United Airlines Flight 175 at the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Shore continued to play with the Bruins through their 1939 Stanley Cup win. In 1940, he bought the minor-league Springfield Indians of Massachusetts, and remained their owner until his death in 1986. Both he and Bailey were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bailey wanted the benefit game to become an annual event, for injured players. That didn't happen. But additional benefit games were held for the families of Morenz, who died of heart trouble in 1937, and the Canadiens' Albert "Babe" Siebert, who drowned in 1939. Both of those games were played at the Montreal Forum: The former was a combined Montreal team, Canadiens and Maroons, against the rest of the NHL. The Maroons folded in 1938, so it was just the Canadiens against the rest of the NHL in Siebert's benefit. Both times, the NHL All-Stars won. In 1947, the NHL finally established an annual All-Star Game.

Charlie Gardiner and Lionel Conacher led the Black Hawks to win the Stanley Cup, 2 months later. But, just 2 months after that, with antibiotics not yet available, Gardiner died of a tonsil infection. Conacher also died young, suffering a heart attack while playing in a charity softball game on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in 1954.

Howie Morenz of the Canadiens broke his leg in a 1937 game, and never left the hospital, suffering a pulmonary embolism. George Hainsworth was killed in a car crash in 1950. Larry Aurie of the Red Wings suffered a stroke while driving in 1952. And Charlie Sands died in 1953.

Nels Stewart in 1957; Normie Himes in 1958; Hooley Smith in 1963; Bill Thomas in 1964; Busher Jackson in 1966; Charlie Conacher in 1967; Hec Kilrea in 1969; Al Shields in 1975; Andy Blair in 1977; Ching Johnson in 1979; Ken Doraty in 1981; Baldy Cotton in 1984; Eddie Shore in 1985; Bill Cook, Aurèle Joliat and King Clancy in 1986; Red Dutton in 1987; Joe Primeau in 1989; Buzz Boll, Hap Day, Jimmy Ward and Alex Levinsky in 1990; Herbie Lewis and Frank Finnigan in 1991; and Red Horner was the last survivor from this game, living until April 27, 2005.

All-Star Game Droughts

The last time each city or metropolitan area hosted an All-Star Game in one of the "Big Four" North American sports:

1. Seattle, 2023 Major League Baseball

2. Salt Lake City, 2023 National Basketball Association

3. Miami, 2023 National Hockey League

4. Las Vegas, 2023 National Football League "Pro Bowl"

5. Los Angeles, 2022 MLB (Anaheim, 2010 MLB)

6. Cleveland, 2022 NBA

7. Denver, 2021 MLB

8. Atlanta, 2021 NBA

9. Chicago, 2020 NBA

10. St. Louis, 2020 NHL

11. Charlotte, 2019 NBA

12. Orlando, 2019 NFL

13. Washington, 2018 MLB

14. Tampa Bay, 2018 NHL

15. New Orleans, 2017 NBA

16. San Diego, 2016 MLB

17. Toronto, 2016 NBA

18. Nashville, 2016 NHL (Memphis, Never)

19. Honolulu, 2016 NFL

20. Cincinnati, 2015 MLB

21. New York, 2015 NBA

22. Columbus, 2015 NHL

23. Phoenix, 2015 NFL

24. Minneapolis, 2014 MLB

25. Houston, 2013 NBA

26. Kansas City, 2012 MLB

27. Ottawa, 2012 NHL

28. Raleigh, 2011 NHL

29. Dallas, 2010 NBA

30. Montreal, 2009 NHL

31. San Francisco, 2007 MLB (Oakland, 2000 NBA; San Jose, 1997 NHL)

32. Pittsburgh, 2006 MLB

33. Detroit, 2005 MLB

34. Milwaukee, 2002 MLB

35. Philadelphia, 2002 NBA

36. Boston, 1999 MLB

37. Vancouver, 1998 NHL

38. San Antonio, 1996 NBA

39. Indianapolis, 1995 NBA

40. Baltimore, 1993 MLB

41. Edmonton, 1989 NHL

42. Quebec City, 1987 NHL

43. Hartford, 1986 NHL

44. Calgary, 1985 NHL

45. Buffalo, 1978 NHL (Syracuse, 1961 NBA; Rochester, 1956 NBA)

46. Norfolk, 1974 American Basketball Association

47. Hamilton, 1973 Canadian Football League

48. Louisville, 1972 ABA

49. Jacksonville, Never

50. Winnipeg, Never

The Yankees last hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 2008; the Mets, in 2013; the Rangers, in 1994; the Devils, in 1984; the Islanders, 1983; the Nets, in New Jersey in 1982.

July 6, 1933: The 1st Major League Baseball All-Star Game

July 6, 1933, 90 years ago: The first All-Star Game in what would later be called Major League Baseball is held, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, home of the White Sox.

There had been baseball games with "all-star teams" before, usually as benefits for indigent former players, or for the families of players who fell victim to untimely deaths. The most notable of these was in Cleveland in 1911, for the family of the late Indians pitcher Addie Joss. But this was the first one sanctioned by official baseball.

The idea came from Arch Ward, the sports editor of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago had been incorporated as a city in 1833, 100 years before, and was hosting the Century of Progress World's Fair on the South Side. Mayor Edward J. Kelly had talked to Ward about the Tribune sponsoring a sporting event in connection with the Fair.

Since the Tribune Company owned a vast media network, including radio station WGN (named for what the Tribune liked to call itself, "The World's Greatest Newspaper") and, at the time, the New York Daily News, Ward saw to it that the 55 newspapers the Company owned printed ballots for fans to use to select the players for what he called "The Game of the Century."

The players were chosen. And so, on July 6, at Comiskey Park (larger than Wrigley Field on the North Side, home of the Chicago Cubs), the game was played.

The managers were Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics, already the winningest manager of all time, for the American League team; and, for the National League team, John McGraw, who had retired as manager of the New York Giants the previous season, due to ill health. (He died the following Winter.) In 1937, after the establishment of the Baseball Hall of Fame, they would become the 1st 2 managers elected to it.

The American League All-Stars wore their regular team uniforms: 

* From the New York Yankees: Right fielder Babe Ruth, 1st baseman Lou Gehrig, left fielder Ben Chapman, pitcher Lefty Gomez, all starters; catcher Bill Dickey, 2nd baseman Tony Lazzeri.

* From the host Chicago White Sox: Starting center fielder Al Simmons, starting 3rd baseman Jimmy Dykes.

* From the Boston Red Sox: Starting catcher Rick Ferrell.

* From the Cleveland Indians: Pitchers Wes Ferrell (Rick's brother) and Oral Hildebrand, and outfielder Earl Averill.

* From the Detroit Tigers: Starting 2nd baseman Charlie Gehringer.

* From the Philadelphia Athletics: Pitcher Robert "Lefty" Grove and 1st baseman Jimmie Foxx.

* From the St. Louis Browns: Outfielder Sam West.

* From the Washington Senators: Starting shortstop Joe Cronin and pitcher Alvin "General" Crowder.

The National League All-Stars wore special uniforms for the game, saying, "NATIONAL LEAGUE," which they haven't done since:

* From the New York Giants: Starting 1st baseman Bill Terry (also their manager), pitchers Carl Hubbell and Hal Schumacher, and outfielder Francis "Lefty" O'Doul.

* From the Brooklyn Dodgers: 2nd baseman Tony Cuccinello.

* From the Boston Braves: Starting center fielder Wally Berger.

* From the Chicago Cubs: Catcher Charles "Gabby" Hartnett, pitcher Lon Warneke, shortstop Woody English.

* From the Cincinnati Reds: Starting left fielder Charles "Chick" Hafey.

* From the Philadelphia Phillies: Starting right fielder Chuck Klein, starting shortstop Dick Bartell.

* From the Pittsburgh Pirates: 3rd baseman Hal "Pie" Traynor and outfielder Paul Waner. (Paul's brother, Lloyd Waner, did not make the game.)

* From the St. Louis Cardinals, all starters: Pitcher Bill Hallahan, catcher Jimmie Wilson, 2nd baseman Frankie Frisch and 3rd baseman John "Pepper" Martin.

The AL had 11 players go to the Hall of Fame: Ruth, Gehrig, Gomez, Dickey, Lazzeri, Simmons, Rick Ferrell, Gehringer, Grove, Foxx and Cronin. The NL had 8: Terry, Hubbell, Hartnett, Hafey, Klein, Traynor, Waner and Frisch. Total, 19.

The AL contributed umpires Bill Dinneen behind home plate and Bill McGowan at 2nd base; the NL, Bill Klem at 1st base and Cy Rigler at 3rd base. McGowan and Klem would be elected to the Hall of Fame.

A crowd of 47,595 paid to see the game. Graham McNamee and Hal Totten broadcast it on radio for NBC, and Pat Flanagan and Johnny O'Hara did so for CBS.

Top of the 1st inning: Martin grounded out to short. Frisch did the same. Klein lined out to short, so a busy inning for Cronin.

Bottom of the 1st: Chapman grounded to 3rd. Gehringer walked. Gehringer stole 2nd. Ruth was called out on strikes. Gehrig grounded out, 1st to pitcher.

Top of the 2nd: Hafey grounded to 2nd, and Gehringer, normally so sure a fielder that he was known as "The Mechanical Man," couldn't get a throw off in time, and Hafey had the game's 1st hit. Terry singled to left. Berger grounded to 3rd, and Dykes stepped on 3rd for the 1st out. He threw to 2nd, and Terry was out. But the triple play could not be completed. Bartell struck out swinging. Game still scoreless.

Bottom of the 2nd: Simmons flied to left. Dykes drew a walk. Cronin did the same. Ferrell flied to right. Gomez singles to center, scoring Dykes. This was a amazing, as Gomez was a notoriously poor hitter even by pitchers' standards. Late in life, he joked that he never broke a bat until he was 73 years old, and that was from backing the car out of the garage. Chapman grounded to short, causing a force play that eliminated Gomez at 2nd. AL 1, NL 0.

Top of the 3rd: Wilson grounded to 3rd. Hallahan flied to center. Martin popped to short.

Bottom of the 3rd: Gehringer walked. Ruth hit a home run, and it was fitting that he hit the 1st home run in All-Star Game history. Gehrig walked. Hallahan was removed, replaced by Warneke. Simmons grounded to short, for a double play. Dykes singled to left. Cronin flied to center. AL 3, NL 0.

Top of the 4th: Gomez out as pitcher, Crowder in. Frisch lined to center. Klein grounded to 1st, unassisted. Hafey hit a foul pop to 3rd.

Bottom of the 4th: Ferrell flied to right. Crowder grounded to 2nd. Chapman grounded to 3rd. AL 3, NL 0.

Top of the 5th: Terry grounded to 2nd. Berger grounded to short. Bartell hit a foul pop behind 1st, but Gehrig dropped it. Bartell hit another such pop, and, this time, Gehrig caught it.

Bottom of the 5th: Up until this point, American League baseballs were being used in the game. The switch was made to National League baseballs. Gehringer flied to center. Ruth singled to center. Gehrig struck out. Simmons singled to left. Dykes grounded to 2nd, for a force play that eliminated Simmons. AL 3, NL 0.

Top of the 6th: O'Doul batted for Wilson, and grounded to 2nd. Warneke tripled to right. Martin grounded to 3rd, and Warneke scored on the play. Frisch hit a home run. Klein singled. Hafey grounded to 3rd. AL 3, NL 2.

Bottom of the 6th: Hartnett now catching. Cronin singled to center. Ferrell bunted Cronin over to 2nd, 1st to 2nd. Averill batted for Crowder, and singled to center, scoring Cronin. Chapman bunted to 3rd and beat it out. Gehringer flied to right. AL 4, NL 2.

Top of the 7. Grove pitching. Terry singled to left. Berger grounded to short, forcing out Terry. Traynor batted for Bartell, and doubled to center. Hartnett struck out. English batted for Warneke, and flied to center. AL 4, NL 2.

Bottom of the 7th. English playing at short. Hubbell pitching. Gehrig walked. Simmons grounded to 3rd, for a force play that eliminated Gehrig. Dykes singled to left. Cronin hit a foul popup to 1st. Ferrell grounded to 2nd. AL 4, NL 2.

Top of the 8th: Martin was called out on strikes. Frisch beat out a grounder to 1st. Klein flied to center. Hafey hit one deep to right, but Ruth reached over the top of the wall to catch it. Had there been ESPN at the time, we would have spent the next 80 years talking about how Ruth was a great fielder, as well as the greatest hitter who ever lived.

Bottom of the 8th: Waner moved to right field. Grove grounded to 1st, unassisted. Chapman struck out. Gehringer lined to center. AL 4, NL 2.

Top of the 9th. Ruth came out of the game. Chapman moved to right. Simmons moved to left. West went to center. Terry grounded to 2nd. Berger lined to right. Cuccinello batted for Hubbell, and struck out swinging.

Ballgame over. The American League wins, 4-2. For the AL: 4 runs, 9 hits, 1 error, and 10 men left on base. For the NL: 2 runs, 8 hits, they played errorless baseball, and left 5 on base.

The game was such a success that Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis decided to make it an annual event. Since the Fair was scheduled for a 2nd year in 1934, Ward came up with another idea: The Chicago College All-Star Game, in which the best college football players of the previous season would face the defending NFL Champions at Soldier Field in Chicago. Since the defending Champions were the Chicago Bears, it was relatively easy. That tradition ended in 1976, but "the Midsummer Classic" continues.

Woody English was the last surviving player from this game, living until 1997, 64 years later.

There are 4 6-pointed stars on Chicago's city flag, and 1 represents the Century of Progress Fair that inspired this All-Star Game. The others represent the founding of Fort Dearborn in 1803, the Great Fire of 1871, and the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The top blue bar represents Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River, and the bottom blue bar represents the South Branch of the River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The 3 white background areas represent the North South and West Sides. 

Yankee All-Star Appearances, 1933-2022

Giancarlo Stanton, Most Valuable Player,

2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

This list takes into account all times a player was named to an All-Star Team, whether he got into the All-Star Game or not; but not the doubled-up ASGs of 1958 to 1962. It does not include managers. And it only includes berths in the Game while with the Yankees, not with other teams.

Also, while the All-Star Game was canceled twice, in both cases due to travel restrictions, in 1945 because of World War II and in 2020 due to COVID-19, All-Star Teams were still named in those seasons.

Keep in mind also that the All-Star Game did not start until 1933. If it had started earlier -- say, in 1920 -- Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, in particular, would have had many more appearances.

Mickey Mantle, 16: 1952 through 1965, 1967, 1968
Yogi Berra, 15: 1948 through 1962
Derek Jeter, 14: 1998 through 2002, 2004, 2006 to 2012, 2014
Joe DiMaggio, 13: 1936 through 1942, 1946 through 1951
Mariano Rivera, 12: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013
Bill Dickey, 11: 1933, 1934, 1936 through 1943, 1946
Elston Howard, 9: 1957 through 1965
Whitey Ford, 8: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 through 1961, 1964
Dave Winfield, 8: 1981 through 1988
Lefty Gomez, 7: 1933 through 1938, 1940
Bobby Richardson, 7: 1957, 1959, 1962 through 1966
Alex Rodriguez, 7: 2004 through 2008, 2010, 2011
Lou Gehrig, 6: 1933 through 1938
Red Ruffing, 6: 1934, 1938 through 1942
Joe Gordon, 6: 1939 through 1943, 1946
Thurman Munson, 6: 1971, 1973 through 1977
Don Mattingly, 6: 1984 through 1989
Tommy Henrich, 5: 1942, 1947 through 1950
Phil Rizzuto, 5: 1942, 1950 through 1953
Allie Reynolds, 5: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954
Gil McDougald, 5: 1952, 1956 through 1959
Mel Stottlemyre, 5: 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970
Graig Nettles, 5: 1975, 1977 through 1980
Reggie Jackson, 5: 1977 through 1981
Willie Randolph, 5: 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1987
Bernie Williams, 5: 1997 through 2001
Jorge Posada, 5: 2000 through 2003, 2007
Robinson Cano, 5: 2006, 2010 through 2013
Red Rolfe, 4: 1937 through 1940
Charlie Keller, 4: 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946
Spud Chandler, 4: 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947
Vic Raschi, 4: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952
Bill "Moose" Skowron, 4: 1958 through 1961
Bobby Murcer, 4: 1971 through 1974
Rich "Goose" Gossage, 4: 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982
Ron Guidry, 4: 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983
Rickey Henderson, 4: 1985 through 1988
Wade Boggs, 4: 1993 through 1996
Paul O'Neill, 4: 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998

Dellin Betances, 4: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Aaron Judge, 4: 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022

Ben Chapman, 3: 1933, 1934, 1935
Joe Page, 3: 1944, 1947, 1948
Hank Bauer, 3: 1952, 1953, 1954
Tony Kubek, 3: 1958, 1959, 1961
Roger Maris, 3: 1960, 1961, 1962
Joe Pepitone, 3: 1963, 1964, 1965
Sparky Lyle, 3: 1973, 1976, 1977
Jason Giambi, 3: 2002, 2003, 2004
Curtis Granderson, 3: 2010, 2011, 2012

Babe Ruth, 2: 1933, 1934
George Selkirk, 2: 1936, 1939
Frank Crosetti, 2: 1936, 1939
Johnny Murphy, 2: 1937, 1939
Monte Pearson, 2: 1936, 1940
Tiny Bonham, 2: 1942, 1943

Hank Borowy, 2: 1944, 1945
George McQuinn, 2: 1947, 1948
Bob Turley, 2: 1955, 1958
Ryne Duren, 2: 1958, 1959
Tom Tresh, 2: 1962, 1963
Roy White, 2: 1969, 1970
Jim "Catfish" Hunter, 2: 1975, 1976
Tommy John, 2: 1979, 1980
Bucky Dent, 2: 1980, 1981
Dave Righetti, 2: 1986, 1987
Steve Sax, 2: 1989, 1990
Jimmy Key, 2: 1993, 1994
David Cone, 2: 1997, 1999
Andy Pettitte, 2: 1996, 2001
Roger Clemens, 2: 2001, 2003
Alfonso Soriano, 2: 2002, 2003
Hideki Matsui, 2: 2003, 2004
Gary Sheffield, 2: 2004, 2005
CC Sabathia, 2: 2011, 2012

Mark Teixeira, 2: 2009, 2015

Luis Severino, 2: 2017, 2018

Gary Sanchez, 2: 2017, 2019

Gleyber Torres, 2: 2018, 2019

DJ LeMahieu, 2: 2019, 2020

Aroldis Chapman, 2: 2019, 2021

Gerrit Cole, 2: 2021, 2022

Tony Lazzeri, 1: 1933
Marius Russo, 1: 1941
Buddy Rosar, 1: 1942
Johnny Lindell, 1: 1943
Rollie Helmsley, 1: 1944

Nick Etten, 1: 1945

Oscar Grimes, 1: 1945
George "Snuffy" Stirnweiss, 1: 1946
Aaron Robinson, 1: 1947
Frank "Spec" Shea, 1: 1947
Billy Johnson, 1: 1947
Tommy Byrne, 1: 1950
Jerry Coleman, 1: 1950
Eddie Lopat, 1: 1951
Johnny Mize, 1: 1953
Johnny Sain, 1: 1953
Irv Noren, 1: 1954
Billy Martin, 1: 1956
Johnny Kucks, 1: 1956
Bobby Shantz, 1: 1957
Bob Grim, 1: 1957
Jim Coates, 1: 1960
Luis Arroyo, 1: 1961
Ralph Terry, 1: 1962
Jim Bouton, 1: 1963
Al Downing, 1: 1967
Fritz Peterson, 1: 1970
Bobby Bonds, 1: 1975
Chris Chambliss, 1: 1976
Mickey Rivers, 1: 1976
Ron Davis, 1, 1981
Phil Niekro, 1: 1984
Scott Sanderson, 1: 1991
Roberto Kelly, 1: 1992
Mike Stanley, 1: 1995
John Wetteland, 1: 1996
Tino Martinez, 1: 1997
David Wells, 1: 1998
Scott Brosius, 1: 1998
Mike Stanton, 1: 2001
Robin Ventura, 1: 2002
Javier Vazquez, 1: 2004
Tom Gordon, 1: 2004
Nick Swisher, 1: 2010
Phil Hughes, 1: 2010
Russell Martin, 1: 2011
David Robertson, 1: 2011
Masahiro Tanaka, 1: 2014

Brett Gardner, 1: 2015

Carlos Beltran, 1: 2016

Andrew Miller, 1: 2016

Masahiro Tanaka, 1: 2019

Giancarlo Stanton, 1: 2022

Jose Trevino, 1: 2022

Nestor Cortes, 1: 2022

Clay Holmes, 1: 2022

Based solely on most All-Star berths, this would be the all-time Yankee lineup:

1B Lou Gehrig
2B Bobby Richardson
SS Derek Jeter
3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Dave Winfield
CF Joe DiMaggio
RF Tommy Henrich
DH Mickey Mantle
C Yogi Berra
SP1 Whitey Ford
SP2 Lefty Gomez
SP3 Red Ruffing
SP4 Allie Reynolds
SP5 Mel Stottlemyre
RP Mariano Rivera

J.R. Richard, 1950-2021

From 1971 to 1997, Zander Hollander published The Complete Handbook of Baseball, including profiles of major league teams' key players. He usually began those profiles with a player's nickname. In the 1978 edition, he began his profile of J.R. Richard this way: "His name is James Rodney, but call him Sir."

James Rodney Richard was born on March 7, 1950 in Vienna, in Northern Louisiana. He grew up near Ruston, at the same time as quarterback Bert Jones, and, about 70 miles to the west in Shreveport, quarterback Terry Bradshaw. By the time he was a senior at Lincoln High School in Ruston, he was already 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, so he certainly had the build of a football or basketball player.

But baseball was his sport. His idol was St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson, and it showed: Gibson was "only" 6-foot-2, but was a black man with a savage glare on the mound, and not afraid to throw close to a batter, and with good enough control to do it while scaring him but not hitting him. And Richard turned out to be the closest thing we've had to Gibson since Gibson.

Colleges saw his size and wanted him for their basketball programs. But in the 1969 amateur baseball draft, the Houston Astros made J.R. the 2nd overall pick, after the Washington Senators picked Jeff Burroughs. (Burroughs would become an All-Star for the Senators after they moved to become the Texas Rangers, and for the Atlanta Braves. But medical issues, in his case standard injuries, would cut his career short, too.)

He struggled with his control in the minor leagues, but secured it enough to pitch a no-hitter for the Cocoa Astros of the Class A Florida State League. He developed a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and a 93-mile-per-hour slider. In 1970, with the Class AAA Oklahoma City 89ers, he began wearing Number 50, and would keep that number throughout his career.

He made his major league debut on September 5, 1971, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. He set a new major league record for strikeouts by a pitcher in his debut: 15 San Francisco Giants went down that way. Willie Mays? 0-for-3 with a walk and 3 strikeouts. He said after the game, "He nearly scared me half to death." Bobby Bonds? 1-for-4 with 2 strikeouts. Willie McCovey? Lucky him: He didn't play. (Mays played 1st base.) Richard went the distance, allowed 3 runs, 2 of them earned, on 7 hits and 3 walks. He was supported by 2 hits and 2 RBIs each by Cesar Geronimo and César Cedeño, and the Astros won, 5-3.

Richard still had control difficulties, and made only 4 appearances in 1971, 4 more in 1972, 16 in 1973, and 14 in 1974. He got into the Astros' rotation in 1975, but led the National League in walks and wild pitches, going 12-10. He was considerably better in 1976: Although he again led the NL in walks, he went 20-15 with a 2.75 ERA, and topped 200 strikeouts for the 1st time. He did it again in 1977, going 18-12.

In 1978, while he again led the NL in walks, he also led it in strikeouts, his 303 a new record for a righthanded pitcher in the NL. He went 18-11. In 1979, He went 18-13, led the NL with a 2.71 ERA, and broke his strikeout record, with 313. He finished 4th in the voting for the NL Cy Young Award in '78, and 3rd in '79.

*

In 1980, he was off to another great start, and was selected as the NL's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. He went 2 innings, and struck out Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees, Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox, and opposing starting pitcher Steve Stone of the Baltimore Orioles. The only baserunners he allowed were walks to Rod Carew of the California Angels and Ben Oglivie of the Milwaukee Brewers, and a single to Bucky Dent of the Yankees. Under the rules, he could have pitched a 3rd inning, but left because of pain in his back and shoulder.

This was a big year for the Astros. After some close calls, team owner John McMullen, a naval engineer who had been a part-owner under the Yankees' George Steinbrenner, and would bring an NHL team to New Jersey as the Devils, decided he wanted to follow Steinbrenner's path: He opened the vault, and tried to buy a champion.

He gave Nolan Ryan the 1st $1 million-a-year contract, adding him to a rotation that already included Richard, Joe Niekro, Ken Forsch and Vern Ruhle. He also brought Joe Morgan back to the Astros, after 8 successful seasons in Cincinnati, to a lineup that already included Cedeño, José Cruz Sr., Jeffrey Leonard, Enos Cabell, Terry Puhl and Art Howe.

And, despite Ryan being a native of the Houston suburbs, Richard looked like the centerpiece of the operation. In 2012, Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy was asked who the toughest pitcher he ever faced was. He said, "Anybody that played in the late Seventies or early Eighties will probably give you the same answer: J.R. Richard."

Dusty Baker, then an All-Star left fielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and, today, the manager of the Astros -- said NL batters suffered from "J.R.-thritis": 

It was like J.R. was only throwing from about 50 feet. With his reach, and he was all legs, you didn't have much time to make up your mind... You didn't really feel comfortable at the plate. He was the toughest guy I ever faced.

Morgan, now grateful to be Richard's teammate, backed this up as well: "He had the greatest stuff I have ever seen, and it still gives me goosebumps to think of what he might have become."

On July 14, 1980, J.R. Richard started for the Astros against Murphy's Braves. At the time, the Astros had the best record in the NL, 48-36, and were half a game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL Western Division.

Richard was then 30 years old, and had a career record of 107-71, with a 3.15 ERA, a 1.243 WHIP, and 1,493 strikeouts. He pitched a 1-2-3 1st inning, then struck out the side in the 2nd: Gary Matthews Sr., Bob Horner, and the aforementioned Jeff Burroughs. Murphy ended up going 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a walk.

But Richard had trouble seeing the signs from catcher Alan Ashby, 60 feet away. By the 4th inning, his fingers were too numb to even hold the ball. He had to leave the game.

The Astros put him on the 21-Day Disabled List. On July 23, he checked into Methodist Hospital in Houston, to find out what was wrong. They found an arterial obstruction in his right arm, his pitching arm. They took his blood pressure in both arms. In his left, it was within normal healthy range. In his right, there was no blood pressure at all.

Every time he tried to warm up, he said he had pain in his forearm, his shoulder, and even his neck. Astro management refused to listen, and the Houston media reported leaks that he was "whining" and "malingering." It was also suggested that, making $195,000, which would have been an enormous sum in the reserve clause years that ended in 1976, he was jealous of Ryan making a cool million.

On July 30, 1980, having not made the Astros' trip to Philadelphia to play the Phillies, Richard went to see a chiropractor. This man thought the flow of blood in J.R.'s upper body would benefit by having his neck rotated. As occasionally happens to people, the "solution" turned out to be far worse than the problem.

He went to the Astrodome that night, and was warming up for a simulated game in the outfield. He later said that he developed a headache, heard a ringing in his ear, and felt complete weakness in his body. He collapsed. He was taken back to Methodist Hospital, and found to have had a stroke: The arterial blockage found in his arm had gone to his carotid artery, and required emergency surgery.

A CAT scan of his brain showed it was actually three separate strokes, and the arteries in his right arm were still obstructed. In other words, he was still heavily at risk for another stroke, which, in his weakened condition, would probably have killed him. Finally, Astro management took his earlier complaints seriously.

Without Richard, the Astros ended up needing to win a 1-game Playoff with the Dodgers, in Los Angeles, to decide the NL West title. They won it. They played the Phillies in the NL Championship Series, at the time a best-3-out-of-5 series. It turned out to be one of the greatest postseason series of the Divisional Play era. The last 4 games all went to extra innings.

The Astros scored 4 runs in the 10th inning to win Game 2. Morgan's leadoff triple and Denny Walling's sacrifice fly won Game 3 in the 11th. They led Game 4 2-0 after 7 innings, and were 6 outs away from the franchise's 1st Pennant, with a game to spare. But the Phillies rallied to win in 10 innings. The Astros again led after 7 in Game 5, 5-2, but, again, down to their last 6 outs, the Phillies came back, knocked Ryan out of the game, and won in 10 innings, to win their 1st Pennant in 30 years, and then the World Series against the Kansas City Royals.

Would a healthy J.R. Richard have made the difference? Almost certainly. In Game 4, the Astros started Vern Ruhle, a career 67-88 pitcher, who fell apart in the 8th inning. In Game 5, they started Ryan, who fell apart in the 8th. Had Richard started Game 4, or had Ryan done so and then Richard started Game 5, who knows? The Astros might have won their 1st Pennant, 25 years earlier than they actually did; and their 1st World Series, 37 years earlier than they actually did, and without cheating.

But, at age 30, J.R. Richard never threw another major league pitch. He tried to work his way back, to regain his strength. This did not include any rehabilitation starts in the Astros' minor-league system. When rosters were expanded on September 1, 1981, Richard was called up. But manager Bill Virdon did not think he was ready to enter a game, and he didn't.

In 1982, the rehab games began. He pitched well in 6 games with the Class A Daytona Beach Astros. He was called up to the Class AAA Tucson Toros. But in 6 games, he had little control: In 6 games, he went 0-2 with a 2.548 WHIP and a 13.68 ERA. Again, he was called up to the big club on September 1. Again, he made no appearances.

He was assigned to the Rookie League in 1983, and seemed to be pitching better, but felt pain in his left calf. This was where an arterial graft was taken to save his life 3 years earlier, and now, he needed a surgical bypass in the leg. That was it: On April 27, 1984, the Astros released Richard, and he never threw another professional pitch.

Since the Baseball Hall of Fame measures eligibility from a player's last major league game, he became eligible for election in the vote of January 1986. He received only 7 votes, 1.6 percent, and dropped off the ballot.

Baseball-Reference.com, a website that makes writing this blog a lot easier, has a "Hall of Fame Monitor," on which it says a "Likely HOFer" has a score of 100. Richard's is 64. It also has a "Hall of Fame Standards," which is weighted more toward career stats, on which it says the "Average HOFer" has a score of 50. Richard's is 24. He had Hall of Fame talent, but not Hall of Fame numbers.

Let the record show: In addition to possibly making a huge difference in 1980, a healthy Richard might have made even more of a difference. In the split-season format of 1981, the Astros won the NL West in the 2nd half of the season, and lost the NL Division Series to the Dodgers. Since they went on to win the World Series, it's reasonable to conclude that the Astros with a healthy Richard had a good chance to do the same thing. In 1983, they finished 6 games behind the Dodgers for the Division title. Richard could have made a difference that season as well. 

In 1986, with Mike Scott having a Cy Young Award season, the Astros won the NL West, and lost the NLCS to the Mets in 6 games. Scott won Games 1 and 4. Ryan lost Game 2. Bob Knepper started Game 3, and allowed the Mets to score 4 runs in the 6th. It's likely Richard, even at age 36, wouldn't have let that happen, or allowed the walkoff home run to Lenny Dykstra. And Knepper started Game 6, which turned into a classic that the Mets won in 16 innings.

If Richard had been available for Game 6, the Astros win, and then Scott, a former Met who had handcuffed the Mets all season long, would have started Game 7 at the Astrodome, and it would have been an Astros-Red Sox World Series. The Mets' "inevitable" title would have been ruined, they would be without a title since 1969, and we would be talking about The Curse of Amos Otis.

By that point, Richard would have had about 250 career wins, and might have gone on to become a member of the 3,000 Strikeout Club, and he would have been elected to the Hall of Fame sometime in the mid-1990s.

*

Instead, J.R. Richard was out of baseball. He went back home to Louisiana, and fell prey to an oil business scam. His 1st wife divorced him. Between these two events, he lost $1 million. He married a 2nd time, but was again divorced, and he lost his house in the Houston suburbs, along with whatever money he had left.

In 1989, the Senior Professional Baseball Association, a Florida-based league for players age 35 and up (the oldest turned out to be 54, and catchers were allowed in at 32), offered him, at 39, income and a chance to play baseball again. He tried out for the Orlando Juice, but didn't make the team. It might not have mattered, as the league folded after just 1 season.

By the Winter of 1994, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, only 44 years old, was living under the overpass of U.S. Highway 59 at Beechnut Road in Houston. The following March 7, he turned 45, making him eligible for his MLB pension, giving him an income.

He turned to the nearby New Testament Church and its pastor, the Rev. Floyd Lewis. The pastor got him a job with an asphalt company, and into divinity school. Soon, Richard was ordained himself, and became the Astros' team chaplain. It was also through this church that he met his 3rd wife, Lula. He is not known to have had any children.

The Astros have never retired his Number 50, but have elected him to their team Hall of Fame, and invited him to throw out the ceremonial first ball on several occasions, including postseason games.

In 2005, a film was made about him, titled: Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story. David Ramsey, better known as John Diggle in The CW's "Arrowverse" shows, played Richard. In 2015, Richard he published a memoir: Still Throwing Heat: Strikeouts, the Streets, and a Second Chance.

J.R. Richard died yesterday, August 4, 2021, from complications from COVID-19. He was 71 years old.

UPDATE: He was buried at Houston Memorial Gardens, in suburban Pearland, Texas.

March 2, 1951: The 1st NBA All-Star Game

Walter Brown, owner of the Boston Garden,

and thus owner of the Boston Celtics (and Bruins),

and host of the game, flanked by the Celtics named to the game,

Ed Macauley (22) and Bob Cousy (14).

March 2, 1951, 70 years ago: The 1st NBA All-Star Game is played, at the Boston Garden.

The players for this game were chosen by sportswriters, without regard to position, and the only rule was that a writer could not select a player from his own city. On February 13, the NBA's President (the title wouldn't be "Commissioner" until 1967), Maurice Podoloff announced the 10 players on each team.

From the Eastern Division, wearing white jerseys, coached by Joe Lapchick of New York:

* From the Baltimore Bullets: Center Red Rocha. This version of the Bullets went out of business in 1954. In 1961, the Chicago Packers were formed. They became the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962, the new Baltimore Bullets in 1963, then moved to the D.C. area for 1973-74, becoming the Capital Bullets. That name was every bit as dumb as a football fan might perceive "Chicago Packers" to be, so for 1974-75, they became the Washington Bullets. In 1997, they became the Washington Wizards.

* From the Boston Celtics: Guard Bob Cousy and center Ed Macauley.

* From the New York Knickerbockers: Forwards Vince Boryla and Harry Gallatin, and guard Dick McGuire. Hardly anybody uses the team's full name: To all and sundry, they are the Knicks.

* From the Philadelphia Warriors: Forwards Joe Fulks and Paul Arizin, and guard Andy Phillip. They became the San Francisco Warriors in 1962, then moved across the Bay to Oakland in 1971, becoming the Golden State Warriors. Despite moving back to San Francisco in 2019, they have kept the Golden State name.

* From the Syracuse Nationals: Forward Dolph Schayes. They moved in 1963, taking the Warriors' place in the City of Brotherly Love, becoming the Philadelphia 76ers.

From the Western Division, wearing blue jerseys, coached by John Kundla of Minneapolis:

* From the Fort Wayne Pistons: Forwards Larry Foust and Fred Schaus. They moved to Detroit in 1957.

* From the Indianapolis Olympians: Guard Ralph Beard and center Alex Groza. They went out of business in 1953.

* From the Minneapolis Lakers: Center George Mikan, and forwards Jim Pollard and Vern Mikkelsen. They moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

* From the Rochester Royals: Guard Bob Davies. They became the Cincinnati Royals in 1957, the Kansas City Kings in 1972, and the Sacramento Kings in 1985.

* From the Tri-Cities Blackhawks: Guard Frank Brian and forward Dwight Eddleman. This team was based in Moline, Illinois, and the region, which also includes Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa is now widely known as the Quad Cities. They became the Milwaukee Hawks the next season, the St. Louis Hawks in 1955, and the Atlanta Hawks in 1968.

Due to the limited size of the rosters, the NBA is the only one of the "Big Four" North American sports leagues that doesn't guarantee every team at least one player in its All-Star Game. Nevertheless, all 10 teams were represented. (The season had started with 11, but the Washington Capitols had gone out of business early on.)

The game was not broadcast on television, only on radio. At the end of the 1st quarter, the East led 31-22. At halftime, the East led 53-42. After 3 quarters, the East led 83-64. The final score was East 111, West 94.

Points scored, East: Macauley 20 for the game's Most Valuable Player award, Fulks 19, Schayes 15, Arizin 15, Boryla 9, Cousy 8, Rocha 8, Phillip 6, McGuire 6, Gallatin 5. West: Groza 17, Brian 14, Davies 13, Mikan 12, Mikkelsen 11, Schaus 8, Eddleman 7, Beard 6, Pollard 4, Foust 2. So everybody who got into the game scored. Schayes led all players with 14 rebounds, and McGuire did so with 10 assists.

Now 92 years old, Cousy is the game's last surviving player.