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JULY 10, 1956 . . . Time for the All Star game! The NL has dominated the showcase over the last several seasons, and we’re hopful this year will be no different. Hy Cohen started for the NL, getting through the top of the first with a couple of hits against him but no runs scored. But the AL did get on the board first, Boston right fielder Jim Rivera hitting a homer in the top of the third to put them ahead 1-0. And Yankees catcher Yogi Berra hit a solo blast to right in the top of the fourth to make it a 2-0 lead. Ted Kluszewski got us on the board, reaching second on a fielding error that drove Jackie Robinson all the way around from first to score in the bottom of the fourth. Mickey Mantle batted in a run in the top of the sixth to extend the AL’s lead to 3-1, and Yogi Berra hit a three-run blast to center that made it a 6-1 blowout. The AL loaded the bases in the top of the eighth but came up empty, but it didn’t matter -- the fans got all the homers they wanted out of the AL, while our bats just couldn’t keep up -- the American League took this one 6-1, adding to the rivalry between our two leagues. Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Al Kaline accounted for three of our five hits, with Kluszewski and Schoendienst getting the other two. Cohen and Dorish were our only two pitchers to get out there, and neither surrendered a run, so our Cubs represented themselves well out there.
We’ve now got our sights set on returning to Wrigley for a 13-game homestand which will pit us up against Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Philly and the Giants before a three-week road trip that will then see us into mid-August.
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