1994 ALL-STAR GAME

The 1994 Mid-West Winter League All-Star Game was held on Saturday Night, October 15th, 1994 in the home of the Steel City Sluggers

“Special recognition is given here to Brandon Hogan & Greg “Sarge” Stauffer for taking on the past All-Star Games Project as they will be playing these out and catching up not only the MWWL but some past MWBL All-Star Games as well.   Thank you very much Brandon & Sarge for helping out with these projects.  I hope you enjoy the Mid-West Winter & Mid-West Baseball League as much as we have done for the past 25 Years!”

The 1994 Mid-West Winter League annual classic between the NL and AL brings us an incredibly confident NL team as they have dominated these games in the 1990s, including 3 wins in a row. They look to continue that for a 4th straight. The starters are Greg Maddux for the AL who won his first Cy Young in 1994 with a stat line of 18-6 with a 1.24 ERA and 8 complete games. Randy Johnson earned the honor of starter in a year that he also won his first Cy Young and compiled a 9-10 record with a 2.21 ERA and 4 complete games. Don’t let the record fool you, Johnson is the real deal.

In a surprise in the top of the 1st the AL struck first with 3 hits in a row including an RBI double from Wade Boggs. 1-0 before Johnson could record an out. The next batter Jeff Bagwell worked a walk and suddenly this is shades of Nolan Ryan in the 1991 game. Is Johnson going to even record an out? Not yet, Albert Belle smacks a single and the bases are still loaded with a 2-0 AL lead. Paul O’Neill followed Belle, but Johnson managed to get him to ground to the shortstop for 2, however, run number 3 scored. Randy got out of the inning with a K to John Valentin to stop the bleeding. Not what the NL wanted. However, Maddux did not just get through with ease. Carlos Baerga mashed a home run to reduce the lead to 2 after 1, 3-1 AL.

A quiet 2nd inning brought us to another adventurous one as in the 3rd. Bob Wickman came on to pitch for the NL and he walked Boggs to start the inning. After 2 strikeouts of Bagwell and Belle, Paul O’Neill stepped back up to the plate to get revenge for the 1st inning double play. He got it, a 2-run shot to right field and the AL bench all came outside the dugout to greet O’Neill as they took a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd, the AL countered with Mike Mussina. With the pitcher spot up, Shawon Dunston stepped in for a pinch-hit chance. He made management look smart as he led off with a solo shot to make it 5-2. It is still a game after 3!

The score held until the bottom of the 5th as Roger Clemens was brought in by the AL to hold the bats in check. A lead-off walk to Moises Alou made palms sweaty throughout the AL dugout. Kirk Gibson grabs a bat in the twilight of a great career to hit for the pitcher, and he legs out an infield single. I don’t think we will see that happen again as those legs are barely moving. 2 on and no out Rafael Palmeiro gives it a crack but Chili Davis makes a diving play in center, both runners are well off the bag as they thought it was dropping in. Alou gets doubled off 2nd and Gibson gets back JUST in time to avoid the disastrous triple play! In true Clemens fashion, he hits Carlos Baerga. Probably because of that 1st inning home run off Maddux but what he didn’t expect was to hurt him. Baerga had to be pulled at 1st base, so Craig Biggio replaced him. The matchup of the day, Clemens vs back-to-back-to-back AS game MVP Ken Griffey Jr., and the NL crowd is on FIRE. One swing and BOOM we are tied 5-5. Griffey does it again. He wants that 3rd straight MVP. As he rounds 3rd he puts up 3 fingers as Clemens will not make eye contact. Clemens gets Bonds out and walks to the dugout head down and defeated.

The tie got broken quickly in the top of the 6th as Bret Saberhagen was next for the NL pitching staff. Paul O’Neill for the 2nd time in as many at-bats made it a 6-5 game on his 2nd home run of the day. He said NOT SO FAST Griffey, I want that trophy. Talk about a classic at this point!

It was all quiet for the 7th and then the idea of a classic went to the wayside in the 8th. Mike Fetters started off the inning for the NL and trying to keep the game at 6-5 was never in the cards. A Tony Gwynn pinch-hit single and a Paul O’Neill walk are all he managed to see before Doug Jones was asked to get things back on track. Game still 6-5, Barry Larkin gets a 1-run single which is followed by a Chuck Knoblauch RBI double. Just like that 8-5 and still no one out. The call to the bullpen for the 2nd time in the inning happens as Butch Henry is brought in to face pinch hitter Bobby Bonilla. The bat snapped in half but the ball dropped into right field, 9-5! The wheels have fallen off and still no one out! A Raul Mondesi walk to load the bases up only for Sandy Alomar Jr. to get himself a 2 run double. The crowd cannot believe their eyes. The AL is finally exercising their demons of the last 3 times out! 11-5 and 0 out until Wade Boggs pops out to 1st. A very sarcastic cheer comes from the home crowd but this inning was far from over. Henry walked Paul Molitor and now Tony Gwynn is getting his 2nd AB in the 8th inning. Gwynn gets walked and it scores the 12th run of the game for the AL and the lead has ballooned to 7. O’Neill gets another RBI on a single to cement his name in AS game history, 13-5. The 4th pitcher of the inning Doug Drabek comes in to give up a Larking RBI single, 14-5. Knoblauch slaps a 2-run single to go 4-5 on the day which would be grounds for an MVP usually, 16-5 and still 1 out. 17-5 as Bonilla reaches on an error by Drabek and Larkin scores. Finally, the inning ended after Mondesi and Alomar got out back-to-back. This one goes to 11, as the AL puts up an 11 spot in the 8th.

The NL managed 2 runs in the bottom half of the 8th on a Cal Ripken 2-run shot off Mel Rojas. But that was it in the scoring department. The AL pulled it off, the streak is over for the NL in a 17-7 beatdown. The streak is also over for Ken Griffey Jr. as Paul O’Neill earned the MVP honors on a 3-4 effort with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 4 runs scored, and a walk. What a turnaround after that 1st inning GIDP.

FINAL SCORE: American League 17 – National League 7

All-TIME RECORD: American League 19 – National League 6

1994 ALL-STAR GAME MVP – Paul O’N’Neill – 2 Home Runs, 4 RBIs in the game.