The 1968 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 39th 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 b ...
(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 (A ...
.
The game was held on July 9, 1968, at the
Astrodome in
Houston
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 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
the home of the
Houston Astros of the National League, making this the first All-Star Game to be played indoors. The game resulted in the National League defeating the American League 1–0. It is the only All-Star Game played without a run batted in (RBI).
This was the first
night All-Star Game since 1944. Apart from the
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
game (which was originally scheduled to be played at night but was postponed to the following afternoon due to rain), all subsequent All-Star Games have been played at night.
Game summary
The American League was limited to three hits, unable to get a rally going against
Don Drysdale,
Juan Marichal,
Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher for six different teams from 1965 to 1988, most notably as a member of the Philadelph ...
and
Tom Seaver, all future Hall of Famers.
A first-inning run scored by
Willie Mays on a single, an errant pickoff attempt, a wild pitch by
Luis Tiant and a double-play ball gave the winning National league the only run they would need.
Don Wert
Donald Ralph Wert (born July 29, 1938), nicknamed "Coyote", is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers from 1963 to 1970 and also briefly played for the Washin ...
's eighth-inning double momentarily gave the AL a threat to tie the game, but Seaver struck out the side. In the ninth, with two out,
Jerry Koosman was brought in from the bullpen to face
Carl Yastrzemski, whose strikeout ended the game.
Starting lineups
Reserves
American League
Pitchers
Position players
National League
Pitchers
Position players
Line score
Line score
External links
Baseball AlmanacBoxscore at Baseball-Reference
{{Major League Baseball on NBC Radio
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 Nationa ...
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
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 Nationa ...
Sports competitions in Houston
July 1968 sports events in the United States
1960s in Houston