The 1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 57th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) and

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL), the two leagues comprising

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. The game was held on July 15, 1986, at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, the home of the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

of the National League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 3–2 and ended a streak where the NL won 13 of the last 14 games. Boston Red Sox pitcher

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...

was named the Most Valuable Player.

Rosters

Players in ''italics'' have since been inducted into the

National Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

American League

National League

Game

Wally Joyner Wallace Keith Joyner (born June 16, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star. He was a member of ...

was the first rookie to be elected to the starting team of an All-Star squad by the fans and the 15th rookie overall to actually start in a Midsummer Classic but the evening belonged to

. Roger Clemens made his All-Star Game debut and the game was held in his hometown of Houston. With help from Ted Higuera, Charlie Hough, Dave Righetti and Don Aase, Clemens shut down the National League and started his record setting All-Star Game career. Clemens pitched three perfect innings, had no hits allowed and no walks allowed, which included only three balls and twenty-one strikes, against the formidable National League lineup earning him the All-Star Most Valuable Player Award. The National League pitching staff struck out twelve batters, a total equaled only three times before in All-Star History: 1934 All-Star Game ational League 1956 All-Star Game merican Leagueand 1959 All-Star Game ational League In the second inning, Tigers second baseman

Lou Whitaker Louis Rodman Whitaker Jr. (born May 12, 1957), nicknamed "Sweet Lou", is an American former professional baseball second baseman. Whitaker spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. From 1977 to 1995, he appeared in 2,390 games for the ...

followed a Dave Winfield double with a homer off Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden. By the fourth inning, Fernando Valenzuela had achieved five consecutive strikeouts. This tied him with the All Star record set during the 1934 All-Star Game by

Carl Hubbell Carl Owen Hubbell (June 22, 1903 – November 21, 1988), nicknamed "the Meal Ticket" and "King Carl", was an American Major League Baseball player. He was a pitcher for the New York Giants of the National League from 1928 to 1943, and remained o ...

. Valenzuela struck out

Don Mattingly Donald Arthur Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed ...

Cal Ripken Jr. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed " The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his posit ...

Jesse Barfield Jesse Lee Barfield (born October 29, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an right fielder from 1981 to 1992 for the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. A two-time Gold ...

and fellow Mexican

Teddy Higuera Teodoro Higuera Valenzuela (born November 9, 1957) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played for nine years (– and –) for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Early career Higuera was named the rookie of th ...

. In the seventh inning, Frank White pinch-hit for Lou Whitaker and hit an 0–2 pitch from Astros pitcher Mike Scott over the wall. White became the 14th player in the history of the All-Star Game to have a pinch-hit home run. The last player to do so was

Lee Mazzilli Lee Louis Mazzilli (born March 25, 1955) is an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and T ...

at the 1979 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The National League made it interesting in the bottom of the eighth by roughing up Rangers pitcher

Charlie Hough Charles Oliver Hough (; born January 5, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) knuckleball pitcher and coach who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and Florida Marlins from 1970 to 1994. Play ...

for two runs. In the ninth, the National League had runners at first and third with one out when

Don Aase Donald William Aase ( ;"The Week (July 24–30)," ''Sp ...

got

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

to hit a check-swing grounder for a double play. This was the last All-Star Game to be entirely played indoors until 2011, when it was played at

Chase Field Chase Field, formerly Bank One Ballpark, is a retractable roof stadium in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. It opened in 1998 Arizona Diamondbacks season, 1998, the year the Diamondbacks ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Coaching staff

The 1986 All-Star Game turned out to be the final game that

Dick Howser Richard Dalton Howser (May 14, 1936 – June 17, 1987) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, coach, and manager who was best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s and for guiding them to the franchise's first W ...

(then managing the defending American League and World Champions, the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

) would ever manage.

Broadcasters Broadcaster may refer to: * A presenter of any syndicated media program * A broadcasting organization, one responsible for audio and video content and/or their transmission * A sports commentator on television or radio * Broadcaster, currently ...

noticed he was messing up signals when he changed pitchers, and Howser later admitted he felt sick before the game. Shortly thereafter, Howser was diagnosed with a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

and underwent surgery. On June 17, 1987, Dick Howser died at the age of 51.

Umpires

Starting lineups

Game summary

References

1986 All-Star Game on Baseball Almanac

1986 All-Star Game on Baseball-Reference.com
{{Major League Baseball on CBS Radio Major League Baseball All-Star Game

Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

Baseball in Houston

Major League Baseball All Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

1986 in Houston Sports competitions in Houston July 1986 sports events in the United States