[jksander]

JULY 12, 1955 . . . Welcome to the All Star Game! Herb Score (9-6, 2.69 ERA, 157.0 IP, 164 K’s, 1.31 WHIP) started for the American League, while Robert Diehl (12-3, 1.84 ERA< 151.1 IP, 72 K’s, 0.81 WHIP) started for the National League. We’ve dominated the All Star game in the last two seasons, and Pee Wee Reese did what he could to get us started tonight, hitting a double as soon as he could swing the bat, and we wound up going up 3-0 quickly thanks to a three-run blast by Del Ennis in the top of the first! Robert Diehl got through his inning easily, no hits, no baserunners. Hy Cohen pitched for us in the bottom of the second, getting two pop-outs and a strikeout. Jackie Robinson hit a 467-foot bomb in the top of the third to make it 4-0 for the NL, and Sandy Koufax came out to pitch in the botom of the inning, getting a strikeout and a pop-up to the catcher before surrendering the first hit of the game for the NL side. No matter, we got them out the next time and kept the shutout intact. Hoyt Wilhelm got us through the fourth, and Hank Aaron hit a two-run blast to make it 6-0 NL in the top of the fifth. A Willie Mays homer quickly made it 7-0, as we completely kept the American League All Stars on their heels. Wilhelm and George Susce got us through the bottom of the fifth, and we brought Harry Dorish out in the sixth, and though he loaded the bases with walks he got the final strikeout to keep the AL scoreless. Jackie Robinson hit a second dinger in the top of the seventh, giving the NL an 8-0 lead heading into the stretch. Pascual got a flyout and a double play to get us through the bottom of the seventh unscathed, and Saul Rogovin came out for the eighth inning, notching two strikeouts and a groundout. Roy Face came out for the bottom of the ninth with us still up by eight, and he shut them down completely as we decimated the American League’s best by an 8-0 margin.

Our pitchers combined for four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts, giving up no runs. The AL pitchers gave up 13 hits and got five strikeouts with no one walked. The NL’s offense was led by Pee Wee Reese (three hits, two runs), Hank Aaron (two hits, two runs, two RBIs) and Jackie Robinson (three hits, two runs, two RBIs). On the AL side, Yogi Berra, Joe Cunningham, Roy McMillan and Vic Power were the only ones to get hits, while Al Smith, Sherm Lollar and Eddie Yost each got walked by Harry Dorish. Jackie Robinson was named MVP of the All Star Game, to the surprise of no one.

Now we have to get back to business -- we’ll be spending the next week and a half on the road, playing two at the Giants, four at Philadelphia, two at Brooklyn and four at Pittsburgh before we come home for our big three-week August homestand. Now is not the time to start taking anyone in the NL lightly, because any losses at all are likely to narrow the lead we’ve built against the Phillies.