Babe Ruth Homers in the First All-Star Game

On July 6, 1933, Major League Baseball staged its first All-Star Game at Comiskey Park in Chicago, and Babe Ruth made sure the occasion had a signature moment. The 38-year-old slugger hit a two-run home run in the third inning off National League starter Bill Hallahan of the St. Louis Cardinals, providing the margin of victory in the American League's 4-2 win before 47,595 fans.

The game had been conceived by Arch Ward, sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, as a one-time exhibition to coincide with Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair. Ward pitched it as a "Game of the Century" that would showcase the sport's biggest stars during the depths of the Great Depression. Team rosters were selected through fan balloting in newspapers. The event proved so popular that it became an annual tradition.

Ruth, nearing the end of his career, was the perfect headliner. He singled in the first inning, then launched Hallahan's pitch into the right field stands in the third with Charlie Gehringer on base. The home run gave the American League a 3-0 lead. Ruth also made a running catch in right field to preserve the lead late in the game, a reminder that his defensive skills, often overlooked, remained sharp.

The American League roster read like a Hall of Fame roll call. Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin joined Ruth in the lineup. Lefty Gomez started on the mound and earned the win with three scoreless innings. The National League countered with Frankie Frisch, Chuck Klein, and Paul Waner, but the AL pitching staff held them to eight hits and two runs.

Connie Mack managed the American League squad, while John McGraw came out of retirement to lead the National League. McGraw would never manage again, making the All-Star Game his final appearance in a dugout. The game lasted two hours and five minutes, a pace unimaginable today.