The Angels are hosting the All-Star Game in this, the franchise's 50th season. Here is my list of the Top Twenty Angel All-Star Game highlights. Some of these happened in the same All-Star Game. Like many teams, even though an Angel or two get named to every AL All-Star team, two and three seasons have at times gone by where an Angels representative did not even make an appearance in the game. But when they have, the Angels have had their share of the All Star Game glitter.
20. 2008: Angels awarded 2010 All-Star Game. MLB's testament to owner Arte Moreno's raising of the team's profile as well as running a model franchise.
19. 1992: Longtime Angels coach Jimmie Reese is named Honorary Captain of the AL Squad for the All-Star Game at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.
18. 1979: Angels catcher Brian Downing is on the opposite end of Dave Parker's historic highlight reel assist for to the plate from RF. A sliding Downing was the baserunner gunned down by Dave Parker in the ultimate highlight reel "cannon of an arm" throw from deep right. Not the greatest way to be immortalized, but one for the ages nonetheless. The assist preserves a 7-6 NL victory.
17. 1962: Angels 2B Billy Moran starts the July 10 All Star Game in Washington DC. It is the first All-Star appearance by an Angel and the first start in an All-Star Game by a player on an expansion team. In their first season, 1961, none of the Angels named to the then-two All-Star Games made an appearance in either. Moran's first AB was a flyout to RF off of Don Drysdale. He struck out against the Dodger ace to end the 3rd inning as well. In the bottom of the 6th, Moran had a single off of NL pitcher Bob Purkey, the first hit by an Angel and the first hit by a member of an expansion team in All Star Game history.
16. 1993: Angels ace Mark Langston is the AL starting pitcher. He gave up a 2-run bomb to Gary Sheffield in the 1st inning, but that was the extent of the damage. He walked 1 and struck out 2 in his 2 innings. The AL came back and won the game 9-3.
15. 2003: Angels relief pitcher Brendan Donnelly is the All-Star Game winning pitcher. Brendan was the rare middle reliever named to the game and he did his job, holding the National League until the AL could come back, and come back they did while he was pitcher of record.
14. 2007: At the San Francisco Giants home park, Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero wins the 2007 HR Derby. One memorable shot to deep center is measured at 502 feet.
13. 1979: Angels legend Nolan Ryan is the AL starting pitcher. After a decade of seeing Jim Palmer win Cy Young awards and start for the AL in the midsummer classic ahead of him, the Express finally gets his turn. He strikes out the first 2 batters of the game, Davey Lopes and Dave Parker, but after walking Steve Garvey, Ryan gives up 3 runs over his next inning and one-third. His line for the night: 3ER, 2 IP, 2 K. The NL wins 7-6 at the Kingdome.
12. 2003: At Comiskey Park/US Cellular Field, Angels outfielder Garret Anderson wins the 2003 Home Run Derby. He is the first Angel to win this popular event.
11. 2007: Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez earns the Save in the All-Star Game. JJ Putz came into the game intthe bottom of the 9th with a 3-run lead. He got two outs before giving up a single and a 2-run HR. After walking the next batter, Jim Leyland brought in Frankie. Not to be outdone in the drama department, Frankie walked two batters to load the bases before getting Aaron Roawand to fly out to RF to end the game. K-Rod is the only Angel to earn an All-Star Game save.
10. 1979: Six Angels are named to the 1979 AL All-Star Team, the most ever for an Angels team. They are: hall-of-famer Rod Carew (1B); Bobby Grich (2B); Brian Downing (C); that season's AL MVP Don Baylor (DH); hall-of-famer and the game's starter Nolan Ryan (P); and reliever Mark Clear (P).
9. 2003: Angels skipper Mike Scioscia is the winning manager for the American League, the first time the game is used to determine home field advantage for the world series. Scioscia plays a decidedly strategic game while his managerial opponent Dusty Baker seems more interested in assuring that every National Leaguer gets a chance to play.
8. 1963: Angels righty Ken McBride is named AL starting pitcher for the 1963 All-Star Game. This will be the only All-Star Game of the season after a four-year experiment of playing two games, two weeks apart. McBride will give up 3 runs in 3 IP, but it is Jim Bunning who will get the loss, as he blows a tie ballgame two innings later.
7. 2003: Angels slugger Garret Anderson is named 2003 All-Star Game MVP. G.A. goes 3 for 4 with a double and a 2 run HR in the AL's 7-6 victory.
6. 1964: Angels starter Dean Chance is named the AL starting pitcher and throws three shutout innings at Shea Stadium, striking out 2. He does not factor into the decision, but it is the best performance ever by an Angels pitcher in the All-Star Game.
5. 1962: In the second All-Star Game of the summer, held July 30 at Chicago's Wrigley Field, Angels outfielder Leon Wagner is named MVP of the game for his 3 for 4 performance at the plate, which included a 2-Run Homer. The AL wins 9-4 and Wagner's day raises the expansion Angels' national profile.
4. 1989: Anaheim Stadium hosts its second All-Star Game. Coach Jimmie Reese throws out the first pitch, but the memorable scene is not shown as former president Ronald Reagan is visiting with Vin Scully in the broadcasters booth. Kansas City Royal Bo Jackson hits a monster leadoff HR in the bottom of the first to the batter's eye in Centerfield and is named the game's MVP. Wade Boggs follows with a solo HR of his own. Ex-Angel Nolan Ryan pitches 2 innings, the 3rd and 4th and strikes out 3.
3. 1983: The first grand slam in All-Star Game history was hit by Angels outfielder Fred Lynn off of Atlee Hammaker to take the lead the AL would not surrender at old Comiskey park. Lynn won the game's MVP award in the 13-3 AL victory that broke a string of 12 consecutive National League All-Star Game victories.
2. 1967: Anaheim Stadium hosts its first All-Star Game. The game epitomizes the pitching heavy, no-offense 1960s. The National League wins a 2-1 game in 15 innings off of a solo homer by Tony Perez. The other two runs in the game were also solo homers - Dick Allen and Brooks Robinson.
1. 1986: Angels 1B Wally Joyner is left off the All-Star ballot as a rookie oversight but is named a starter in the game as a write-in candidate. Far from hometown ballot-stuffing, his obvious earning of the spot earns support from fan voters nationwide. Joyner goes 0 for 1 and is inexplicably replaced after 3 innings by Don Mattingly, who goes 0 for 3 the rest of the way in the AL's 3-2 win at the Astrodome. Outrage over AL manager Dick Houser's treatment of the fan favorite is quickly muted when Houser retires shortly after the All Star Game because of a brain tumor. Houser dies the next June. It would be the only All Star Game appearance of Joyner's career.
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