January 13, 1942
1942 All-Star Game: The East Bucks the Trend
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Wolseley, Oxford (BP) – For the first time in the young league’s history, the visiting team won the All-Star Game, as the Eastern League held on to defeat their Western League counterparts 4-3 at Satchel Paige Park in Wolseley. The Easterners now lead the annual series 3 games to 2.
Also for the first time, the game was not a sellout, despite the agreeable weather (partly cloudy, 65 degrees F). Satchel Paige Park can normally hold 30,750, but organizers confirmed that the attendance was closer to 27,300. The United Leagues were anticipating a drop off in attendance, however, not only for the all-star game, but at all their games due to the nation’s focus on supporting the war effort at home.
Nevertheless, the game went off without a hitch to the enjoyment of not only those in attendance and those listening on local radio, but also to Braelander military personnel serving across the South Pacific on Braeland’s fledgling armed forces radio service.
For those that missed the original broadcast, here are the scoring highlights:
Top of the 1st:
CF Terence Durney leads off with a single off of SP Oscar Burress. Durney then reaches 3B on SS Jake Walker’s 1-out single. 1B Jim Friend immediately follows with a sac fly to left field allowing Durney to score the game’s first run.
Eastern All-Stars 1 – Western All-Stars 0
Top of the 3rd:
With SP Leo Chesters on the mound, Jake Walker leads off with a triple. Jim Friend promptly doubles, scoring Walker.
Following two quick outs, Chesters is replaced by SP Myung-gu Son. Son promptly surrenders a triple to 3B Derek Sakurai, scoring Friend.
Eastern All-Stars 3 – Western All-Stars 0
Top of the 6th:
SP Nick Paddock starts the inning for the West. A walk to PH Katsunan Chikafuji, a single by PH Scott Kessler and a walk to PH Matthew Shelley quickly loads the bases with nobody out. PH Adam Ashley then drives in Chikafuji with a sac fly to left field, adding to the Easterners lead. A pitching change and a double play end the inning before any further damage is done.
Eastern All-Stars 4 – Western All-Stars 0
Bottom of the 6th:
The Westerners get on the board thanks to a 1-out solo shot by CF Zak Kidd, off of SP Ryan Borden.
Eastern All-Stars 4 – Western All-Stars 1
Bottom of the 8th:
RP Larry Parrish takes the mound and gives up a first pitch single to PH Clint Jones. Jones is replaced by PR Yoshino Ito. With one out, Parrish gives up back-to-back singles to SS Rubén Sānchez and PH Nicky Willis, allowing Ito to score and Sānchez to reach 3B. PH Merlin Teeters then grounds out (6-3), scoring Willis to get the Western League All-Stars to within one.
In the bottom of the 9th, SP David Cooling gets the Western Leaguers to go down in order, with a 6-3 ground out and back-to-back strikeouts, to end the game.
Eastern All-Stars 4 – Western All-Stars 3
Brunswick’s
Derek Sakurai won Player of the Game honours, going 2-3 with 1-3B, 1 RBI and 2 BB.
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Here are the complete All-Star rosters:
