The 2022 MLB All-Star Game has come and gone. Baseball’s brightest stars showed out at Dodger Stadium under the dream-like Southern California sky, turning in another special edition of the Mid-Summer Classic.
Yankees’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton led the American League to a 3-2 win over the National League, taking home MVP honors with a 457-foot moonshot that tied up the game in the fourth inning.
The MLB All-Star Game invites fans to fall in love with the game again. It pits the best players in the world against each other in a friendly competition, while showcasing their boundless appreciation for the stage that they are on. Pure fun. Pure joy.
Although the score at the end of the game is not important, the game’s top players try to leave their mark on an event they may never reach again.
With sights set on the 2023 MLB All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, let’s take a look at the Best Performances in MLB All-Star Game History.
Ichiro Suzuki – 2007
Before Shoehi Ohtani, Ichiro was baseball’s greatest global ambassador. The Mariners electric right-fielder took the baseball world by storm when he arrived to the MLB in 2001. His poetic approach to hitting the baseball and lighting-rod arm made him an instant legend. Ichiro transcended culture and the game.
Ichiro went 3-3 with 2 RBIs and a run in the 2007 MLB All-Star Game, and he did something no one had done before: He hit the first inside-the-park home run in MLB All-Star Game history. Ichiro rounded the bases in a flurry, displaying his spectacular speed for the world to see.
Derek Jeter – 2000
By 2000, Derek Jeter had won three World Series championships, but he never started in an MLB All-Star Game. The shortstop gave it all that he got in Atlanta, earning MVP honors, and, surprisingly, became the first Yankee to win an All-Star Game MVP.
The legend of Jeter was already growing before the 2000 MLB All-Star Game, but his perfect 3-3 performance reinforced his All-Star approach to the game on and off of the field.
Pedro Martinez – 1999
There is no understating the unbridled greatness of Pedro Martinez. At an All-Star Game dominated by steroid-users and big brutes, Martinez took to his home mound at Fenway Park and simply dominated.
He struck out Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Jeff Bagwell. In one of the most emotional All-Star Games with the commemoration of the All-Century Team and Ted Williams’ ride across the game’s oldest park, Petey’s outing will forever be etched in history.
Ted Williams – 1946
The greatest hitter that ever lived returned to baseball in 1946 after three years of service in World War II. But Ted Williams did not miss a beat. He launched a home run off an eephus pitch from Rip Sewell, adding to a vintage 4-4 performance with another homer, five RBIs, a walk, and a run.
Babe Ruth – 1933
Ruth was the greatest player and the most captivating personality the game had ever seen. The Bambino was an attraction, an event by himself. He revolutionized the sport and continues to be its most cherished icon.
In the hallowed grounds of Comiskey Park in Chicago, Ruth hit the first home run in MLB All-Star Game history off Bill Hallahan, transforming the game into a must-see summer tradition.
