After four years, the league had finally decided to return to the original single game format. The fans and players had both expressed mixed emotions over the previous doubleheaders and many felt that it had compromised the integrity of the All-Star exhibition.
Although the American League had prevented the National League from tying the series at 16-16 the year before, the National League began a dominance in which it won eight straight games, dropped one and then won another eleven in a row.
Surprisingly, the American League out-hit the National League 11-6, but the effort went in vain as Willie Mays put on a one-man show. Although he had only one hit, he drove in two runs and scored two. He also stole two bases and made the defensive play of the game, a running catch that deprived Joe Pepitone of extra bases in the eighth.
This game also marked the twenty-fourth and final appearance of Stan Musial, who pinch-hit in the fifth. He lined out to right, leaving behind an All-Star log of twenty hits in sixty-three at-bats for a .317 average. He also hit six home runs, an All-Star Game record.
"A couple years ago they told me I was too young to be president and you (Stan Musial) were too old to be playing baseball. But we fooled them." - President John F. Kennedy
1963 All-Star Game |
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1963 All-Star Game Fast Facts | ||
Game Number | 34 | |
Date / Box Score | 07-09-1963 | |
Location | Municipal Stadium | |
Attendance (Rank) | 44,160 | |
M.V.P. Award | Willie Mays | |
League Items | A.L. | N.L. |
Starting Pitchers | Ken McBride | Jim O'Toole |
Managers | Ralph Houk | Alvin Dark |
Coaches | Sam Mele | Bob Kennedy |
Johnny Pesky | Gene Mauch | |
1963 All-Star Game Fast Facts |
1963 All-Star GameLine Score |
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1963 All-Star Game Capsule | ||||||||||||
League | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
National | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
American | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
N.L. Pitcher(s) | A.L. Pitcher(s) | |||||||||||
Jim O'Toole Larry Jackson (W, 3rd) Ray Culp (5th) Hal Woodeshick (6th) Don Drysdale (8th) |
Ken McBride Jim Bunning (L, 4th) Jim Bouton (6th) Juan Pizarro (7th) Dick Radatz (8th) |
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N.L. Home Runs | A.L. Home Runs | |||||||||||
None | None |
1963 All-Star GameNational League All-Star Squad |
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Lineup | Name | Team | Position | Notes |
2. | Hank Aaron | Milwaukee Braves | OF | |
5. | Ed Bailey | San Francisco Giants | C | |
6. | Ken Boyer | St. Louis Cardinals | 3B | |
Orlando Cepeda | San Francisco Giants | 1B | Did Not Play | |
Roberto Clemente | Pittsburgh Pirates | OF | ||
Ray Culp | Philadelphia Phillies | P | ||
1. | Tommy Davis | Los Angeles Dodgers | OF | |
Don Drysdale | Los Angeles Dodgers | P | ||
Johnny Edwards | Cincinnati Reds | C | ||
7. | Dick Groat | St. Louis Cardinals | SS | |
Larry Jackson | Chicago Cubs | P | ||
8. | Julian Javier | St. Louis Cardinals | 2B | Replaced Mazeroski |
Sandy Koufax | Los Angeles Dodgers | P | Did Not Pitch | |
Juan Marichal | San Francisco Giants | P | Did Not Pitch | |
4. | Willie Mays | San Francisco Giants | OF | M.V.P. |
Bill Mazeroski | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2B | Replaced - Injury | |
Willie McCovey | San Francisco Giants | OF | ||
Stan Musial | St. Louis Cardinals | OF | ||
9. | Jim O'Toole | Cincinnati Reds | P | Starting Pitcher |
Ron Santo | Chicago Cubs | 3B | ||
Duke Snider | New York Mets | OF | ||
Warren Spahn | Milwaukee Braves | P | Did Not Pitch | |
Joe Torre | Milwaukee Braves | C | Did Not Play | |
3. | Bill White | St. Louis Cardinals | 1B | |
Maury Wills | Los Angeles Dodgers | SS | Did Not Play | |
Hal Woodeshick | Houston Colt .45s | P | ||
BOLD = Manager / player / coach choice to start the game. |
1963 All-Star GameAmerican League All-Star Squad |
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Lineup | Name | Team | Position | Notes |
Bob Allison | Minnesota Twins | OF | ||
Luis Aparicio | Baltimore Orioles | SS | ||
Steve Barber | Baltimore Orioles | P | Replaced - Injury | |
6. | Earl Battey | Minnesota Twins | C | |
Jim Bouton | New York Yankees | P | ||
Jim Bunning | Detroit Tigers | P | ||
1. | Nellie Fox | Chicago White Sox | 2B | |
Mudcat Grant | Cleveland Indians | P | Did Not Pitch | |
Elston Howard | New York Yankees | C | ||
3. | Al Kaline | Detroit Tigers | OF | |
Harmon Killebrew | Minnesota Twins | OF | ||
Don Leppert | Washington Senators | C | Did Not Play | |
4. | Frank Malzone | Boston Red Sox | 3B | |
Mickey Mantle | New York Yankees | OF | Injured | |
9. | Ken McBride | Los Angeles Angels | P | Starting Pitcher |
Bill Monbouquette | Boston Red Sox | P | Replaced Barber | |
2. | Albie Pearson | Los Angeles Angels | OF | |
7. | Joe Pepitone | New York Yankees | 1B | |
Juan Pizarro | Chicago White Sox | P | ||
Dick Radatz | Boston Red Sox | P | ||
Bobby Richardson | New York Yankees | 2B | ||
Brooks Robinson | Baltimore Orioles | 3B | ||
Norm Siebern | Kansas City Athletics | 1B-OF | Did Not Play | |
Tom Tresh | New York Yankees | OF | ||
8. | Zoilo Versalles | Minnesota Twins | SS | |
5. | Leon Wagner | Los Angeles Angels | OF | |
Carl Yastrzemski | Boston Red Sox | OF | ||
BOLD = Manager / player / coach choice to start the game.Game / Box Links: 1963 Box Score | 1963 Play-by-Play |
Willie Mays won the first unified All-Star Most Valuable Player Award not due to his one hit, but due to his two runs driven in, two runs scores, two stolen bases, and a magnificent defensive catch in the eighth inning robbing Joe Pepitone of extra bases.
The National League would go on to win the next eight All-Star Games, lose one, then win eleven more! Are they a dominant league? Was it junior circuit bad luck? Express your opinion in our forums today.
Did you know that Harmon Killebrew tied the record for singles hit during an All-Star Game with three?