The 1944 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 12th playing of the "Midsummer Classic" between

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) ...

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 ...

(NL) All-Star teams. The

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

was held on July 11, 1944 at

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

, the home of the NL's

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

. The game resulted in the National League defeating the American League 7–1. Played during World War II, receipts from the game were distributed to a fund that provided baseball equipment to members of the armed services.

Pirates in the game

The Pirates hosted the game and were well-represented. Pirates pitcher

Rip Sewell Truett Banks "Rip" Sewell (May 11, 1907 – September 3, 1989) was a right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 13 years in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers (1932) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1949). Sewell was ...

, infielder Bob Elliott, and outfielder Vince DiMaggio were selected for the National League All-Star squad. Pirates pitchers

Max Butcher Albert Maxwell Butcher (September 21, 1910 – September 15, 1957) was an American major league baseball pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1936–45. Career Butcher was the opposing pitcher on ...

and Cookie Cuccurullo were named the NL's batting practice pitchers and Pirates catcher

Spud Davis Virgil Lawrence "Spud" Davis (December 20, 1904 – August 14, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, C ...

was the NL's batting practice catcher.

Honus Wagner Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955), sometimes referred to as "Hans" Wagner, was an American baseball shortstop who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pitt ...

was named an honorary coach, the first time this honor was bestowed in Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.

Starting lineups

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- ...

American League

Thurman Tucker Thurman Lowell Tucker (September 26, 1917May 7, 1993) was an American professional baseball player. A center fielder, Tucker played in Major League Baseball for nine seasons in the American League with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. ...

, cf * Stan Spence, rf * George McQuinn, 1b * Vern Stephens, ss * Bob Johnson, lf *

Ken Keltner Kenneth Frederick Keltner (October 31, 1916 – December 12, 1991) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1937 to 1950, most prominently as a member of the Cleveland Indians where h ...

, 3b * ''

Bobby Doerr Robert Pershing Doerr (April 7, 1918 – November 13, 2017) was an American professional baseball second baseman and coach. He played his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Boston Red Sox (1937–1951). A nine-time MLB A ...

'', 2b *

Rollie Hemsley Ralston Burdett Hemsley (June 24, 1907 – July 31, 1972) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for 19 seasons from to . Born in Syracuse, Ohio, he was nicknamed "Rollicking Rollie". Hemsle ...

, c *

Hank Borowy Henry Ludwig Borowy (May 12, 1916 – August 23, 2004) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1942 through 1951 for the New York Yankees (1942–45), Chicago Cubs (1945–48), Phila ...

, p

National League

* Augie Galan, lf *

Phil Cavarretta Philip Joseph Cavarretta (July 19, 1916 – December 18, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, outfielder, and manager. He was known to friends and family as "Phil" and was also called "Philibuck", a nickname bestowed by ...

, 1b * ''

Stan Musial Stanley Frank Musial (; born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial; November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consis ...

'', cf *

Walker Cooper William Walker Cooper (January 8, 1915 – April 11, 1991) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1940 to 1957, most notably as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals with whom h ...

, c *

Dixie Walker Fred E. "Dixie" Walker (September 24, 1910 – May 17, 1982) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and minor league manager. He played as a right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1949. Although Walker was a five ...

, rf * Bob Elliott, 3b * Connie Ryan, 2b *

Marty Marion Martin Whiteford "Mr. Shortstop" Marion (December 1, 1917 – March 15, 2011) was an American Major League Baseball shortstop and manager. Marion played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns between 1940–1953. He was a defensive ...

, ss *

Bucky Walters William Henry "Bucky" Walters (April 19, 1909 – April 20, 1991) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1950. He was a six-time All-Star and the 1939 National League Most Valuable Player. ...

, p

Umpires

The umpires changed assignments in the middle of the fifth inning – Barr and Hubbard swapped positions, also Berry and Sears swapped positions.

Synopsis

The

scored in the second inning on a single by

, its pitcher, but never scored again. The

got four runs in the fifth inning, led by Bill Nicholson's pinch-hit double. Whitey Kurowski knocked in two more runs with a double in the seventh. A sacrifice fly by

in the eighth inning closed out the scoring. Ken Raffensberger was the winning pitcher for the Nationals.

References

External links

Baseball AlmanacBaseball-Reference.com
{{Major League Baseball on Mutual

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 ...

Major League Baseball All-Star Game Baseball in Pittsburgh Major League Baseball All Star Game July 1944 sports events 1940s in Pittsburgh Sports competitions in Pittsburgh