The Beginning of the Best: The 1989 All-Star Game
Tonight the stars will align in Seattle as Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 93rd All-Star Game (ASG) will take place. While the game has evolved over the years, its presence and display is still the best out of the four major sports in America. This will be Seattle’s third time hosting (1979 and 2001) the “mid-summer classic.”
Like any great event, no matter its focus, there always has to be a catalyst that allows it to rise to prominence.
The 1989 MLB All-Star game, which was held 34 years ago to the day, was one of, if not the best All-Star game’s MLB has ever conducted. Thanks to today’s technology, I was able to find the game in its entirety on YouTube and watched it.
The game took place at then Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium), home to the California Angels, and was broadcasted on NBC. The 60th edition of the ASG was the first in Anaheim since 1967, a game that went 15 innings and featured 16 future hall of famers.
I also enjoyed the old-school commercials and promotions for upcoming shows. For what its worth - Rick Astley was the guest on Regis Philbin’s show the day after the game!
The announcers for the game, though, are no strangers to big sporting events.
Bob Costas and Marv Albert hosted the pre-game show from the field. Costas interviewed Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies, who was voted to the ASG after retiring May 29 due to continuous injuries. Albert had a pre-game interview with then MLB Commissioner Bart Giamatti. The commissioner gave a “state of the game” talk, which was cool and interesting to hear. The majority of the interview focused Cincinnati Reds Manager Pete Rose. After Giamatti had taken over as commissioner in Spring Training, he reopened the investigation into Rose surrounding the idea that he had bet on MLB games, including the Reds. Both of them held in-game interviews with Nolan Ryan and Howard Johnson, as well.
Bob Costas, Marv Albert, and their perfect hair, served as on-field announcers for the game. (Photo: 408)
I really enjoyed the pre-game introductions of the players and managers, and even as boo’s “rained” throughout the stadium each time a Dodger player was introduced, I saw a lot of similarities that still take place today. Those include the “close-up” of each player, their acknowledgement to the crowd, and the respect they pay the other league by facing them when they are introduced.
The top vote-getters in each league were publicly acknowledged, something they still do in today’s ASG. Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants was the top vote-getter for the National League (NL), and Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals received the most votes for the American League (AL).
There is always a lot of pre-game fanfare before any All-Star game, but for this one, it was especially heightened. Former President Ronald Reagan, who had been out of office just six months, was going to be a part of the broadcast booth for the first inning. He was shown pre-game walking through each locker room, and shaking hands with players such as Gary Gaetti and Mark McGwire.
After the fighter jet flyover, the one and only Vin Scully and his “golden pipes” welcomed fans to the mid-summer classic. I have to admit - I haven't listened to many games that Scully called during his hall of fame career. I could have closed my eyes and listened to him speak and been able to imagine plays in my mind.
An advocate for good grammar and creative words, I appreciated Scully’s approach to the game, and how he called every aspect of the game. Tom Seaver served as the color commentator after the former Commander in Chief finished the first inning.
As Ozzie Smith stepped to the plate to lead off the game, President Reagan acknowledged his excitement being at the ASG.
“This is a wonderful, great honor. I’ve been out of work six months, so maybe there’s a future here for me,” he said.
I was unaware that Reagan was a baseball play-by-play announcer in the 1930’s in Des Moines, Iowa. He called Chicago Cubs games, and although he wasn’t at Wrigley Field, he would recreate game action from a piece of paper that was typed by a telegrapher who was transcribing the game by morse code. This creativity, I’m sure, helped him later in his career when it came to acting.
You could tell Reagan was nervous, and was handed information and stats on players during the game. He would mention them in between pitches like any good color commentator. He dove right into them about Tony Gwynn, who had his glove stolen prior to the game, mentioning about how he was two-sport athlete at San Diego State, and brought up his .353 batting average, which was towards the top of the NL at that time.
Vin Scully and President Ronald Reagan in the broadcast booth for the first inning during the 1989 All-Star Game (Photo: SI Vault)
As NL home run leader Kevin Mitchell (31) of the San Francisco Giants drove in the second run off Dave Stewart of the Oakland Athletics, the big moment in the game would soon follow.
Bo Jackson was the leadoff hitter for the AL, and even Scully and Reagan believed he was no match for NL Starting Pitcher Rick Reuschel. The right-hander, who had a career resurgence going into the game, entered with a 13-3 record. The 40 year-old nicknamed “big daddy” had a way of overpowering batters.
On the second pitch, and as Reagan was saying “He’s got a pretty interesting hobby in the offseason” referring to his NFL career, Jackson clobbered the ball 462 feet into the batters eye in centerfield.
The crowd went wild, and for a few seconds, Scully and Reagan were silent and in shock at what they had just seen.
“He’s remarkable!” Regan exclaimed.
Bo Jackson watches the second pitch he saw travel 462 feet to centerfield in the 1989 All-Star game. (Photo: ESPN)
That moment is what most remember from this game, and also many probably forgot but Wade Boggs followed-up Jackson’s home run with one of his own.
Later in the game, Jackson would reach on a Fielder’s Choice, collect an RBI, steal second base, and advance to third on a pop-fly to Eric Davis, who had one of the best arms in baseball.
Boggs, who was playing in his sixth straight ASG, was at the time the first player since 1900 to have six straight seasons of 200+ hits. He would finish the season with 205 hits, his last season of 200+ hits during his hall of fame career. Prior to the ASG, Boggs signed a new 3-year/$7 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, a true “sign of the times.”
Staying with the theme of baseball in the late 80’s, other unique things about the game’s broadcast include the score display. These days, the score, count on the batter, and other stats are on the screen at all times. I noticed the score for this game would often appear in between pitches, and only for two or three seconds, and then disappear. So if you wanted to know the score, you better watch for it.
The pitch speed was displayed as another camera took a shot of the speed gun behind home plate. When a great play would occur, it was shown in “super slow-mo” three to four times. I also found it interesting how “scouting reports” were presented during the game. The rise in analytics was still 10+ years away, but sabermetricians I’m sure will cringe when they see Kevin Mitchell’s report below.
(Photo: 408)
Other things I noticed that eventually evolved included player’s batting stances. Specifically, Cal Ripken, Jr. Julio Franco, and McGwire.
All of them progressed from what I remember them looking like, as during the game Ripken stood more upright, Franco didn’t curl the bat down near the front of his face, and McGwire barely had his knees bent.
Ripken, who was the starting shortstop for the AL, was also playing in his sixth straight ASG, had his consecutive games played streak mentioned during the game. Scully commended his 1,123 consecutive games played at the time of the ASG, and even mentioned “I don’t know if he’ll be able to catch Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 games.” Six years later, RIpken would surpass Gehrig, and eventually set the new record at 2,632 consecutive games played.
Back to Scully: There’s just something unique about how he called games.
His voice, pauses, and overall approach to letting plays develop made him one of the best, if not the best to ever do it.
He handled Reagan’s nerves during the first inning, and there were plenty of statements he made throughout the game that caught my ear. Some of those included:
“They came out like a concord flight shooting fire!” - In response to the AL’s offense in the bottom of the 1st inning
“Far from the matting throng…” - As the camera showed Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Doug Jones, who was sitting in the bleachers just above the AL’s bullpen
“All Lasorda can do is stand there and lose weight!” - In reference to NL Manager Tommy Lasorda, as the AL kept getting lots of hits and scoring runs
“There’s the last of the Mohican’s!” - In reference to Kelly Gruber, the last player to enter the game
Cleveland Indians pitcher Doug Jones, who Scully called “The best of the best” when it came to relief pitchers during the 1989 All-Star game. (Photo: 408)
Scully would call 12 MLB All-Star games in his hall of fame career, with this game being the best and most memorable one.
1989’s game and was a lot different than it is today. There were a lot of other things that stood out to me.
Many of the players using Louisville Slugger bats, especially the ones natural grain, had “LOUISIVILLE” printed on one side of the bat. It caught my eye, and I thought “There’s no way that would fly in today’s game” as it would be too distracting for pitchers.
Rick Sutcliffe, who pitched for the NL representing the Cubs, was a late addition due to an injury to another player, had his uniform (including hat) arrive just an hour and a half before the game. Something not even imaginable in tonight’s game.
Even today’s new rules, when it comes to pitching changes, stood out as there were plenty of mid-inning pitching changes, and even one pitcher who was pulled after one pitch (Dan Plesac). I also frequently noticed the home plate umpire, Jim Evans, instead of asking for a new ball, wiping it off with his hands and throwing it back to the pitcher. He was also seen wiping off baseballs with a towel he had on him.
Statistics are such a big part of today’s game, and the numbers for the players in this game were unique compared to 2023 players.
Mark Gubicza, a starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals who pitched one inning in relief, had already throw 161 innings going into the 1989 mid-summer classic. He would finish that season with 255 innings pitched. For reference, Gerrit Cole, tonight’s AL Starting Pitcher, has 109. “Load management” is more relevant in today’s game compared to 1989, and just as much a part of the game as is the new pitch clock.
As Doug Jones got Tony Peña to ground into a double play to seal it for the AL 5-3, this All-Star game was one for the ages. The game’s success, which featured 12 future hall of famers, “catapulted” MLB’s All-Star game to new levels. It started with Bo Jackson.
Bo Jackson, the 1989 MLB All-Star game MVP. (Photo: Twitter)
The Royals slugger walked away as game MVP, and set the stage for the next crop of great players to be featured in the mid-summer classic. Bo was already a superstar, but he made the game not only cool, but desirable for for players to participate.
That started with the following season’s All-Star game in at Wrigley Field. That game saw a new crop of first time All-Stars, such as Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Cecil Fielder, Roberto Alomar, and Barry Bonds.
Even the 1989 Home Run Derby, which was tape delayed, set the All-Star game up for future success. Eric Davis and Rueben Sierra tied, and MLB decided to broadcast the 1990 derby live - and it still is today.
Enjoy tonight’s game and all of the “hoopla” around it, because there’s truly no better All-Star game than MLB’s. It’s not a “pickup game” like how it is in other sports, and it’s the start of a stretch run towards the playoffs and World Series.
And who knows - maybe tonight’s game will take the mid-summer classic to a new level in the near future.
