Valenzuela and Gooden Strike Out Six Straight in the 1984 All-Star Game

On July 10, 1984, National League pitchers Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combined to strike out six consecutive American League batters in the All-Star Game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, setting a new Midsummer Classic record. The performance anchored a 3-1 NL victory on the 50th anniversary of Carl Hubbell's legendary five consecutive strikeouts in the 1934 All-Star Game at the Polo Grounds.

Valenzuela, the Dodgers' 23-year-old left-hander, started the streak in the fourth inning. He fanned Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett in order. Winfield and Jackson were two of the most fearsome right-handed hitters of their generation, and Brett was a career .305 hitter who had flirted with .400 just four years earlier. Valenzuela's screwball buckled all three.

Gooden then took the mound for the fifth inning and kept the strikeouts coming. At 19 years and 11 months old, he became the youngest player ever to appear in an All-Star Game. He struck out Lance Parrish, Chet Lemon, and Alvin Davis on 10 pitches, extending the NL's consecutive strikeout streak to six. The combined effort set a record that surpassed Hubbell's famous run of five straight, which had victimized Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, and Cronin.

Gooden had arrived in the major leagues just two months earlier and was already the talk of baseball. He would finish his rookie season with 276 strikeouts, earning the nickname "Doctor K" and the National League Rookie of the Year award. Valenzuela was three years removed from his Fernandomania debut and remained one of the most popular players in the sport.

The game also featured strong performances from NL position players. Gary Carter hit a home run, and Dale Murphy drove in a run. But the lasting image of the 1984 All-Star Game was the back-to-back dominance of two young NL arms on a cold San Francisco night.