All-Star Game In San Diego Brings Back Memories Of The 1992 Classic At Jack Murphy Stadium

When San Diego fans last had the opportunity to watch Major League Baseball’s All-Star game in their home city, there was a Clinton serving as President of the United States. The year was 1992, the park was Jack Murphy Stadium, and the President was Bill Clinton.

Now, as the Midsummer Classic returns to San Diego twenty four years later, a few changes have occurred. The venue is called Petco Park, the game actually counts, and Hillary Clinton is the Democratic candidate for the Presidency.

This year, just as in 1992, there will be plenty of stars in both dugouts, and every team will be represented. The lone member of the Padres, who are in last place in the National League West, will be first baseman Wil Myers.

The Padres were faring much better back in 1992, when at the All-Star break they were five games over .500 and just a few games back in their division. They would end up 82-80, good enough for third place in the N.L. West.

Interestingly enough, the managers of the All-Star rosters back then were from the two teams with the worst records so far in 2016. Tom Kelly was skipper of the ’91 World Series champion Minnesota Twins, now the bearers of the fewest wins in the A.L. The Senior Circuit was managed by Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves, who currently hold the worst record in the N.L.

Kelly’s squad came out on top, just as they had done in World Series eight months before. Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. was the Most Valuable Player, going three for three with a double and a home run. Oakland outfielder Ruben Sierra also homered for the A.L., who won the game by a score of 13-6.

The home town Padres had two players in the starting lineup for the N.L., highlighted by future Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn. Teammate Fred McGriff, starting at first base, contributed two hits in three at bats.

Two former Padres also had multiple hits in the game, pleasing the home crowd. Infielder Bip Roberts went two for two with a couple of runs scored, and outfielder John Kruk also hammered out two hits.

Texas pitcher Kevin Brown, who would join the Padres a few years later, retired all three batters in the first the first to get the win for the A.L. Future Hall of Fame left hander Tom Glavine of the Braves surrendered five runs in the first, which tagged him with the loss.

The nineteen total runs scored were the most in an All-Star game since the 1954 contest at Cleveland Stadium, when Casey Stengel’s club beat Walter Alston and the N.L. by the score of eleven to nine. Only one time since 1992 has the game seen as many runs as it did in 1992, and that was the one at Coors Field in Denver. The A.L. scored thirteen runs compared to the eight produced by their opponents in that 1998 contest.

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